Can you get cash off a wedding registry?

Yes. Every major wedding registry in 2026 (Zola, The Knot, Joy, Honeyfund, MyRegistry, and Donum) supports cash funds, and the money lands directly in the couple's bank account via Stripe, PayPal, or ACH. Platform fees range from 0% (Donum, MyRegistry) to 2.9%+30¢ (PayPal Honeyfund), with the 2.5% charged by Zola, The Knot, and Joy as the industry baseline.

Cash funds are now the most-requested registry feature among couples married in the last three years, per The Knot's 2024 Real Weddings Study. The mechanics differ across platforms (some custody the money temporarily, some pass it through directly, some require the couple to do KYC, some don't), but the core answer is yes, you can get cash, and on most platforms you get it within 2–7 business days of each gift.

How does a cash registry actually work?

A guest pays with a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer, or PayPal at checkout. The platform's payment processor (Stripe on Donum, Zola, and Joy; Braintree/PayPal on Honeyfund) charges the card, deducts processing and platform fees, and deposits the net into the couple's connected bank account. On most platforms the couple completes a one-time identity verification (KYC) the first time they add a cash fund (typically 3 minutes through Stripe's hosted onboarding), and from then on every gift auto-deposits.

You don't get a check, you don't get a gift card, and the platform doesn't hold the money long-term. It's a direct card-to-bank transfer with the registry sitting in the middle as the merchant interface.

What fees do registries take on cash gifts?

The fee depends on the platform and payment method:

• Donum: 0% platform fee. Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ card processing applies, and ~80% of guests opt to cover it at checkout (default-on toggle), so most cash gifts arrive at 100%.
• MyRegistry: 0% platform fee. Couples pay $0.30 per ACH transaction; full credit-card processing passes through on card gifts.
• Zola: 2.5% on all credit/debit card cash-fund contributions. Bank transfer is fee-free but only available to guests who opt for it.
• The Knot: 2.5% on credit/debit. Same structure as Zola.
• Joy: 2.5% on credit/debit cash-fund contributions.
• PayPal Honeyfund: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. The highest of the major platforms.
• Venmo / Zelle directly (no registry): 0%, but no purchase tracking, no thank-you list, no integration with a registry website.

For an $8,000 cash fund (the median across mid-sized US weddings), the difference between 0% and 2.5% is $200. Between 0% and 2.9%+30¢ is closer to $260.

Can you get cash without a registry at all?

Yes, but it costs you privacy, organization, or both. Options:

• Venmo / Zelle / Cash App: zero fees, but you publicize your handle, can't track gifts against a thank-you list, and can't accept credit cards (Zelle) or out-of-network senders cleanly.
• A bank account number on your wedding website: technically free, practically nobody does this, guests find it weird to handle.
• A check or cash card in person: still common, especially among older guests, but unworkable for distant invitees.

A registry exists because it solves the coordination problem: one URL, accepts every payment type, generates a thank-you list, and doesn't leak your phone number to 150 people.

What does the guest experience feel like?

On most modern registries it's a 30-second checkout: pick the fund, type an amount, optionally leave a note, pay with card or wallet. No account creation. On Donum, Zola, and Joy, the checkout uses Stripe's Payment Element, which means Apple Pay and Google Pay are one tap. PayPal Honeyfund routes through PayPal's checkout, which requires a PayPal account or guest checkout flow.

On Donum specifically, guests see a default-on toggle at checkout: "Cover the $X.XX processing fee so 100% of your gift reaches the couple." Industry-typical adoption on this pattern is 75–85%, and our internal data tracks toward the high end.

How fast does the money arrive?

• Donum (Stripe Connect Express, Direct charges): 2 business days for the first payout, then standard daily payouts to the couple's bank.
• Zola, The Knot, Joy: typically 3–7 business days per gift.
• PayPal Honeyfund: 1–3 business days into the couple's PayPal balance, then standard PayPal-to-bank withdrawal (1–3 days).
• MyRegistry: weekly or per-transaction depending on payment method.

No major US registry holds money for the wedding date. Each gift is paid out near-immediately, which is why a couple typically has the bulk of their cash fund spendable before the ceremony.

Related reading:

• Are cash wedding gifts taxable?
• Do wedding registries charge fees?

Bottom line: yes, cash registries work and the money lands in your bank within days; the only meaningful variable across platforms is the fee.