Stripe Bot: Payments in Telegram

You built a bot with something to sell, but how do you accept money from Telegram users? Stripe Bot answers exactly that: it links your bot to a Stripe account so that customer payments land in your balance. 💳

What this bot actually is

It is not a shop or a messenger but a payment provider connection. Its description says simply that it helps you receive payments from Telegram users to your Stripe account.

It is meant for developers and bot owners who sell goods, access or services right in a chat. A regular buyer does not need it: you will see the payment screen in the seller's chat.

Connecting Stripe to your bot

1. Open the payments section. Do it through Telegram's official bot for creating bots: pick your bot and choose Payments.
2. Choose Stripe. Test mode comes first, and live mode when everything is verified.
3. Sign in to your account. Follow the connection link and confirm access.
4. Receive the token. You insert it into your bot's settings for creating invoices.

Test mode saves you from trouble

Start in test mode: you can walk through the entire purchase without real money. Check the invoice text, currency, receipt and the message after payment. 🧪

When everything works, switch to live mode. It takes a couple of minutes if you already filled in your account details.

Fees and countries

Telegram itself charges no commission on payments through a provider. The payment processor bills for handling, so check the terms in your Stripe dashboard for your country.

Provider availability depends on the region. Make sure your country and your buyers' currencies are supported before you start selling. 🌍

Subscriptions and other details

Built-in payments suit one-off purchases well. For recurring charges and managing access to closed channels you often need extra solutions. Plan for that in advance.

• Refunds. Decide how you will refund money and describe the terms to buyers.
• Taxes. Sales income is reported under your country's law.
• Support. Leave buyers a contact for payment questions.
• Security. Keep the provider token like a password and never publish it.

Who benefits

Authors of paid channels, developers of games with purchases, owners of small Telegram shops and organizers of online courses. 🛒

If you are only planning a project, read Telegram's official documentation on bot payments first. It describes what data the bot receives and how invoices work.

Remember: a seller's bot never sees the card details. The provider processes them, and your bot only receives confirmation of payment.