To send money as a gift, use whatever already moves money between you: a bank transfer in the UK, PayPal or Venmo in the US, or a gift link if it’s for a child’s account. That part takes a minute. What makes it feel like a present is the rest: saying what it’s for, and having it land on the day rather than whenever you remembered. Here are the ways to send it, what each costs, and what to write with it.
Why money is awkward to give
Money is what plenty of people would rather get. In a YouGov poll for LINK in late 2024, cash came second only to gift cards among the presents people said they’d give. Almost half of 16 to 24 year olds said they’d rather receive it. It’s the giving that goes flat. A transfer arrives as a line in a banking app, between the gas bill and a refund from a shop. In an Ipsos survey for Wells Fargo in 2025, 57% of Americans said sending a gift digitally feels impersonal. The fix isn’t a different way to pay. It’s the words around it.
The ways to send it
| How fast | What it costs | What they need | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer (UK) | Usually seconds, at most two hours | Often free; check with your bank | Their sort code and account number |
| PayPal or Venmo | When you send it | Free from your balance or bank account; usually a fee by credit card, or to another country | An account with the same service, or to open one |
| A PayPal link | When they claim it, within 10 days | As a PayPal payment | A PayPal account; anyone holding the link can claim it |
| Giftly (US) | When they redeem it | A purchase fee, shown at checkout | A US bank account, PayPal or Giftly’s prepaid card |
| A child’s gift link | On the day the parent sets, or within minutes | No fee on GoHenry or Acorns Early | The link, from their parent |
| Prezzee Smart eGift Card (UK) | Straight away, by email or text | The card’s value, from £5 to £500 | No account to swap it for one of 200-odd brands, within two years; they’re asked for one to keep it |
Fees and limits are each service’s own, as their pages stated on 25 October 2026. Check on the day.
- For children. GoHenry (UK) and Acorns Early (US) give each child a Giftlink their parent shares; the money lands on their card on a date the parent picks. A parent with a Moneybox Junior ISA can share a gift link too, for £100 or more by bank transfer, and Greenlight in the US has a pay link a parent approves.
- For a US gift you can hand over. Giftly sells a gift of $1 to $1,000 that never expires and can be printed as a PDF to hand over yourself; they redeem it to their bank, PayPal or a prepaid card.
- For large sums in the UK. Gifts can be free of Inheritance Tax within set limits. The rules are on GOV.UK’s page on gifts, so check there.
Making it land on the day
A transfer sent at seven on the birthday morning is a different present from one sent the Tuesday before. Many banking apps let you date a payment ahead, and children’s gift links arrive on the date their parent sets. A PayPal link is the one to time carefully: it can be claimed once, by whoever holds it, and it’s refunded if nobody claims it within 10 days, so create it close to the day.
The money and the message don’t have to travel together, but they should arrive together. Send the money, then let the letter be the thing they open first. If you can’t time the transfer, send it early and say so in the letter: they’ll know it’s there, and the morning still has something to open.
What to write with money
Say what it’s for, even if what it’s for is nothing in particular. One line about them, and a nudge to spend it on something for themselves. The amount can stay off the page.
Christmas
Happy Christmas, Ellie. This is for January, when the shops are quiet and you can take your time. Buy one thing you’d never put on a list.
Happy Christmas, Owen, from the four of us. We couldn’t choose between three jumpers, so here’s the jumper money. Please don’t spend it on a jumper.
Birthday
Happy birthday, Jas. It’s for the gig tickets, because I know you’ll go anyway and I’d rather they came from me.
Happy birthday, Dad. You’ll say you don’t need anything. Agreed. So this is for something you don’t need, chosen slowly, on a weekday.
18th or 21st
Eighteen. Half of this is for something sensible and half is for something you’ll tell me about in ten years. You decide which half is which.
Graduation
You did it, Kofi. This is towards the first month’s rent somewhere with a window that opens. We’re so proud of you.
Wedding
For the honeymoon fund, and specifically for the dinner where you order the second bottle. Congratulations, both of you.
New baby
Welcome, little Rosa. This is for your savings, which your parents will guard until you’re old enough to spend it on something they disapprove of.
Wrapping it in an envelope
Stampgoose never moves, holds or passes on money. You send it your usual way, and the envelope carries everything else: the letter, a photo or two, a video, and the reveal. Add a gift with just a title, such as “£50, for driving lessons”, and it stays wrapped until they pull the ribbon. A PayPal link can go in the gift’s link instead, and a printed Giftly gift as its PDF. Seal the envelope until the morning, with a countdown on the front.
Any gift in an envelope needs a passphrase, so make it part of the fun: a question only they could answer, like the name of the first car they sat in. For a gift card rather than money, see how to send a gift card online, or start one from the digital gift page.
Questions people ask
Can I send money in a Stampgoose envelope?
No. Stampgoose never moves, holds or passes on money. Send it your usual way, by bank transfer, PayPal or a gift link, and let the envelope carry the letter and the reveal: a tag saying what the money is for, or a claim link wrapped under the ribbon. A gift in an envelope always needs a passphrase, so pick a question only they can answer.
How do I give money to a grandchild who has no bank account?
Ask their parent. If the child has a GoHenry or Acorns Early card, the parent can share a Giftlink, and a parent with a Moneybox Junior ISA can share a gift link for £100 or more. Otherwise send it to the parent, and say in the letter exactly what it is for, so it doesn’t disappear into the weekly shop.
What do I write in a card with money?
What it’s for, or that it’s for nothing in particular, plus one line about them. Leave the amount out if the card will be read aloud. “This is for driving lessons, not petrol” says more than “Here’s a little something”.
