How to buy Telegram Stars and pay a bot with them

Many Telegram bots are free to use, with an optional paid upgrade. Inside Telegram, a bot sells that upgrade for Telegram Stars. This guide shows how to get Stars, what a bot invoice looks like, how to pay it, and what to do when something goes wrong.

The examples use bots from the maker of this site. The steps are the same for any bot that takes Stars.

What Telegram Stars are

Telegram Stars are a currency inside Telegram. Bots and Mini Apps use them to sell digital goods and services, such as an e-book, extra features in a game, or a Pro plan. Telegram requires bots to use Stars for digital goods.

You keep Stars in a balance on your Telegram account. When you pay a bot, Stars move from your balance to the bot. You do not give the bot your card number, and Telegram says you do not have to enter personal details.

Note: This site is not affiliated with Telegram. Prices on this site use a rough rate of 1 Star = about $0.02. What you actually pay for Stars depends on the pack and the app store.

How to buy Telegram Stars

You buy Telegram Stars inside the Telegram app with an Apple or Google in-app purchase, or in a chat with @PremiumBot. Telegram’s API documentation also lists Fragment, which allows larger purchases. The Stars go to a balance on your Telegram account, and a bot invoice takes its price from that balance.

The ways to get Stars:

• In-app purchase. In the Telegram app on iPhone or Android, you buy a pack of Stars through Apple or Google, the same way as other in-app purchases.
• @PremiumBot. You can also buy Stars in a chat with @PremiumBot.
• Fragment. Telegram’s documentation lists payment via Fragment as another way, which also allows larger purchases.

In recent versions of Telegram, you can see your Stars balance in Settings. Menu names differ between apps and versions, so look for “Stars” or “My Stars” if you do not see it at once.

Tip: Buy only the Stars you need for the purchase in front of you. Stars are for spending inside Telegram.

How many Stars to buy before you pay

Buy at least as many Stars as the bot’s invoice shows, because Stars come in packs. A 150-Star Pro upgrade fits the 150-Star pack, which costs $2.99 in the App Store or Google Play in Telegram’s own table (USD, 0% VAT). The smallest pack is 50 Stars for $0.99. Your country, VAT and payment provider can change the price.

Source: Telegram’s Star pricing table on its developer site, checked 28 Oct 2026. See the full price table for every pack and what the bot maker receives.

How to pay a bot invoice

A bot invoice is a message with a photo, a description, the price in Stars and a large Pay button. You tap Pay, confirm the amount in Telegram’s payment window, and the bot turns on what you bought. WhisperLockBot, for example, sells Pro for 150 Stars (about $3) once, per user.

WhisperLockBot lets you send a locked message in any chat. The free plan gives you 3 locked messages a day.

1. Open a private chat with the bot. Find the bot and press Start if you have never used it.
2. Send /pro. WhisperLockBot answers with a one-time Stars invoice.
3. Read the invoice. Check the product name, what it unlocks, and the price in Stars.
4. Tap Pay. Telegram opens its own payment window. Confirm the amount.
5. Wait for the bot’s reply. The bot confirms that Pro is on. A good bot only turns on Pro after Telegram tells it that the payment went through.

Pro scope: who gets the upgrade

Pro does not always belong to you alone. Each bot says what one payment covers:

For group bots, an admin usually pays in a private chat with the bot, not in the group. Check the scope before you pay. If you pay for one group, a second group does not get Pro.

Free vs Pro: an example

This is what WhisperLockBot’s free plan gives you, and what the one-time Pro payment adds.

One-time payment or subscription

Most bots from this maker sell Pro as one payment of 150 Stars (about $3). You pay once and keep Pro. Eight of them also offer a subscription. A Telegram Star subscription renews every 30 days and takes the price from your Stars balance each time.

These are the subscription prices that the bots state:

Each of these bots, except Join Approve for large chats, also sells Pro as a one-time 150 Stars payment. Join Approve sells Pro for 150 Stars once to chats under 500 members.

How to choose:

• Pick one-time if you plan to use the bot for more than a few months. With 100 Stars a month, the one-time price is equal to less than two months.
• Pick the subscription if you want to test Pro for a month or two.

When a renewal comes and your balance is too low, Telegram asks you to add Stars. You can cancel a subscription. It then stays active until the end of the period you paid for.

Refunds and /paysupport

Telegram makes the bot maker responsible for Stars payment problems, and every bot that sells with Stars must answer /paysupport. If you paid and did not get what the bot promised, send /paysupport in a private chat with the bot. The maker can turn on the feature or return the Stars in full.

Telegram’s rules for bots are clear on payments:

• Every bot that sells with Stars must answer the /paysupport command.
• The bot maker is responsible for payment disputes. Telegram does not mediate them.
• A bot can return the Stars to the buyer in full.

So, if you paid and did not get what the bot promised:

1. Open the private chat with the bot. Use the same account that paid.
2. Send /paysupport. Bots such as Join Approve, Group Gate and Mafia Night pass your message to the maker.
3. Describe the problem. Say what you bought, when, and which chat or group it was for.
4. Wait for an answer. The maker can turn on the feature or refund the Stars.

Warning: Telegram’s own support cannot help with a purchase that you made in a bot. Talk to the bot first.

Stay safe when you pay with Stars

To pay safely with Telegram Stars, pay only through a real bot invoice, which opens Telegram’s own payment window. Check the bot’s username before you pay, because scam bots copy names and pictures. Read the Pro scope, test the free plan first, and keep the bot’s confirmation message for /paysupport.

• Pay only inside Telegram. A real invoice opens Telegram’s own payment window. Do not send Stars or money because a stranger asks in a chat.
• Check the bot’s username. Scam bots copy names and pictures. Open the bot from a link you trust.
• Read the scope. “Per group” means one group. Do not pay twice for the same group.
• Test the free plan first. All the bots in this guide have a free plan. Pay only for a limit you actually reach.
• Keep the confirmation. The bot’s reply after payment helps if you need /paysupport later.

Next steps

The best next step is to use a bot’s free plan and send /pro only when you reach a limit. Each bot on this site shows its free limits and its Pro price in Stars, and the Pro page compares them all in one list. Bot makers can read the developer guide to sell with Stars.

• Send /pro to any bot you use often, read the offer, and decide.
• Learn how a bot joins a group in How to add a bot to a group and give it admin rights.
• Do you make bots? Read the Stars guide for developers to learn how to sell with Stars.