Salvation Army updates their kettles to keep up with the times

The Yuletide season is upon us yet again, so the Salvation Army’s trademark red kettles are already going around, depending on public goodwill and donations for the less fortunate. Instead of dropping some loose change into those kettles (or even a few notes if you’re feeling generous), these kettles have received a high tech upgrade – sporting a wireless debit/credit card terminal. So far, they have been set up in 300 locations across 120 different cities, and its introduction has seen the Salvation Army receive an average of around $15 when debit and credit cards are used, while pocket change yielded a much less respectable amount of around $2 or $3 on average. These wireless terminals are also safe to use since no personal information like credit card numbers will be stored on the machines, not to mention each donation will come with a printed receipt for tax deduction purposes. Who says the season for giving is boring?