There may be cases where payment for wedding expenses cannot be covered. The only disadvantage of the convenient PayPay wedding gift payment.

2022.10.05 published

I paid wedding gifts with PayPay!

Hello, this is Yuki from Marry.

Recently, I was invited to a friend's wedding, and about a month and a half before the ceremony, I received a LINE message from the bride saying, "We accept wedding gifts via PayPay."

It was something like this:

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For our wedding gifts, we are accepting not only cash on the day but also PayPay payments in advance.

If you would like to use PayPay, please contact us by [date] so we can prepare a payment link for you.

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I usually use PayPay, so I was thrilled and thought it was convenient! I replied immediately, "I would like to use it 🙇‍♀️."

After that, I received a PayPay payment request from the bride and sent her a wedding gift of 30,000 yen.

Thanks to being able to pay with PayPay, preparations on the day were much easier!

This time, because the bride and groom accepted PayPay gifts in advance, I had already sent the wedding gift two weeks before the wedding.

So, my preparations on the day were really easy compared to usual♩

Usually, I find myself hurriedly withdrawing new bills from the bank during my lunch break just before the wedding, or if I can't go to the bank, rushing to the Mizuho Bank ATM in Shibuya that dispenses new bills...

Being able to quickly send my wedding gift from home on my smartphone was fresh and convenient.

Of course, preparing cash, looking for a cute envelope, writing my name with a brush pen, wrapping it in a fukusa, and presenting it to the reception staff on the day are all customary practices associated with weddings, and I enjoy having time to think about the bride and groom in that process.

However, this time I could choose between cash or cashless payment, which made me feel this is what a new normal wedding might be—wow!

[Note] There may be cases where money received via PayPay cannot be transferred to a bank account!

It is possible to withdraw (transfer) the balance within PayPay to your bank account for a fee of 100 yen, and the funds usually arrive within 1-2 business days.

Especially when you have to "pay in advance" for wedding expenses, being able to use the money received via PayPay for payments is a significant advantage.

However!

This is the only downside of accepting wedding gifts via PayPay that I heard from the bride...

Even if guests send money via PayPay, there are cases where the money cannot be withdrawn to a bank account.

This situation arises when the money is received from someone whose PayPay account has not completed identity verification.

Even if I, as the recipient, have completed identity verification, the money sent from a guest who has not undergone verification is treated as non-withdrawable PayPay Money Lite, not available for withdrawal as PayPay money.

And this PayPay Money Lite cannot be transferred to a bank account, leaving no choice but to use it within PayPay.

So, if you want to convert it into cash by transferring to your bank account for wedding expenses, you need to be careful if it turns into PayPay Money Lite.

That said, you can't really know whether the guests have properly verified their PayPay accounts.

It’s hard to say, "We will only accept PayPay gifts from those who have been verified..."

For guests, paying wedding gifts via PayPay is convenient and appreciated, but from the recipient's side,

✅ Money from guests who haven't been identity-verified will become PayPay Money Lite

✅ PayPay Money Lite cannot be withdrawn

✅ Since it can't be transferred, it can't be used for wedding expenses

✅ You may have to cover the wedding expenses with your own funds or gifts from others, and use the PayPay Money Lite for smaller purchases.

There is a possibility that such a situation may arise.

It might be good to be aware of such downsides to paying via PayPay and find the best approach with your partner.*