Common questions

What is SimpleRegistry?

SimpleRegistry is similar to a traditional registry in which you register for the individual items you would like to receive. However, with SimpleRegistry, anything you can think of and assign a cost to can be added to your registry. In one-click, use the SimpleAdder to add any item on any site to your list. Also use the free SimpleRegistry mobile app to scan the barcode or take a snapshot of any item in any store and add it to your registry.

Easily build your registry with items, activities, and experiences you'd like to receive and guests contribute monetary gifts towards them. You can also split expensive gifts into any sized portions you wish to make group giving easy.

As you receive monetary gifts, redeem them as often as you would like. Instead of sending you the actual gifts, we send you a bank check or bank transfer so you can personally purchase the items, activities, and experiences whenever and from wherever you choose! All U.S. gift redemptions are always FREE!

Why choose SimpleRegistry?

• 100% FREE Options — Just like other free registries you may have seen out there we only charge a fee when a gift is given using a credit card. If your guests choose to provide a gift via cash or check – it's 100% FREE!
• No Upgrade Fees — Unlike some other registries out there we never charge a fee to access premium features. You get 100% of our services 100% of the time.
• Add Anything to Your Registry — Anything you can think of and apply a cost to can be added to your registry. Mix housewares, honeymoon activities, funds toward a mortgage down payment, etc. – all on one registry.
• Freedom — Redeem all gifts as cash and decide where, when, and how to arrange the purchase of your gifts.
• Group Gifts — We make it easy to register for expensive items and split the cost so many guests can contribute.
• Ease of Use — Customizing your registry is easy with our purpose-built tools, the SimpleAdder, the free SimpleRegistry mobile app, Instant Registry, huge gift image library, automatic slideshows, and more.
• FREE Gift Redemption Options — Flexible choices for redeeming your gifts. You tell us when you're ready to receive your gifts and we send you a bank check or transfer them directly to your checking or PayPal account. All U.S. gift redemptions are always FREE!
• "Thank You" — Saying "Thank You" is easy with an instantly generated list of all your guests, the gift(s) they provided, amounts, and their full contact information. We'll even remind you about saying thanks after your .

How does it work?

1. Create an account in 2 minutes (registration is free). Start here →
2. Easily customize your registry page complete with gift images & descriptions, photos, and a message to your guests. Use the Instant Registry feature to complete your registry in just minutes. Also take advantage of the super-cool SimpleAdder to add any item on any website with just one click as well as the free SimpleRegistry mobile app to scan a barcode (or take a quick photo) and register any item in any store.
3. Your registry page will have an easy-to-remember web address that you can create (http://www.simpleregistry.com/CUSTOM/) so letting everyone know where they can give you a gift is always simple. View Real Member Registries →
4. Your guests visit your registry page and securely give a monetary gift using a credit card or via cash/check at a later time (if option is turned on). Redeem your gifts at any time by requesting a bank check or transfer. All U.S. gift redemptions are always FREE!

Who can create a registry?

Our service is open to anyone with a mailing address in one of the following countries:

American Samoa, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic Of Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, United States Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands - British, and Virgin Islands - American

Note: Currently, all gift amounts and account balances are represented in US$, no currency conversions will be made. Gift redemptions will also be drawn on US$ funds from a bank based in the United States. If the account in which you deposit the funds is delineated in a currency other than US$, you may incur currency conversion fees from your bank.

How much does it cost?

Gifts provided to you via cash or check are 100% FREE. For gifts given using a credit card, 2.45% is deducted from the gift amount. The gift giver is also charged 2.45% + $0.99 on checkout. These fees cover processing the credit card (which can cost us up to 3%), hosting, features, and services of your registry, phone support five days a week, twenty-four hour email support, and support for your wedding guests who wish to purchase a gift for you over the phone.

You also have the option to give all the credit card fees to the guest making ALL gifts 100% FREE for you to receive. From the same settings, you can also choose to have all fees deducted from the gift amount. This makes a gift cost guests just $0.99 to provide. It's totally up to you!

There are no "Upgrade" fees, subscriptions, or monthly fees. All of the great features of our system are 100% free to set-up and use.

Want to see all the cool stuff you can do? Take 2 minutes and Create Your Registry →

What are the fees for?

