Both online companies have placed links on their home pages allowing visitors to make direct payments to the Red Cross after Tuesday's attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Amazon's Web site counter said 12,979 payments had been made so far, totalling US$323,801.69.
"All of us at Amazon.com are deeply saddened by the recent tragedies in New York City, Washington, D.C., and southwestern Pennsylvania, and we extend our sympathies and condolences to those affected," Amazon said in a notice on the site that has replaced its main home page. "You can support relief efforts by making a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund."
People have turned to the Web to find information about the terrorist attacks, as telephone lines and cellular services have been swamped by volume. Web sites have also felt the strain; the home page of the Red Cross has been inaccessible at times, as have the sites of major news organisations.
The payments to Amazon--not to exceed US$50 each--are using the "Amazon Honour System," which the online retailer set up in February to help small Web sites collect fees and donations from users. It uses the site's "1-Click" payment method to allow consumers to pay and lets the Web sites collect funds without having to register for a merchant account from credit-card firms.
Amazon normally charges a processing fee for use of the Honour System but said it would waive the fees in this case.
The Yahoo site uses the company's similar PayDirect system, launched last year. That program allows person-to-person payments over the Web. No fee is being assessed for donations related to Tuesday's attacks.
