Telegram Stars: what they are and how people get them

What it is

Stars are Telegram's in-app virtual items. People spend them in bots and Mini Apps, on paid posts and channel subscriptions, on gifts and Star reactions. Telegram's price table puts 100 Stars at $1.99 and 1,000 at $19.99 in the App Store and Google Play (USD before VAT; local prices differ). Fragment sells Stars for crypto: in October 2026 it listed 1,000 Stars at $15.

How to do it

1. Open Settings › My Stars (same on iOS, Android and Desktop).
2. Tap Buy More Stars and pick a package. App Store and Google Play versions charge through Apple or Google.
3. In Desktop, web and the Android version from Telegram's site, you pay through @PremiumBot.
4. For large amounts or crypto, open fragment.com/stars/buy, enter any Telegram… For large amounts or crypto, open fragment.com/stars/buy, enter any Telegram username, pick a package and pay in GRAM, USDT or USDC.
5. To give Stars: Settings › My Stars › Gift Stars to Friends.
6. To earn them, sell in a bot, post paid content, sell subscriptions or turn on… To earn them, sell in a bot, post paid content, sell subscriptions or turn on Star reactions. My Stars also lists affiliate programs paying Stars for referrals.

Watch out

• Purchases are final: Telegram doesn't refund unwanted or accidental buys.
• Bought Stars can only be spent, never sold, withdrawn or transferred.
• Delete or lose your account and the balance is gone.
• Some countries' laws can block Stars, with no compensation.
• A post you unlock stays yours: reopen it from Settings › My Stars.

With Gem

In /myprojects → Sell you describe an offer in words, and Gem prices it in Stars, reviews it and sells it in your project's Mini App. Gem keeps a small share, shown in Sell; payouts are by hand for now.

Sources

• https://telegram.org/tos/stars
• https://core.telegram.org/bots/payments-stars
• https://fragment.com/stars/buy
• https://telegram.org/blog/w3-browser-mini-app-store

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