Some don't realize this, but processing credit cards costs every business money. Online, it's up to 3% per transaction. So the fees cover this and leave a bit for us to keep the lights on and pay our awesome staff.

Who can give a gift?

Anyone with a valid Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit card. If the guest is not located in one of the countries listed below, our credit card processor may require additional information. We will work with the guest to facilitate this process.

American Samoa, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Republic Of Korea, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macao, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands - British, and Virgin Islands - American

How do I split up the cost of an expensive item?

When you are adding an item to your registry, you will always see an updating "Total Amount" value. You can set "Cost Each" and "Quantity" in any combination which provides the desired total. For example, if you are registering for a $1,000 item, you could set "Cost Each" at $100 and "Quantity" to 10. Setting "Cost Each" at $50 and "Quantity" to 20 would also yield the same total amount. You have total flexibility. Setting up your expensive items as multiple gifts of smaller amounts makes it easy for your friends and family to give you a piece of an item or experience that is typically too expensive for one person to provide.

Are my guests charged sales tax?

Never! We do not ship physical goods so there is no sales tax.

How does the fee compare to a "traditional" registry?

Typically, most couples request that gifts purchased from a physical store registry are sent to their home. If the shipping and handling fee, gift-wrapping fee, and sales tax associated with the purchase of the gift are included, this usually totals more than 12% of the gift's value. In almost all cases, guests will find it less expensive to use SimpleRegistry than purchase item(s) at a physical store. This has the added benefit of increasing the likelihood the guest will increase the overall size of their gift.

SimpleRegistry gives your guests the convenience of purchasing a gift without worrying about shipping or carrying the gifts to the wedding or shower. Since you redeem all gifts as cash in the form of a bank check or bank transfer, you'll never have to deal with gift returns or exchanges.

How do I inform my guests about my registry?

Your registry page will have an easy-to-remember web address that you can create (http://www.simpleregistry.com/CUSTOM/) and share. Wedding gifts should never be mentioned in your wedding invitations. However, including your wedding website is a great way to let guests know where to go to find out all of the details of your wedding (including your registry!). You can easily tell people about your wedding website through e-postcards (with a link to your wedding website), or announcement cards (that announce your wedding website). There are several wedding website companies to choose from that provide free or premium sites.

Can I protect my registry with a password?

Yes, simply log into your account and click on the "Edit" button near the top of the main page. From here you can turn protection on/off and specify a password. Note that guests who do not have this password will have absolutely no access to your registry. SimpleRegistry support staff will never share your password. If you use this feature, please ensure everyone you wish to have access to provide gifts from your registry is informed of your password!

What is Instant Registry?

Take as much time as you want crafting the perfect registry but for those in a hurry, our Instant Registry feature allows you to complete your registry in just minutes! When setting up your gift inventory you can choose from a list of premade theme based registries. With one click you can instantly add some or all of the items to your own registry. You can edit or delete any item at any time and also add plenty more of your own. Remember, with SimpleRegistry you redeem all gifts as cash so you have the flexibility to purchase registered items when you are ready – even if you decide later to get a slightly different model of that awesome camera or a different color of that kick-ass blender. Instant Registry is currently available for wedding and baby registries only.

Watch a quick video about Instant Registry (0:30)

What is the SimpleAdder?

The SimpleAdder is a fantastic and unique tool that allows you to easily add any item, on any website, with just one-click. The items are added to your registry just as any other so your guests will not be directed to the source websites to purchase them. Like any other item on your registry, once purchased, the gift funds will be placed in your account until you redeem them as cash.

Watch a quick video about the SimpleAdder (0:30)

How do I redeem the gifts in my account?

Log into your account. Within the "My Account" section, click on "Redeem Gifts". We offer four delivery options: Checks sent USPS First Class Mail, PayPal, ACH Bank Transfer, or International Wire Transfer. All U.S. gift redemptions are always FREE. Checks sent via International Air Mail service are FREE. International PayPal transfers incur a 2% fee ($20 max) and International Wire Transfers are $30.

• For security reasons, we can only issue gift redemptions to the Primary Member on the account. This name cannot be changed once a gift has been given. Why?
• For PayPal requests, we can only use the email address that was first registered. Why?
• It takes 72-hours for funds from a credit card transaction to be available for a gift redemption. Why?

How long does it take to receive my gifts?

Getting you your gifts quickly (and if in the U.S. — always FREE) is a high priority to us!

