# How to Pay for a Telegram Bot With Stars

> How to buy Telegram Stars, pay a bot with them, stop a monthly Stars subscription and ask for a refund, with the @instanavy_bot plans as a worked example.

- URL: https://storiesfly.com/blog/pay-telegram-bot-with-stars
- Published: 2026-09-28
- Topic: Telegram
- Publisher: StoriesFly (https://storiesfly.com)

## How do you pay for a Telegram bot with Stars?

You buy Stars inside Telegram, tap the bot's plan or payment button, and confirm in the payment window that Telegram itself opens. The Stars come off your balance and the bot only learns that the payment went through, so you never type a card number into the bot. A monthly plan paid in Stars is often a subscription: Telegram charges it again every 30 days from your balance until you cancel.

The rest of this guide covers where to buy Stars, what paying looks like in practice (using the plans in [@instanavy_bot](https://t.me/instanavy_bot?start=web_blog), the StoriesFly bot, as the example), how to stop a renewal and how refunds work.

## What Telegram Stars are

Stars are Telegram's own currency for digital goods and services sold by bots and Mini Apps. You buy them from Telegram, they sit on a balance in your account, and you spend them with a couple of taps. The payment happens in Telegram's window, so the bot's developer never sees your card or your Apple or Google account.

Two rules from Telegram's Stars terms are worth knowing before you buy:

- Telegram treats Stars purchases as final and does not refund Stars you bought by mistake or no longer want.
- If you delete your Telegram account, whatever is left on your Stars balance is lost.

In practice, buy roughly what you plan to spend rather than a large reserve.

## How to buy Stars

Telegram offers three official routes. Prices depend on your country and store, so compare them in your own app before a bigger purchase.

| Route | Where to find it | How you pay | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside the Telegram app | Settings > My Stars | Your Apple or Google account | The easiest route, and usually the most expensive, because the app store takes a commission |
| @PremiumBot | Telegram's official bot for Premium and Stars | The methods it shows for your country | Often cheaper than the app store for the same amount |
| Fragment | fragment.com, Telegram's marketplace site | Crypto from a connected wallet | Useful if you already hold crypto, and it handles larger amounts |

You don't have to top up in advance. If your balance is short when you pay a bot, Telegram's payment window offers to buy the missing Stars on the spot. On a phone this top-up usually goes through the app store, so it carries the app-store price.

## Paying for a StoriesFly plan with Stars, step by step

StoriesFly is an Instagram story viewer that works as a Telegram bot and a Mini App. Its paid plans start from $4.99/month, and you can pay for them in Stars without leaving Telegram.

1. Open [@instanavy_bot](https://t.me/instanavy_bot?start=web_blog) and press Start. Your StoriesFly account is your Telegram account, so there is no signup form, email or password.
2. Send /subscribe. The bot lists Basic and Pro, each monthly or yearly, with the price in Stars on each button.
3. For a monthly plan, the bot sends a button that opens Telegram's subscription window, which shows the amount charged each month.
4. For a yearly plan, the bot sends an invoice for a single payment instead. The yearly option works out cheaper per month than paying monthly.
5. Confirm in Telegram's window. If your balance is short, top up from the same window.
6. Send /status to check that your plan is active.

You can also pick a plan on the pricing page inside the app, which opens from the Open App button. The full comparison is on the [StoriesFly pricing page](/pricing). In short, Basic removes the daily limits on story views and downloads and tracks one account, while Pro tracks five accounts and adds the story archive. Prices can be lower in some countries, in both dollars and Stars, so the amount you see may differ from the list price.

Paying with Stars needs Telegram connected to your StoriesFly account. If you made the account on the website with email or Google, connect it with the Connect Telegram button first. If Mini Apps are new to you, [this overview of Telegram Mini Apps](/blog/telegram-mini-apps-instagram-tools) explains how they open inside a chat.

