How to Accept Payments in Telegram: Complete Guide to Google Pay, Apple Pay & Stars (2026)

Introduction: Getting Paid in Telegram Has Never Been Easier#

One of the biggest questions new Telegram store owners ask is: "How do I actually accept payments?" The good news — Telegram has robust built-in payment infrastructure, and with Tiny Shops, you can accept Google Pay, Apple Pay, and even Telegram Stars without writing a single line of code.

In this guide, we'll walk through everything you need to know about accepting payments in your Telegram store — from choosing a payment provider to configuring checkout fields, enabling tips, and processing your first real transaction.

What you'll learn:

• How Telegram's native payment system works
• Which payment providers are supported (and how to choose)
• Step-by-step setup for Google Pay and Apple Pay
• How to accept Telegram Stars
• Configuring checkout fields (name, phone, email, shipping)
• Setting up tips for your customers
• Testing your payment flow before going live
• How orders are processed and tracked

How Telegram Payments Work#

Before diving into setup, it's important to understand how payments flow through Telegram. Unlike traditional e-commerce where customers enter card details on your website, Telegram payments happen natively inside the app.

The Payment Flow#

Here's what happens when a customer buys something from your Telegram store:

1. Customer taps "Pay" — they see your product with price and description
2. Telegram shows the invoice — a native payment screen appears with order details
3. Customer selects payment method — Google Pay, Apple Pay, or enters card details
4. Pre-checkout validation — the system verifies the order is still valid, promo codes are active, and bonuses are sufficient
5. Payment processes — through your configured payment provider
6. Order confirmed — customer gets a confirmation, you get notified, and the order appears in your dashboard

The entire process takes seconds, and customers never leave the Telegram app. This is what makes Telegram commerce so powerful — zero friction.

Why Native Payments Matter#

Traditional online stores lose 60-80% of customers at checkout due to friction — creating accounts, entering shipping info, navigating to external payment pages. Telegram eliminates all of this:

• Customers are already authenticated via Telegram
• Payment methods like Google Pay and Apple Pay require just a single tap
• Everything stays inside the familiar Telegram interface
• No redirects, no account creation, no password resets

Supported Payment Methods#

Tiny Shops supports three types of payments for your storefront:

1. Google Pay#

The most popular mobile payment method for Android users. Customers pay with a single tap using cards already saved in their Google account.

• Works on: Android devices, Chrome browser
• Currencies: 100+ currencies supported
• Customer experience: Tap → confirm with fingerprint/face → done

2. Apple Pay#

One-tap payments for iPhone and iPad users. Customers pay using cards saved in their Apple Wallet.

• Works on: iPhone, iPad, Mac with Safari
• Currencies: 100+ currencies supported
• Customer experience: Double-click side button → Face ID/Touch ID → done

3. Telegram Stars#

Telegram's native virtual currency. Stars are perfect for digital goods, subscriptions, and content.

• Works on: All Telegram platforms
• Currency: XTR (Telegram Stars) — whole units only
• Customer experience: Pay with Stars balance directly in Telegram
• Key difference: No payment provider token needed — Telegram handles everything
• Withdrawal: Stars can be converted to TON (Toncoin) cryptocurrency

“

Which should you choose? For physical products and services, use Google Pay/Apple Pay with a payment provider. For digital goods, consider Telegram Stars for the lowest friction experience.

Step 1: Get a Payment Provider Token#

To accept Google Pay and Apple Pay, you need a payment provider token from one of Telegram's supported payment processors. This is a unique string that connects your store to a payment processor.

How to Get Your Token#

1. Open Telegram and message @BotFather
2. Send /mybots and select your store bot
3. Select "Payments"
4. Choose a payment provider from the list:
   • Stripe — widely available, supports 135+ currencies
   • YooKassa (YooMoney) — popular in Russia and CIS countries
   • Sberbank — for Russian merchants
   • Tranzzo — for Ukrainian merchants
   • And others depending on your region
5. Follow the provider's instructions to create a merchant account
6. You'll receive a provider token — a string like 123456789:TEST:XXXXX

“

Important: Each provider gives you two tokens — a test token and a live token. Start with the test token for testing, then switch to live when you're ready.

Choosing the Right Provider#

Step 2: Configure Payments in Your Dashboard#

Once you have your payment provider token, setting up payments in Tiny Shops takes about 2 minutes.

