Finding a Reliable Wedding Gift Honeymoon Fund

A wedding gift honeymoon fund is a perfect option for anyone getting married. The philosophy behind this idea is if guests want to give the spouses a gift in money why not let them know what they are contributing to.

Plus, a honeymoon fund is a way to give Mr and Mrs unforgettable memories instead of replaceable things.

However, there are some crucial aspects to consider before committing to anything.

Before you blindly pick the first honeymoon fund you find on the Internet make sure to read the following tips. I will cover many important things you should look know in terms of transaction security, reputation and customer service.

Your guest’s money is worth every step you’ll take to ensure you make a safe choice.

The Wedding Registry Tradition

It was originally intended to help the newlyweds start their new life as a couple.

Back then, husband and wife would leave their parents house for the first time to stay in their very own little love nest. This meant they needed pretty much all there is in a home, from a double bed to a toaster, etc.

Today many people are leaving home before getting married and often as singles. Over the years, they were able to collect all they need to make their home as comfortable as possible.

Once they meet their future spouse, the main problem is sometimes to agree on which of the furniture will be kept and which they will get rid of!

But that’s another story…

Marriage is a Journey

Many people feel embarrassed to ask for money even if it’s the only thing they really need. If it’s your case, think of it this way:

If you were to give a wedding present, would you choose a useful object (in your opinion) that will eventually break and be tossed in the garbage? Or would you like to help them obtain what they really need at this specific time of their life?

My opinion? I would prefer to know that my money is used for something the newlywed will remember forever.

Also, visiting a new place is a symbolic representation of the wonderful marriage journey and a good way to start the adventure.

Honeymoon Free Fund Apps

There are many wedding registry honeymoon fund websites offering different options depending on what is important for you. They are generally easy to configure.

However, there are a few things you need to be careful about especially if you choose a free alternative:

• Look for Apps that are Trustworthy.

Search for forum and discussions to see what people use most and why. Don’t choose a free platform because it’s cheaper before making sure it’s legit and widely used.

Sometimes a poorly programmed application can be full of security breaches that can compromise the transactions integrity.

• Find out about what past users think. 

Social platforms and popular industry website forums can be used to find private groups of people with similar interests. You can ask other members what honeymoon platform they’ve used and how they liked it.

Those who did will most likely reply to you with their personal experience. This is a great way to know if a honeymoon fund company is reliable.

Just type into facebook search bar a term like “weddings group” or other related keywords. Then browse through the group results and request to become a member of those that seem the most relevant.

You can do the same thing in Google search bar and find what other people have to say on popular websites forums like theknot.com

• Avoid or Reduce Transaction fees.

Paypal is a very popular credit card payment service and is implemented in most of the online wedding registry honeymoon fund out there.

Each transaction costs 2.9% (in Canada),  3.7 (in the USA) + 0.30$. However, your guest should also have other options to avoid paying these fees.

Some guests may find awkward having to pay for a service while they would rather hand it to the bride and groom directly.

• Don’t Get Carried Away by All the Bells and Whistles.

Each wedding registry honeymoon funds have specific features that may not be available in its competitor’s version. Just make sure to choose something simple for you to configure and also for your guests to use.

Of course, you want it to look good with some possible customization like adding a picture of you and your spouse or a specific theme color.

Having many backgrounds, sound effects or menus to choose from may not be that important

Not to mention that some of these customizations can lead to additional costs.

• Find a Common Ground for All Contributors.

Online technology is powerful only for those who are comfortable using it. In other words, don’t assume that everyone is able or even interested in sending money using a web-based registry.

Most people are used to computers, tablets, and smartphones. However, a lot of people are not fans of giving their personal credit card information on any websites.

Put Transaction Security First

In my opinion, the best honeymoon registry websites are those that are appropriately secure. Ensuring that your guest’s money is not highjacked by an unscrupulous person should be at the forefront of your mind.

In fact, leaving aside the security aspect, there is no such thing as “the best honeymoon registry”. Everyone has different needs and all merchants you’ll find online offer different options.

Some people would rather pay to have more graphic layouts to choose from for their registry page. Others prefer having a standard design and a completely free registry. That is up to you.

Just keep in mind that no matter how pretty the website is its first job is to securely handle transactions.

Essential Honeymoon Registry Features

Here are some of the characteristics you should look for when creating a fundraising registry.

• Ability to send the money directly.

To avoid extra charges, some honeymoon wedding registries offers the possibility for your guest to send the money by cash or check. It’s free because they don’t collect the money.

• A legitimate credit card payment option.

A transactional website should have a strong security system when it comes to transferring the money from the buyer to the recipient.

Such a system has a huge implementation cost. It also requires complying with industry standards that only companies with substantial revenues can afford.

That’s why many small companies and newcomers turn to Paypal payment system to give their customer peace of mind.

In short, PayPal takes care of encrypting the confidential data that transit between your computer and their system. You shouldn’t have to provide this information to the wedding registry website.

• Ability to take the money out.

Honeymoon funds usually provide this service in hopes you will buy their honeymoon packages. Do you plan to buy your honeymoon package through an independent travel advisor or want to organize the trip yourself?

Then you must be able to retrieve the money to use it however you want.

Questionable Company Operating Ways

The following elements should raise your suspicion:

• Unhappy Facebook Visitors Opinion.

