No change? No problem for new Salvation Army kettles

SEATTLE -- Always like to make a donation to the traditional Salvation Army red kettles, but never seem to have any change handy?

Now, all you need is plastic.

For the first time ever, many of the kettles around the Pacific Northwest will have the option to donate via credit card.

"We're really excited about it," said Salvation Army spokeswoman Stacy Howard. "Last year, 13 cities in the country tested it out and it they did very well."

Howard says last season, kettles nationwide netted $130 million, breaking a fund-raising record despite the struggling economy.

"A lot of people don’t carry cash," Howard said. "They want to be able to pull out a credit card; you can use it as a debit or credit, just push in the amount and you can quickly and easily donate."

Kettles will still, as always, accept cash or change as well. But Howard hopes the ease of credit cards will help raise even more this year.

"We've seen in the test runs that people who give with credit cards generally tend to give more," she said.

Find out more at Salvation Army Nortwhest