Honeymoon Fund Registries in Australia Compared (2026): Who Takes a Cut of Your Gifts?

1. The comparison at a glance

Platform	Platform fees	On a $5,000 fund	How you get paid
Gift Registry (giftgiving.fun)	$0 — no setup fee, no percentage	$0 (PayID transfers are typically free end-to-end)	Directly — guests pay your PayPal.Me, PayID, or Stripe link
Hitchd	0%–4.98% per gift, depending on who absorbs the fee	Up to ~$249 if you absorb it (or your guests pay it for you)	Platform processes payment, pays out to you
EasyRegistry	~$39 one-off setup + payment processing on contributions	$39 + processing (Stripe/PayPal rates, ~1.75%+ on card payments)	Platform processes via Stripe/PayPal, pays out to you
MyRegistry	2.5% PayPal fee per transaction + handling fee	$125+	Via PayPal, fees deducted from each gift
Honeyfund	Free to create; card payments incur processing fees	Processing fees on card contributions (varies by payment method)	Via connected payment processor

The pattern is simple: platforms that process payments for you have real costs (card processing, fraud risk, payout infrastructure), and they recover them through setup fees or percentages. Platforms that connect guests directly to you have no payment costs to recover — which is how 0% is possible.

2. How honeymoon fund fees actually work

There are three places money can leak out of a honeymoon fund, and platforms are not always upfront about which ones apply:

• Setup or subscription fees — a flat charge to create the fund (EasyRegistry's ~$39 model). Paid once, easy to understand.
• Platform percentage — a cut of every contribution (Hitchd's up-to-4.98%, MyRegistry's handling fee). This is the one that stings, because it scales with your guests' generosity.
• Payment processing fees — what Stripe or PayPal charge to move money on a card (~1.75% + 30¢ in Australia). These apply on any platform whenever a guest pays by card — including ours, if your guest chooses a card payment via your PayPal link. The only way to avoid them entirely is a bank-to-bank transfer, which is where PayID comes in.

When a platform advertises "no fees", check which of the three they mean. Often it's only the first.

3. Platform by platform

Gift Registry (giftgiving.fun) — 0% link-out model

Cash funds are a built-in feature: you connect your own PayPal.Me link, PayID, or Stripe payment link in your registry settings, add a fund with a goal amount, and guests contribute in two clicks — PayPal opens with their chosen amount pre-filled, or they copy your PayID into their banking app. The money goes straight from guest to couple; the platform never holds it, so there is nothing to take a cut of. Contributions are anonymous (you see the total raised, never who gave what), the fund sits alongside your physical gifts on one registry link, and the whole thing is free. How it works →

Hitchd — polished, honeymoon-focused, fee flexibility

Hitchd is a dedicated honeymoon registry with beautiful trip-based gift framing ("a night in Santorini"). Its fee model lets you choose who pays: 0% for you if guests absorb the full fee, 2.49% if you split it, or 4.98% if you absorb it entirely. Someone always pays it — the choice is whether it's you or your guests. If you want a honeymoon-only registry with strong visual storytelling and don't mind the fee, it's a well-made product.

EasyRegistry — Australian, one-off fee, full-service

EasyRegistry is a long-running Australian universal registry where you can mix physical gifts with a "wishing well" cash fund. The cash fund costs a one-off fee of around $39 AUD, with payment processing (via Stripe/PayPal) applied to contributions on top. The flat fee is predictable, which is genuinely better than a percentage on large funds — but it's still $39 + processing for something that can be free.

MyRegistry — big international player, percentage model

MyRegistry is a large US-based universal registry with cash gift funds. Contributions route through PayPal with a 2.5% fee deducted per transaction, plus a handling fee on personal registries. On a $5,000 fund that's at least $125 of your guests' money gone before it reaches you.

Honeyfund — free tier, processing fees on cards

Honeyfund popularised the honeymoon registry in the US and offers a free tier. Creating the fund costs nothing, but card-based contributions incur payment processing fees depending on the method your guests choose, and some features sit behind paid upgrades. For Australian couples it works, but it's US-centric — no PayID, and AUD support is secondary.

4. The PayID advantage (Australia's cheat code)

Here's the part most comparison articles miss, because most of them are written for Americans: Australia has free, instant bank-to-bank transfers, and almost every Australian guest already has the tool in their pocket.

PayID is just your email address or mobile number linked to your bank account. A guest opens their banking app, pays your PayID, and the money arrives in seconds — typically with zero fees for either side. No card processing, no platform cut, no percentage. A $100 gift arrives as $100.00.

A registry that supports PayID as a payment method — rather than forcing everything through card rails — means the entire fee question evaporates for most of your guest list. Card options (PayPal.Me, Stripe) are still there for overseas guests or anyone who prefers them.

5. The honest trade-offs

A 0% link-out model isn't magic — it makes a different set of trade-offs, and you should know them:

• The progress bar is honour-system. Because the money goes directly to your bank account, the registry can't see the payment — guests click "I've sent it" after paying, and the progress bar updates on trust. In practice guests have no reason to fake a contribution, but a payment-processing platform can show verified totals.
• No consolidated payout. Contributions arrive as individual transfers in your PayPal or bank account, not one lump-sum payout with a statement. (Many couples consider this a feature — the money is yours immediately, not held by a platform.)
• You need your own payment link. If you don't have PayPal or PayID and don't want them, a full-service platform does that part for you — for a fee.

For couples who already have a PayPal account or an Australian bank account (so, nearly everyone), the trade is straightforward: a verified progress bar isn't worth hundreds of dollars in fees.

6. Setting up a 0% honeymoon fund in 5 minutes

1. Create a free registry at giftgiving.fun — works for the whole wedding registry, not just the fund.
2. Connect your payment link in Settings → 💰 Cash funds: your PayPal.Me link, your PayID, or a Stripe payment link.
3. Add the fund — tick 💰 Cash fund when adding a gift, name it ("Honeymoon in Japan", "One night in a ryokan"), and set an optional goal.
4. Add physical gifts alongside it from any store, for guests who prefer something wrappable.
5. Share one link with everyone. Guests chip in anonymously; you watch the progress bar climb.

7. FAQ

Are honeymoon funds tacky in Australia?

No — wishing wells and honeymoon funds are mainstream at Australian weddings. The accepted etiquette is to frame contributions around specific things ("a night's accommodation", "dinner in Florence") and keep some physical gifts on the registry for guests who prefer them.

What's the cheapest way to collect honeymoon contributions?

PayID bank transfers — typically free for both sides, instant, and supported by every major Australian bank. Pair it with a registry that charges 0% and the full amount of every gift reaches you.

Do guests pay fees when they contribute?

It depends on the payment method, not just the platform. PayID transfers: usually free. PayPal: free from a PayPal balance or linked bank account for domestic personal payments; card payments attract PayPal's standard fees. Platforms like Hitchd can pass their platform fee to guests on top.

Can guests contribute from overseas?

Yes — PayPal.Me works internationally (currency conversion fees apply), and Stripe payment links accept international cards. PayID is domestic-only, so offer PayPal alongside it if you have overseas guests.