July 1, 2026 · 5 min read
Wedding gift fund: Mobile Money and bank transfer, the guide
How to receive gifts from France, French-speaking Africa and the diaspora without chasing cash. The options, the fees and the pitfalls.
Couples getting married between France and French-speaking Africa share one concern: how to receive gifts from three or four countries without chasing cash envelopes. Here are the options that actually work.
SEPA transfer for France and Europe. For guests living in the euro zone, transfer remains the simplest path: no fees, money arrives the next day. Display your IBAN on the gift fund page, that is all you need.
Mobile Money for French-speaking Africa. Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Wave together cover almost every Mobile Money transfer in Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and around. Fees range from 0.5 to 2% depending on the operator. Guests send from their phone in thirty seconds.
Credit card for the diaspora. Guests based in Canada, the United States or the United Kingdom pay by card. Expect about 1.5% in Stripe fees. It is more expensive than a transfer, but far more convenient for them.
On Wedbridge, the commission is 0% starting with the Essentiel plan. You keep what your guests send, minus the payment provider fees. On a 5,000€ gift fund, you keep roughly 125€ more than with a 2.5% platform.
Pitfalls to avoid. Do not mix accounts: open one dedicated to the gift fund, you will avoid questions at tax time. And do not wait until the wedding to enable the fund, some guests prefer to send ahead.