How to accept USDT payments for a paid Telegram group

USDT, also called Tether, is a stablecoin: a token meant to stay worth one US dollar. For a fan, that means paying a price they understand without a card. For you, it means money that does not swing in value the way other crypto does while it sits in your wallet.

It also works across borders. A fan in another country can pay you without a card that works internationally and without a bank transfer that takes days. That is why many paid Telegram groups list USDT next to local methods.

Telegram's own way to charge for a channel is a monthly fee in Telegram Stars. Telegram launched Star subscriptions in August 2024, and Telegram's terms for Stars say buying and using them may be restricted in some countries. There is also a rule for bots: Telegram says bots must use Telegram Stars for digital goods and services sold inside its apps. So USDT payments for a Telegram group happen outside the bot's own checkout, from the fan's wallet or on a payment page.

USDT is not on one blockchain. Tether issues it on several, and lists them on its supported protocols page. Each network has its own addresses and its own fees. A fan has to send on the same network as the address you give them.

These figures come from the TON documentation, imToken's notice on Tron fees and fee guides from Plisio and Eco. They change often, and an exchange charges its own withdrawal fee on top when a fan sends from there.

Taking USDT inside Telegram

Walt, formerly called Wallet in Telegram, supports USDT on TON. Sending to another Telegram user is free, and sending USDT on TON to an outside address costs 1 USDT. Walt is not available in the US, the UK and some other places, so check it works where you and your fans live before you rely on it.

Crypto payments cannot be pulled back by the sender, which is good for you. But it is easy to fake proof that one was made. These are the checks that matter.

• Look at your own address, not their screenshot. Open your wallet or a block explorer for your network and confirm the USDT arrived. An edited screenshot looks exactly like a real one.
• Check the token, not just the amount. Some scams send a worthless token with a similar name. Make sure it is USDT issued on the network you chose.
• Check the amount after fees. If a fan pays from an exchange, the withdrawal fee may come out of what you receive. Say whether your price includes it.
• Match the payment to a person. A wallet address does not tell you which Telegram account to let in. Ask fans to send their Telegram username with the transaction hash, then confirm the hash on the explorer yourself.
• Share your address carefully. Copy and paste it, never type it, and check the first and last characters each time. If someone sends USDT to a wrong address, it is usually gone for good.

A card can be charged again every month. A USDT payment cannot: the fan sends each payment from their own wallet. Every renewal is a new decision the fan has to make, and the easiest one for them to forget.

• Remind fans a few days before their plan ends, with the price, the network and your address.
• Remind them again the day before, and on the day.
• Offer longer plans. For a fan paying in USDT, a 90-day plan means one transfer and one network fee instead of three. You might offer 3 USDT for 7 days, 10 USDT for 30 days and 25 USDT for 90 days. For a full method, read how much to charge for a VIP group.

Because USDT tracks the dollar, its value stays close to steady while you hold it. The cost comes when you turn it into your own currency. You may pay a network fee to move it, an exchange fee to sell it and a spread between the buying and selling price. Count those costs before you set your prices.

The rules on crypto also differ from country to country, and some are changing. Check the law where you live before you take crypto as income, and keep records of every payment you receive.

However fans pay, a few Telegram settings stop most leaks.

• Make your space private. Use a private channel or a supergroup with no public @username, so it can only be joined through an invite link.
• Require admin approval. Telegram invite links can be set to let people in only upon explicit approval of an admin. A forwarded link then only sends a join request, and you decide who gets in.
• Limit and expire links. Private invite links can have an expiration date and a usage limit. If you send each fan their own link with a limit of one, it stops working once they use it.
• Keep a list. Write down each fan's Telegram name, the transaction hash, the plan and the end date. Check it every day.

For the full setup, see how to set up a paid Telegram channel.

VIPpass takes the checking, the entry and the reminders off your hands. You share one VIPpass link. A fan opens it, picks a plan and pays, with no account to create.

Fans can pay with USDT in countries where it is enabled, as well as mobile money and card. Which methods fans can use depends on their country and on which payment providers have approved VIPpass there, and the methods are listed for each country as it opens. See mobile money payments for how checkout works.

• No screenshots or pasted hashes. A fan only gets in once the payment is confirmed.
• The VIPpass Bot lets fans in. It is an admin of your channel or supergroup and approves the join request of each paying fan.
• Expired fans are removed within minutes. The VIPpass Bot also removes anyone who joins without paying.
• Reminders go out for you, 3 days and 1 day before a plan ends, and on the day.
• You are paid in your own currency. Creators in our launch countries are paid in local currency, and everyone else in US dollars, to a mobile money wallet or bank account in their own verified name.

VIPpass is free to start and takes a service fee on each payment, which already includes payment provider costs. On a $10 plan with a 5% fee, you either add the fee so the fan pays $10.50, or take it from your earnings so you receive $9.50. See pricing for both plans.