Guide

Buy an eSIM with Telegram Stars: how to pay from abroad

How to buy a travel eSIM with Telegram Stars from any country: getting Stars on iPhone, Android or desktop, paying in @moresim_bot, refunds and the QR code.

Published October 1, 2026 · 9 min read · MoreSim editorial team

You can buy a travel eSIM with Telegram Stars from any country: open @moresim_bot, pick a destination and plan, choose Telegram Stars at checkout and confirm the invoice in the chat. The QR code arrives in the same chat in about 30 seconds. Stars themselves are bought inside Telegram: through the App Store or Google Play on a phone, or through @PremiumBot on Telegram Desktop, Telegram Web and the Android app downloaded from telegram.org.

What are Telegram Stars and why can you pay for an eSIM with them?

Telegram Stars are a virtual currency inside Telegram for buying digital goods and services from bots and mini apps. @moresim_bot accepts Stars for eSIM orders, so you pay without leaving the chat: Telegram’s developer documentation notes that a Stars invoice doesn’t ask for your name, address or card number.

Stars sit on a personal balance in your Telegram account. As of October 2026, Telegram’s Stars terms say you can spend them in bots and mini apps, on paid media, donations and gifts, but you can’t sell, withdraw or transfer them. You don’t need Telegram Premium: Stars work on any regular account.

For a traveler outside Russia, this is the practical route: MoreSim lets you pay with Telegram Stars from any country, right in the bot, while bank card and SBP payments currently work with cards issued in Russia.

How do you buy Telegram Stars on iPhone, Android and desktop?

You buy Telegram Stars inside Telegram, and the platform decides who charges you. As of October 2026, Telegram’s Stars terms list in-app purchases in Telegram for iOS and Android, plus @PremiumBot in the Android app from telegram.org, Telegram Web and Telegram Desktop.

1. On a phone, open Telegram and go to Settings → Your Stars (the label varies slightly between app versions).
2. Tap the option to buy Stars and pick a pack that covers the amount you need.
3. Confirm the purchase with Face ID, your fingerprint or your store password, like any in-app purchase.
4. On Telegram Desktop or Web, open @PremiumBot instead, choose a Stars pack and pay in the form the bot opens.

The pack price is shown in your local currency before you pay and can differ between the App Store, Google Play and @PremiumBot: Telegram’s terms note that local taxes may apply and payment providers set their own commissions and conversion rates. Telegram doesn’t process these purchases itself, so a declined Stars purchase is a matter for Apple, Google or the payment processor.

How do you pay for an eSIM in @moresim_bot with Stars?

You pick the plan in the bot’s app and confirm the Stars payment in the chat with @moresim_bot. The total in Stars appears next to “Telegram Stars” on the payment screen, so you see the amount before anything is charged.

1. Open @moresim_bot, tap Start, then “Buy eSIM” to open the bot’s app.
2. Let the bot check that your phone supports eSIM, then choose a destination and a plan.
3. On the payment screen, choose “Telegram Stars”: the button shows the total in Stars.
4. The app closes and an invoice appears in the chat. Tap Pay and confirm.
5. If your balance is short, Telegram offers to top up your Stars first. Buy the missing Stars and confirm the invoice.
6. Wait for the QR code: it arrives in the same chat in about 30 seconds.

No separate sign-up is needed: your Telegram account is enough. Our guide to buying an eSIM in a Telegram bot covers the rest of the bot, and the overview of buying a travel eSIM online lists what to check before you pay.

How do you get the QR code and install the eSIM?

The QR code and activation details arrive in the chat with @moresim_bot about 30 seconds after the Stars payment, together with the activation code as text for manual entry. You can find them again later with the /esims command.

Install the eSIM profile in your phone’s settings, ideally at home over Wi-Fi. Telegram chats sync across devices, so you can open the QR code on a laptop and scan it with your phone. Our install and activation guide covers the iPhone and Android menus, and the QR code guide covers codes that won’t scan.

• The plan starts counting on first connection to a network in the destination country, so buying early is safe.
• On the travel eSIM line, turn on data roaming: most travel eSIMs work on the local operator’s network as roaming, and without it you won’t get internet. If the plan’s instructions say otherwise, follow them.
• On your home SIM, turn off mobile data so internet doesn’t go through your home operator. Keep the line itself on if you’re waiting for bank SMS; that needs roaming to be available from your operator.
• MoreSim plans are mobile data only, with no phone number. You can call through messaging apps where they aren’t restricted; bank SMS arrive on your home SIM.

What if the Stars payment fails?

A failed Stars payment is either a declined Stars purchase, handled by your app store or payment processor, or a problem with the eSIM order, handled by @moresim_bot.

• The Stars purchase was declined: that’s between you and Apple, Google or the @PremiumBot payment processor. Check the payment method on your store account and try again.
• Telegram shows “This payment is no longer available”: the order was already paid or the invoice is outdated. Check /orders; an unpaid order stays there and can be paid again from the app.
• Telegram shows “The price has changed. Reopen the app”: the Stars total changed after the invoice was sent. Reopen the bot’s app and start the payment again.
• Stars were charged but no QR code arrived: don’t pay again. Wait a couple of minutes, check /esims and /orders, then contact support with your order number.

Every Stars payment has a transaction ID in Settings → Your Stars. Add it to your support message so the payment can be matched to the order. If the problem is with a card or SBP payment instead, the article on failed eSIM payments covers the usual causes.

Can you get a refund for a Stars payment?

Telegram itself doesn’t refund Stars: as of October 2026, its terms say all sales of Telegram Stars are final, including unwanted or unintentional purchases. A refund for a bot purchase can only come from the bot’s developer; Telegram’s developer documentation says Telegram support can’t help with purchases made via a bot.

Under Telegram’s terms, if a bot fails to deliver a purchase as advertised, its developer can refund your Stars. A refund made this way comes back as Stars on your Telegram balance, not as money on your card.

For an eSIM order paid with Stars, open a support ticket: send /support in @moresim_bot or go to Support in the bot’s app. Describe the problem and add the order number and the Stars transaction ID.

Leftover Stars stay on your balance for other bots and mini apps. They can’t be cashed out or sent to someone else, and Telegram’s terms say the remaining balance is forfeited if you delete your Telegram account.

Card or Stars: which should you use?

If your bank card was issued outside Russia, use Telegram Stars: as of October 2026, card and SBP payments work only with Russian-issued cards. Stars work from any country, but only in the bot.

Top-ups are the one catch. As of October 2026, the “Top up data” checkout on the eSIM card takes bank cards and SBP, not Stars. If Stars are your only option, choose a plan with enough data for the whole trip.