Buy Telegram Stars with a crypto card

Telegram Stars are the in app currency for paid posts, bot services, mini apps and channel subscriptions. Telegram sells them in packs. On mobile the packs are app store purchases; on desktop and web they are direct card payments at a lower price, because no store commission is added. Stars are also sold for Toncoin on Fragment.

A prepaid Mastercard in US dollars buys Stars on the web or desktop at the direct price.

What Stars cost

Packs start at small amounts, around a dollar or two for the smallest, and the price per Star falls as the pack grows. Telegram shows the price in the currency of your account region; when that is not US dollars, the card converts at the Mastercard rate plus 2.5%.

Where to buy

On desktop or web, open Settings, My Stars, choose a pack and pay by card with the name from your CryptoCardex account. Stars bought on desktop appear on all your devices. On mobile the same screen routes through the app store; the card can be the payment method on your Apple ID or Google account, but the store price is higher.

If a payment is declined

Stars packs are small, so the usual cause is a card sitting at zero. Top up at least the pack price plus a dollar, retry once, and buy on desktop if the app insists on the store.

What the card itself costs

The card costs $49.99 once and nothing per month. A top up is 3% plus the network fee. A purchase in a currency other than US dollars costs 2.5% of the amount, every approved purchase over $1 carries a $0.10 service fee, and the issuing bank's fee on a purchase is passed on at cost. All of it is in one table on the pricing page; if a charge is not there, we do not take it.

How to get the card and pay

1. Open the card. Sign up with an email address and pay $49.99 once for the virtual Mastercard. The card number, expiry date and CVV appear in your account about two minutes later. No passport and no selfie.
2. Top it up with crypto. Send USDT or USDC on TRON, BNB Chain, Polygon or Ethereum to the deposit address shown in the account. The top up costs 3% plus the network fee, and the balance is held in US dollars.
3. Pay at the checkout. Enter the card like any other Mastercard: number, expiry, CVV, the name from your account and the billing address it asks for. The merchant sees an ordinary card payment, not crypto.

Questions people ask

Why are Stars cheaper on desktop?

No app store commission. Telegram charges the card directly, so the pack costs less than the same pack bought through Apple or Google.

Can I pay for a channel subscription in Stars with this card?

Yes. Buy the Stars with the card, and the subscription is paid in Stars from your balance.

Do Stars expire?

No. They stay on the account until spent.