On a $25 gift, about $1.53 covers card processing and KadoPool. You choose whether it comes out of the gift or is added on top. No subscription, nothing to set up.
Get the app| For the whole group | Fees included (the default) | Fees added on top |
|---|---|---|
| Each person pays | $25.00 | $26.57 |
| Collected from all 20 | $500.00 | $531.40 |
| Stripe's card processing | $20.60 | $21.40 |
| KadoPool's fee (2%) | $10.00 | $10.00 |
| The recipient receives | $469 | $500 |
Gift cards and the prepaid Visa card come in whole dollars, so the gift is rounded down to the dollar: $469. KadoPool keeps the difference, less than $1 per recipient.
The same pool, paid with euro cards from France.
| For the whole group | Fees included (the default) | Fees added on top |
|---|---|---|
| Each person pays | $25.00about €22.22, plus the conversion | $26.57about €23.61, plus the conversion |
| Collected from all 20 | $500.00 | $531.40 |
| Stripe's card processing | $28.00$7.40 more than with US cards | $29.40$8.00 more than with US cards |
| KadoPool's fee (2%) | $10.00the same as with US cards | $10.00the same as with US cards |
| The recipient receives | $462$7.40 less than with US cards | $492$8.00 less than with US cards |
Euros at the European Central Bank's rate of October 16, 2026: €1 = $1.1253 (ECB reference rates). On the website, Stripe shows the price in euros, and its rate includes a 2–4% conversion fee: $25.00 costs about €22.66 to €23.10 (Stripe Adaptive Pricing). In the app, the card is charged in dollars and the person's bank converts it, sometimes with its own fee. Stripe charges 1.5% more for cards from outside the US (Stripe pricing); like its other fees, that comes out of the gift. Gift cards come in whole dollars: $462.
Free
Start a pool, invite the group, send the reminders and the gift: none of it costs anything.
Pool linked to a school or nonprofit? 30% of KadoPool's fee goes to it, and the gift stays the same. Learn more about partners.
Watch how to start a poolAbout $1.53 on a $25 gift*
Stripe's card processing (2.9% + 30¢ in the US) plus KadoPool's fee (2%, at most $5): about $0.79 on $10, $2.75 on $50, $5.20 on $100. The smallest gift is $10. Any sales tax is included, never added on top.
Watch how to chip inFree
Gift cards are free at any amount. Cash is free too, on a prepaid Visa card they can use anywhere Visa is accepted, up to $999 per recipient; above that, the rest of the gift comes as gift cards.
Watch how to claim the giftAt most $3.99 per recipient
A video made from everyone's messages, if the organizer adds it when sending the gift. It is taken from the pool. The KadoBook is always included, free.
Watch the KadoBook and thank-you notesPaying with a card from outside the US? Stripe charges 1.5% more for international cards; like its other fees, that comes out of the gift. Details in our Terms. Stripe's fees as Stripe publishes them for US cards, October 2026: Stripe pricing.
Everyone gives the amount they choose. The pool receives each gift less the fees.
Everyone pays a little more than their gift, and the pool receives every dollar given. With a card from outside the US, Stripe's extra 1.5% still comes out of the gift.
| What matters | Venmo + group chat | KadoPool |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to give $25 | $0 from a bank or debit card; 3% by credit card (Venmo's fees) | About $1.53 (6.1%) |
| Family and friends abroad | Can't give: Venmo can't be used outside the US. | Give from the link with their own card; the website shows the price in their currency.Stripe charges 1.5% more and currency conversion applies (either Stripe or your bank). For a $25 contribution, the total cost is estimated at $1.90 instead of $1.53. |
| Who holds the money | The organizer, in their personal account | Stripe, until the gift is sent. Never the organizer's account or KadoPool's operating account. |
| Who sees each amount | The organizer | Nobody but you: only you know how much you gave |
| Chasing late payers | The organizer turns into the debt collector and chases people by hand. | Automatic reminders; ability to nudge manually in the app |
| If someone doesn't pay | Often the organizer covers the shortfall | The gift is exactly what was collected: the organizer never makes up the difference |
| If something goes wrong | Gifts are not covered by Venmo Purchase Protection | If a pool fails to settle, your recourse is with KadoPool, not the organizer. |
| Messages for the recipient | A separate card to go and buy, and get signed | KadoBook included. Optional KadoClip video, taken from the pool. Priced per recipient and shown in the app before you add it: at most $3.99. |
| Distribution to recipient | Additional step to buy gift cards or distribute cash | Gift cards they choose, cash on a free prepaid Visa card (up to $999), or both |
Stripe's and Venmo's fees as they publish them, October 2026 (Stripe pricing, Venmo fees, Venmo abroad, Venmo Purchase Protection). Venmo is a trademark of PayPal, Inc.; KadoPool is not affiliated with Venmo.
Start a pool nowEverything you paid comes back, KadoPool's fee included. Stripe keeps its card processing fee: on a $25 payment by US card, about $23.97 comes back.
Contributors request a refund of their payment. Organizers can refund any payment in their pool.
Ask the organizer to refund you, or install the app and sign in with the same e-mail to request it yourself.
Your group chips in from a link, with no app needed.
Get the appQuestions about the fees? Read how they work