The Charities Advisory Trust is warning shoppers of the hidden costs behind Charity Christmas Cards, saying that not all of the money you pay will go to charity.

Their annual “Scrooge Award” goes to a shop in London called “Cards Galore”, which gives less than 10% of the value of the cards to charity. The price of one card resulted in just 4.5% going to charity.

Without legislation, companies only have to give 2% of the proceeds to charity to be able to call the cards “Charity Christmas Cards”, and the likes of Harrods and Fenwicks have also come in for criticism in the wake of the Advisory Trust’s research. Tesco also came in for a few harsh words, after it was revealed that just 2.75p from a pack of cards goes to charity.

The Director of the Trust, Dame Hilary Blume, said that the Trust has “pushed the charity donation to a minimum of 10% for most cards. This year our greatest concern is retailers slashing the cost of the charity cards to boost sales or grab customers – a move that leads to a smaller amount being donated to the charity in whose name the card is produced.”

We say: If you want to give to charity, just give the money direct. Buying a Christmas card and thinking that you are doing a good thing in giving to a cause is not the way forward – and shops are just taking us for a ride if they think that. So – this year, buy Charity Christmas Cards if you want – at least some money goes to charity – but try making up the difference by donating to the charity of your choice.