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If you sent or received charity Christmas cards this year, you should know that they might not do as much good as you’d hoped.

Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, WHSmith and Cards Galore are among stores giving just 10 per cent of the cost of the cards to the charity named.

If you buy a box of ten at £2.49, just 2.5p per card goes to a good cause. Others give slightly more. Aldi donates about 8p a card and Clintons, 5p.

But the Greeting Card Association says Christmas cards raise £50 million for good causes annually, which wouldn’t be possible without the footfall from shoppers that High Street retailers provide.

Just 10 per cent of the cost of many charity Christmas cards actually goes to charity

By law, card sellers must print the donation amount on the back of each packet. 

However, this is sometimes tucked away in the small print, while images printed on the backs often show the charities your money will support. 

Over 1.13billion Christmas cards are bought each year, according to the Greeting Card Association. 

Of these, around 900million are sold in packs and boxes worth £230million. 

As many as 80 per cent of Britons would rather receive a printed Christmas card over an e-card, according to a recent survey by Royal Mail. 

Three quarters of those asked said they think Christmas cards help spread festive cheer and goodwill, and almost as many say they use them as Christmas decorations around the house.

l.milner@dailymail.co.uk

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