This is a good habit to get into whenever you want to buy something from an online merchant. The reliable and transparent merchants usually display visitors posts on their Facebook page.

If you never checked that before, you’ll be surprised to see how many customers use it to praise or bash the company’s customer service.

Social media platforms that promote interaction between the customers and the merchants re great. They can really help you determine the level of client satisfaction.

• Unhandled Customer Requests.

Most complaints have to do with how they didn’t get an answer to their questions. In worst cases, people complain about paying for something they didn’t get.

The best honeymoon registry websites will ensure that their customer’s requests are answered and that any negative critic is taken seriously.

Bottom line, if most customers aren’t happy then chances are you won’t be either after purchasing whatever they want to sell to you.

• Tons of satisfied customers, tons of testimonials, etc.

Good customers review, are not a bad thing per se but it doesn’t make them more reliable because you’ve found them on the company’s website.

These are only common strategies to make a website look like a trustworthy industry leader.

Instead, rely on what you read about them from multiple sources. Even better, get advice from your friends and relatives.

It doesn’t have to be a huge corporation to be trustable. Small enterprises can have strong ethics too. Sometimes they even offer a better customer service to be competitive.

Finally, make sure you get advice from real past customers whenever possible using the tips mentioned earlier.

• No customer service phone number or email.

More companies keep that information hidden to avoid being spammed.

However, they should provide other ways for their customer to contact them. They sometimes have a contact form you can fill to request more information.

You should also be able to obtain their phone number by requesting it on their Facebook page for example.

I suggest that you give them a phone call before creating an account. A good way to see if they’re professional is by asking questions and getting clear answers.

• A website that makes you pay for the transactions.

Some honeymoon fund registries take a specific amount or percentage on each guests payment. I think that you shouldn’t pay for honeymoon fund transactions.

It’s a personal opinion but it’s better to ask your guest to give you money directly to avoid them paying a fee. They are giving the money to you and they shouldn’t have to pay for a third party service if they don’t want to.

Given the choice, I’m pretty sure they’d agree with that.

Planning for Other Funding Objectives

While a new couple may not need housewares, they may need money for other financial projects. Some platforms are specifically built to gather funds for your honeymoon but some go beyond that.

That’s why many companies decided to widen their offer to help raise money to buy a house for example. Other possible fundraising include intangible needs like housekeeping and even dancing lessons!

What About Travel Counseling?

There are more and more people that choose to have a honeymoon registry instead of a traditional one. Also creating a fund to pay your honeymoon expenses is fairly easy as many websites offer free alternatives.

Now that you have found enough information and subscribed to your favorite honeymoon fund service, you still need to figure out where you want to go.

A travel counselor can certainly help to have some insights if you haven’t decided yet.

But is it worth paying for the services of a travel advisor?

Honeymoon Packages and Funding

If you want to have a honeymoon registry you don’t necessarily have to find a travel counselor.

In fact, most wedding gift honeymoon fund includes lots of information about the paradisiac places where you most likely want to go.

They even have a list of travel packages for you to pick. You can even choose to have a Disney honeymoon fund if you want. Your guests simply contribute to the honeymoon offering you chose directly on the website.

It’s an easy way to keep track of the amount of money you will eventually get for your dream honeymoon.

Benefits of Dealing with a Travel Agent or a Tour Operator

The main reason to deal with a travel counselor or a tour operator is to have a personalized service.

In can be worth it if you are organizing a destination wedding or some celebration that require planning before you get there.

Special Requests Handled by a Travel Counsellor

Let’s say you want to make a photo shoot on the beach as a honeymoon souvenir. The travel agent should be able to organize this for you.

You can specify what you need:

• Hire a photographer;

• Hire a makeup artist;

• Ensuring you get a specific spot on the beach for the photo shoot, etc.;

• Decorations with specific colors.

They make the calls back and forth to the hotel and can provide you with an estimate and arrange every detail for you.

Choosing Between a Tour Operator and a Travel Counsellor

A tour operator (also called travel operator) is a company while a travel counselor is an independent agent that sells packages bought from tour operators.

He can also work for a travel agency.

The following characteristics are important to help you determine the best option for you.

Tour Operator

• Has a greater volume of sales and can provide more competitive prices;

• Most have a license from the appropriate travel ministry;

• Has a diversified travel offering to be competitive. They can provide honeymoon packages but also cruises golf tourism packages, culinary group travel, etc.;

• Has a web-based travel booking platform with online support and customer service phone number.

Travel Agent

• Is usually more expensive than the tour operator as he doesn’t have the sales force and, therefore, sales volume a tour operator has;

• Can be specialized in a specific domain like wedding and honeymoon travel;

• Does the paperwork for you (insurance, flight, and hotel booking and special requests with the hotel, etc);

• Does not maintain a transaction website for his client. You deal with a human being.

Useful Links

Here are a few links for more information about travel agents and travel tips:

• Federal Trade Commission (Tips to detect signs of scam when shopping for travel)
• American Society of Travel Agents
• Association of Canadian Travel Agencies

Wedding Gift Honeymoon Fund Tips

I hope that the advice you’ve found here was helpful.

If you’ve used a honeymoon fund registry or if you plan to use one please leave share your experience in the comment section below.

You can also leave a question and I will reply back.

Sharing your experience will help others make a safe choice!

♥