## Monthly or yearly: what renews

The two Stars options behave differently once you have paid.

| | Monthly, paid in Stars | Yearly, paid in Stars |
|---|---|---|
| How it is charged | A Stars subscription, taken from your balance every 30 days | One payment for the year |
| Renews by itself | Yes, until you cancel | No |
| What to keep in mind | Keep enough Stars on your balance, or cancel | Nothing to cancel; buy again when the year ends if you want to continue |

## How to cancel a Stars subscription

Cancelling stops the next charge. It is not a refund: your plan stays active until the end of the period you already paid for. With StoriesFly you can cancel in three places:

- **In the bot.** Send /cancel to [@instanavy_bot](https://t.me/instanavy_bot?start=web_blog) and confirm.
- **In the app.** Open the Account page in the Mini App and turn off auto-renewal there.
- **In Telegram's settings.** Go to Settings > My Stars, where active subscriptions are listed, and open the one you want to cancel. This works for any bot that bills you through a Stars subscription.

A renewal needs enough Stars on your balance when it is due. If the balance is short, the payment can't go through and the subscription doesn't renew. Telegram apps can show a reminder to top up when a renewal is close and the balance is too low.

## Stars, card or crypto: which to choose

Stars are not the only way to pay in @instanavy_bot. All four options work without leaving Telegram.

| Method | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram Stars | Telegram's own payment window | People who already have Stars, or who would rather not enter card details |
| Visa or Mastercard | Through Tribute, whose checkout opens inside Telegram | Paying by card from any country |
| Any major cryptocurrency | Through NOWPayments | Paying from a crypto wallet or exchange; never renews by itself |
| TON | Sent directly from your wallet | People who hold TON; never renews by itself |

A few rules of thumb:

- Stars make sense when you already have some on your balance, or when you'd rather pay through your Apple or Google account than type card details anywhere new.
- If app-store Stars cost you noticeably more than the dollar price, a card through Tribute, or Stars bought through @PremiumBot, can come out cheaper.
- If you don't want any recurring charge, pay with crypto or pick a yearly Stars plan. Neither renews on its own.

## Refunds and payment support

Two kinds of refund often get mixed up.

- **Stars you bought from Telegram.** Telegram doesn't refund these, even if you bought them by mistake.
- **A payment you made to a bot.** That refund comes from the bot's developer, and the Stars go back to your balance. Telegram's rules say bots should offer payment support when you send them /paysupport, so that is the place to start.

StoriesFly offers refunds within 3 days of payment, through support. Send /paysupport or /support in the bot, or use the [StoriesFly contact page](/contact). The [refund policy](/legal/refund) has the details, and the [terms of service](/legal/terms) cover the plans themselves. A refund of a Stars payment comes back as Stars on your Telegram balance, not as money on a card. When you write, say when you paid and which plan you bought, which makes the payment quicker to find.

## FAQ

### Can I get a refund for Telegram Stars?

Telegram doesn't refund Stars purchases, including ones made by mistake. A payment you made to a bot is different: ask that bot through /paysupport. StoriesFly offers refunds within 3 days of payment, and the Stars go back to your balance.

### Why do Stars cost more on iPhone?

Stars bought inside the iPhone or Android app go through Apple's or Google's in-app purchase, and the store takes a commission. The same amount is often cheaper through @PremiumBot or on Fragment, though prices vary by country.

### Can I pay a Telegram bot with a card instead of Stars?

It depends on the bot. @instanavy_bot accepts Visa and Mastercard through Tribute, whose checkout opens inside Telegram, as well as crypto through NOWPayments and TON.

### Do unused Stars expire?

Telegram's Stars terms don't set an expiry date for your balance. The balance is lost if you delete your Telegram account, though.

### What happens if my balance is too low when a subscription renews?

The renewal payment can't go through, so the subscription doesn't renew. You keep access until the end of the period you already paid for, and you can top up and subscribe again from the bot.