Navigate to Payment Settings#

1. Log in to your Tiny Shops dashboard
2. Go to Storefront Settings
3. Find the Checkout Mode section

Select Checkout Mode#

Tiny Shops offers two checkout modes:

• Native Payments — customers pay directly through Telegram with Google Pay, Apple Pay, or cards. This is the recommended option.
• Manual — orders are placed without payment; you handle payment collection separately (useful for cash-on-delivery or custom payment arrangements).

Select "Native Payments" to enable the full payment experience.

Add Your Payment Provider#

1. Click "Add Payment Provider"
2. Fill in the details:
   • Provider name — a friendly name (e.g., "Stripe" or "Main Payment")
   • Provider token — paste the token from BotFather
   • Test mode — toggle on for testing (use test token), off for live transactions
   • Active — toggle on to enable this provider
3. Click Save

The system will validate your token format. You can add multiple payment providers, but typically one is sufficient.

For Telegram Stars#

If you want to accept Telegram Stars, the setup is even simpler — no provider token is needed. Stars payments are processed natively by Telegram. Just make sure your store currency is set to XTR.

Step 3: Configure Checkout Fields#

Customize what information you collect from customers during checkout. This is crucial for shipping physical products or for legal/compliance requirements.

Available Checkout Fields#

In your dashboard under Storefront Settings → Invoice Configuration:

• Name — customer's full name (recommended for physical products)
• Phone Number — for delivery coordination
• Email — for order confirmations and receipts
• Shipping Address — required for physical product delivery

Toggle each field on or off based on your needs.

Flexible Shipping#

Enable "Flexible Shipping" if you need to calculate shipping costs dynamically based on the customer's address. When enabled, Telegram will send a shipping query before completing the payment, allowing you to provide shipping options with different prices.

Best Practices#

• Selling digital products? You probably don't need name, phone, or shipping address. Keep it minimal to reduce checkout friction.
• Selling physical products locally? Enable name and phone number. Consider if you really need a full shipping address or if you can coordinate via Telegram chat.
• Selling internationally? Enable all fields including shipping address.

“

Remember: Every extra field you require adds friction. Only ask for what you truly need.

Step 4: Set Up Tips (Optional)#

Tiny Shops supports customer tips — a great feature for service businesses, restaurants, and delivery stores.

How Tips Work#

• Customers see suggested tip amounts during checkout
• Tips are added on top of the order total
• You can set a maximum tip amount and up to 4 suggested amounts
• Tips are tracked separately in your order records

Configure Tips#

1. Go to Storefront Settings → Invoice Configuration
2. Find the Tips section
3. Set Max Tip Amount (in the smallest currency unit — cents for USD, kopecks for RUB)
4. Add Suggested Tip Amounts — up to 4 options

Example for a coffee shop (USD):

• Suggested tips: $1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $5.00
• Max tip: $10.00

“

Note: Tips are not supported for Telegram Stars (XTR). This feature only works with regular currency payments.

Step 5: Test Your Payment Flow#

Before going live, always test the complete payment flow. Here's how:

Using Test Mode#

1. Make sure your payment provider has Test Mode enabled in the dashboard
2. Use the test provider token from BotFather (not the live one)
3. Open your store bot in Telegram
4. Add a product to cart and proceed to checkout
5. Use test card numbers provided by your payment processor:
   • Stripe test card: 4242 4242 4242 4242 (any future expiry, any CVC)
   • Other providers: Check their documentation for test cards

What to Verify#

During testing, check that:

• ✅ Products display correct prices
• ✅ The payment screen shows your store name
• ✅ Required checkout fields appear (name, phone, etc.)
• ✅ Tip options show correctly (if configured)
• ✅ Payment completes successfully with test card
• ✅ You receive a notification in your notification group
• ✅ The order appears in your dashboard with correct details
• ✅ Customer gets a confirmation message

Switch to Live#

Once testing is complete:

1. Go back to Storefront Settings
2. Update your payment provider token to the live token from BotFather
3. Toggle Test Mode off
4. Save changes

Your store is now accepting real payments!