Some other registry services can take up to (10) full days to send a bank transfer and may require personal information like your Social Security number or date of birth. We will never ask you for this information!

The fastest redemption option for U.S. residents is the ACH Bank Transfer. These are processed within (1) business day but allow up to (3) additional business days for the funds to appear in your bank account. PayPal redemptions are processed within (3) business days. Check redemptions are MAILED within (3) business days of the redemption and delivery time will vary by location. Please allow up to (10) business days to receive a bank check in the mail. All U.S. redemption options are always FREE.

• For security reasons, we can only issue gift redemptions to the Primary Member on the account. This name cannot be changed once a gift has been given. Why?
• For PayPal requests, we can only use the email address that was first registered. Why?
• It takes 72-hours for funds from a credit card transaction to be available for a gift redemption. Why?

Why can't I redeem via PayPal if my email address was changed?

The email address tied to your PayPal account is the unique identifier for that account. If someone gained access to your SimpleRegistry account and wanted to redeem gifts to their PayPal account they would need to update the email address on your registry. While there is an extra security step in place to change your account email address, we prefer to err on the side of caution and not allow PayPal gift redemptions when the email address has changed. Note that you can easily change the email address tied to your PayPal account to match the email you used on SimpleRegistry. See the help section of PayPal for more information.

What is the best way to thank a guest?

We believe a personal thank you card is always best. Even better, include a photo related to the gift you received in the thank you card. SimpleRegistry provides you with all guest contact information and an easy way to keep track of who you still need to thank. From your account, click on the "Thank You List" section. From there, you can also print out a contact form that lists all gifts and the relevant guest information.

Is my personal information safe?

We will not share or sell any of the personal information of our registrants or guests (read our Privacy Policy). All of your personal information is stored on secure servers at our data center. In addition, we do not save credit card information once a gift transaction has been completed. The gift transaction itself is encrypted (see "Is credit card information secure?" below).

What if I purchased a registry item elsewhere?

If the registry page is set up to accept the cash/check payment option, you can complete the checkout process for free and the registry will be updated. At some later time you can present the couple with the item(s). If the couple has not activated the cash/check payment option, please contact them (or a close friend or family member) to let them know they should update the registry to reflect your purchase.

Is credit card information secure?

Our site uses industry standard 256-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to ensure that guests' sensitive data (credit card number, name, address, etc.) is transmitted securely – every time. In addition, we use internal measures to further increase each individual transaction's data security.

When we ask for guests' credit card numbers or other personal information, we transfer that information from their computer to ours via SSL. SSL encrypts the data before it is transmitted. In the rare event that someone "listens in" on the wire, they'll get only encrypted information. We do not store your guests' credit card information after the transaction has been successfully completed.

Where does the money go when I receive a gift?

After a guest's credit card is charged, the money is deposited into accounts at Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The balances in these accounts are used only for Member gifts and redemption requests.

How do I know when I receive a gift?

An email detailing the gift will be automatically sent to both the guest and you (you also have the option of opting-out of gift email notifications). In addition, your account information will be immediately updated.

Why do I receive notification cards for only some gifts?

Elegantly designed and embossed gift notification cards are an optional addition for gift givers on checkout. These cards can be mailed to the couple directly or sent to the gift giver to be presented at a later time. Many gift givers appreciate the opportunity to purchase a tangible representation of the item(s) they purchase from a registry. This option was added at their request.

How long can I keep my account open?

Your account will remain open indefinitely but you can inactivate or close it at any time. You can also keep it open to use for different life events as they arise.

Why can't I change the name of the Primary Member on the account?

Once you receive your first gift, you cannot change the name of the Primary Member on the account. While our servers are secured by the latest technology, someone could still gain access to your account if they discover your login information or if you use our site on a public computer and do not log out. Since gift redemptions will only be distributed to the Primary Member, there is another layer of protection in one of these rare events. Even if a malicious user has access to your account, they still cannot get a check or money transfer sent to them in their own name.

Note: Once an account has at least one gift there are absolutely no exceptions to this rule.

Why does it take 72-hours for my gifts to be available?

In order to keep fees low for everyone, we need to make sure that credit card transactions are not fraudulent. The 72-hour delay allows us to catch any fraudulent activity. It's an unfortunate but necessary measure for us to take, and we apologize for any inconvenience.