Do wedding registries charge fees?

Most wedding registries are free to set up and free for physical gifts, but charge a 2.4–2.9% platform fee on cash contributions made by credit or debit card. Donum is the exception: 0% platform fee on cash gifts, always.

The fee almost always hits the couple, not the guest. A $500 cash gift on Zola arrives as $487.50. The same gift on The Knot or Joy arrives as $487.50. On PayPal Honeyfund it arrives as about $485.50. On Donum it arrives as $500 (when the guest opts to cover the card processing fee, which ~80% do). Below is the full breakdown by platform, what the fee actually pays for, and where the marketing language hides it.

Which registries charge a fee on cash gifts?

Every major wedding registry except Donum and MyRegistry takes a percentage of cash contributions. As of May 2026:

• Zola: 2.5% on credit/debit cash-fund contributions
• The Knot: 2.5% on credit/debit cash-fund contributions
• Joy: 2.5% on credit/debit cash-fund contributions
• PayPal Honeyfund: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• Hitched / Honeyfund.com (non-PayPal): ~2.8%
• MyRegistry: 0% platform fee, but charges the couple a flat $0.30 per transaction on bank transfers and passes through full card processing on credit-card gifts
• Donum: 0% platform fee on cash gifts; guests can opt to cover the underlying 2.9% + 30¢ Stripe processing fee at checkout (default-on, ~80% adoption)

The pattern: the platforms with built-in wedding websites and planning tools (Zola, Knot, Joy) all charge 2.5%. The platforms positioned around free or universal (MyRegistry, Donum) don't.

Do registries charge a fee on physical gifts?

No. Every major registry (Zola, The Knot, Joy, MyRegistry, Amazon, Target, Donum) is free for physical-gift purchases. The retailer pays the registry an affiliate commission (1–8% depending on the store), so the platform gets paid without charging either party.

This is why "free wedding registry" is technically true for almost every site. Physical gifts are free everywhere. The fee question only matters once you add a cash fund, honeymoon fund, or any other money-based contribution.

Why do most registries charge on cash gifts?

Because cash gifts don't generate affiliate revenue, so the platform has to monetize them directly. Card processors (Stripe, Braintree, PayPal) charge about 2.9% + 30¢ per online transaction. The 2.5% Zola, Knot, and Joy charge is positioned as a "credit card processing fee" but isn't a passthrough; it's a margin. Standard processing is 2.9% + 30¢; they take 2.5% and absorb the gap with their volume-negotiated processor rates.

In other words: the fee is a margin booked as platform revenue, not a passthrough cost. The accurate version is "platform fee + processing." Most don't disambiguate.

What's the one exception?

Donum charges 0% platform fee on cash gifts and is funded entirely by affiliate revenue from physical-gift purchases. The card processor (Stripe) still charges 2.9% + 30¢ (that's just what cards cost), but at checkout, guests are asked if they want to cover that fee for the couple. The toggle is on by default, and ~80% of guests leave it on. When they do, 100% of the gift reaches the couple.

When a guest opts out, the couple absorbs the Stripe fee (about $14.80 on a $500 gift), which is the only leakage in the model. Effective blended cost per couple: under 1%, and zero of it goes to Donum.

How much does the fee actually cost over a wedding?

Realistic scenarios assuming all card payments and a 2.5% platform fee:

• Small wedding, $4,000 in cash gifts: $100 lost to fees
• Median wedding, $8,000 in cash gifts: $200 lost to fees
• Large wedding, $20,000 in cash gifts: $500 lost to fees

For most couples managing a meaningful cash fund, the fee structure of the registry is the largest single financial decision they'll make about their registry. A free physical registry with a 2.5% cash fee is a 2.5% cash registry.

What should you ask before picking a registry?

1. What's the platform fee on cash gifts, separate from card processing? If the registry doesn't disambiguate, treat the answer as "the whole thing."
2. Is the fee waived for any payment method? Some platforms charge 0% on bank transfer (ACH) but 2.5% on cards, where >80% of guest payments actually happen.
3. Who pays (couple or guest)? Most platforms quietly take it from the couple. A few let the guest cover it explicitly.

Related reading:

• Zola's 2.5% cash fund fee, explained
• How do honeymoon funds actually work?

Bottom line: physical gifts are free on every major registry; cash gifts cost 2.4–2.9% almost everywhere except Donum and MyRegistry.