Step 6: Understanding Order Processing#

When a payment is successful, here's what happens behind the scenes:

Automatic Processing#

1. Order created — with status "Pending", containing all items, prices, and customer info
2. Promo codes applied — if the customer used a promo code, it's validated and recorded
3. Bonuses deducted — if the customer applied cashback bonuses, they're subtracted from their balance
4. Cashback earned — the customer earns cashback based on their tier level (if your store has cashback enabled)
5. Notifications sent — both you and the customer get Telegram messages with order details
6. Tip tracked — if the customer left a tip, it's recorded separately from the order total

Managing Orders#

In your dashboard, you can:

• View all orders with filtering and search
• See order details including items, prices, payment method, and customer info
• Update order status (Pending → Processing → Shipped → Delivered)
• Track payment charge IDs for reconciliation with your payment provider
• View cashback earned and promo codes used per order

Working with Multiple Currencies#

Tiny Shops supports 100+ currencies, making it easy to sell internationally.

Setting Your Store Currency#

1. Go to Storefront Settings
2. Select your store currency (e.g., USD, RUB, EUR, BYN)
3. All product prices and checkout will use this currency

Currency and Payment Provider Compatibility#

Your payment provider must support the currency you've selected. When configuring a payment provider, you can specify supported currencies to ensure compatibility.

Prices in Smallest Units#

Telegram's payment API works with the smallest currency unit:

• USD: cents (100 = $1.00)
• RUB: kopecks (100 = 1₽)
• EUR: cents (100 = €1.00)
• XTR (Stars): whole units (1 = 1 Star)

Tiny Shops handles this conversion automatically — you just enter prices in normal format in your dashboard.

Security and Trust#

Telegram payments are secure by design:

• End-to-end encryption for payment data
• PCI DSS compliance — payment providers handle card data; it never touches your servers or Tiny Shops
• Pre-checkout validation — every order is verified before payment processes
• Telegram's trusted interface — customers see the familiar Telegram payment screen

What About Refunds?#

Refunds are handled through your payment provider's dashboard (e.g., Stripe Dashboard for Stripe payments). Telegram's Bot API also supports the refundStarPayment method for Star-based transactions.

Promo Codes and Bonuses at Checkout#

Tiny Shops integrates promotional tools directly into the payment flow:

Promo Codes#

• Customers can enter a promo code during checkout
• Supports percentage and fixed amount discounts
• Configurable usage limits and expiration dates
• Cannot be used on items already on sale
• Mutually exclusive with bonuses — customers use one or the other

Cashback Bonuses#

• Customers accumulate bonuses from previous purchases
• Can apply bonuses at checkout for up to 50% of the order total (on non-sale items)
• Bonuses are deducted atomically during payment processing
• Prevents double-spending through database transactions

Frequently Asked Questions#

What percentage does Tiny Shops take from my sales?#

0%. Tiny Shops charges zero platform commission on transactions. You only pay the standard fees charged by your payment provider (typically 2-3%).

Can I accept both Google Pay and Apple Pay?#

Yes! Both are supported through the same payment provider token. Telegram automatically shows the appropriate payment option based on the customer's device.

Do I need a separate payment provider for Telegram Stars?#

No. Telegram Stars don't require a payment provider token at all — Telegram handles the payment processing directly.

What happens if a payment fails?#

If a payment fails, the customer sees an error message from Telegram. No order is created, no promo codes are used, and no bonuses are deducted. Everything remains as it was.

Can I have multiple payment providers?#

Yes. You can add multiple payment providers in your dashboard. The system will select a compatible provider based on your store's currency.

How fast do I receive the money?#

This depends on your payment provider. Stripe typically transfers funds within 2-7 business days. Other providers may be faster. Telegram Stars can be converted to TON and withdrawn.

Is it safe for my customers?#

Absolutely. Payment data is handled entirely by Telegram and the payment provider. No card numbers pass through Tiny Shops. The system is PCI DSS compliant through the payment providers.

Can I accept payments in my local currency?#

Yes, Tiny Shops supports 100+ currencies. Simply set your preferred currency in the store settings, and make sure your payment provider supports it.

Conclusion#

Accepting payments in your Telegram store is straightforward with Tiny Shops:

1. Get a payment provider token from @BotFather
2. Configure it in your dashboard — takes 2 minutes
3. Set up checkout fields for the info you need
4. Test with a test transaction before going live
5. Start selling — every payment is processed securely through Telegram

With zero platform fees, native Google Pay and Apple Pay support, and the frictionless Telegram checkout experience, your customers can go from browsing to purchased in just a few taps.

Ready to start accepting payments? Set up your Telegram store and start getting paid today.