- PPF Points
- 2,100
Man, Telegram bots these days—they’re not just basic chat robots anymore. We're talking about straight-up business tools! These little guys can sling products, collect donations, handle subscriptions, you name it. But here’s the real kicker: getting payments to work right inside Telegram? Total game changer.
Picture this: someone’s chatting with your bot, thinking about grabbing whatever you’re offering, and boom—they hit “buy” and pay without getting yanked off to some sketchy website. No more messy redirects or clunky forms. Wanna sell stickers, digital art, that eBook you never finished writing, or just get someone to buy you a coffee? Integrated payments make you look way more legit.
Alright, so here’s the deal. I’m gonna walk you through setting up payments in your Telegram bot. No sugarcoating, no boring jargon. You'll get:
Let’s jump in, yeah?
Why Would You Even Add Payments?
1. Make Money Fast, No Drama
You want to sell stuff right inside Telegram. Cut out all the headaches from slow checkouts and sketchy links.
2. Smooth Vibes for Users
People hate switching apps mid-purchase. With in-app payments, everything happens in one place. It just feels safer, too.
3. Automate Like a Boss
Let your bot handle it—confirm orders, send out the digital goods, ping your team if needed. Less busywork for you.
4. Security’s Tight
Telegram payment providers do their thing so you don’t have to sweat about hacking or data leaks (well, not more than usual).
5. You’re Global, Baby
Telegram is huge. Payments work all over the world, so you’re not stuck selling only in your country.
Here’s the Payment Stuff You Can Use
For this guide, we’ll mostly stick to Telegram’s own API. It’s just smoother.
Step 1: Telegram’s Rules (Jump Through the Hoops)
Step 2: Set Up a Stripe Account (or Whatever Payment Thing)
Stripe’s probably the easiest if you’re not in some no-service-zone country.
Step 3: Make Your Bot, Turn On Payments
Step 4: Get Your Hands Messy with Some Code
Time to code. Here’s the flavor with python-telegram-bot because, well, it’s popular and not a mess to use.
Pop open your terminal, install the good stuff:
pip install python-telegram-bot
So, sending an invoice? Quick sample (don’t just copy-paste, actually read it):
...And of course you’ll need handlers for checking out, confirming payment, delivering whatever the customer bought, blah blah you get it.
Not too scary, right? If you get stuck, hit up the official docs or community forums—there’s always someone who’s wrestled with the same headache already.
Boom, you’re in business. Now go build something cool and get paid while you sleep. Or nap. That counts too.
Picture this: someone’s chatting with your bot, thinking about grabbing whatever you’re offering, and boom—they hit “buy” and pay without getting yanked off to some sketchy website. No more messy redirects or clunky forms. Wanna sell stickers, digital art, that eBook you never finished writing, or just get someone to buy you a coffee? Integrated payments make you look way more legit.
Alright, so here’s the deal. I’m gonna walk you through setting up payments in your Telegram bot. No sugarcoating, no boring jargon. You'll get:
- Why you should bother with payments in the first place
- Different payment options (Telegram's own vs. hooking in Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
- Step-by-step setup (that hopefully won’t make you want to throw your laptop)
- Handling orders, sending receipts, making sure stuff actually works
- And, of course, a few pro tips so things don’t blow up in your face
Let’s jump in, yeah?
Why Would You Even Add Payments?
1. Make Money Fast, No Drama
You want to sell stuff right inside Telegram. Cut out all the headaches from slow checkouts and sketchy links.
2. Smooth Vibes for Users
People hate switching apps mid-purchase. With in-app payments, everything happens in one place. It just feels safer, too.
3. Automate Like a Boss
Let your bot handle it—confirm orders, send out the digital goods, ping your team if needed. Less busywork for you.
4. Security’s Tight
Telegram payment providers do their thing so you don’t have to sweat about hacking or data leaks (well, not more than usual).
5. You’re Global, Baby
Telegram is huge. Payments work all over the world, so you’re not stuck selling only in your country.
Here’s the Payment Stuff You Can Use
- Telegram Payments API. Official, works with a bunch of provider options (Stripe, Razorpay, Payme... pick your poison). Invoices, shipping, the whole enchilada.
- Wanna be fancy? You can use outside stuff like Stripe or PayPal by slapping in payment links or SDKs, but then you shove users out of Telegram. Meh, I prefer keeping it all in one spot.
For this guide, we’ll mostly stick to Telegram’s own API. It’s just smoother.
Step 1: Telegram’s Rules (Jump Through the Hoops)
- Your bot needs the “okay” from Telegram for payments. Hit up Telegram Support and ask nicely.
- Open an account with your preferred payment provider (Stripe wins for most folks, honestly).
- Make sure your provider actually covers your country and lets you use the currency you want.
- Keep your bot token from @BotFather handy, you’ll need it.
- If you’re planning on using webhooks, your hosting better play nice with HTTPS.
Step 2: Set Up a Stripe Account (or Whatever Payment Thing)
Stripe’s probably the easiest if you’re not in some no-service-zone country.
- Go to stripe.com, sign up.
- Fill out all their tedious “Who are you?” forms (KYC, it’s super boring but you gotta do it).
- Jump into the dashboard and grab your API keys.
- Set up your products and prices so your bot knows what’s up.
Step 3: Make Your Bot, Turn On Payments
- Open Telegram, DM @BotFather.
- Smash out /newbot to create it, then grab your shiny bot token.
- Still with BotFather, do /setdomain if you need it (sometimes you gotta tie your provider’s domain).
- Hit /setpaymentprovider and drop your provider’s token in there (Stripe API key, for example).
- If those payment commands aren't popping up, don't panic—Telegram Support will hand-hold you through it.
Step 4: Get Your Hands Messy with Some Code
Time to code. Here’s the flavor with python-telegram-bot because, well, it’s popular and not a mess to use.
Pop open your terminal, install the good stuff:
pip install python-telegram-bot
So, sending an invoice? Quick sample (don’t just copy-paste, actually read it):
Python:
from telegram import LabeledPrice, Update
from telegram.ext import ApplicationBuilder, CommandHandler, ContextTypes
TOKEN = "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
prices = [LabeledPrice("Custom AI Prompt", 500)] # Yeah, that's $5.00 in cents
async def start(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):
await update.message.reply_text("Sup! Hit /buy to snag a custom AI prompt.")
async def buy(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):
chat_id = update.message.chat_id
await context.bot.send_invoice(
chat_id=chat_id,
title="Custom AI Prompt",
description="A powerful prompt for ChatGPT.",
payload="CustomPromptPayload",
provider_token="YOUR_STRIPE_TOKEN_HERE",
currency="USD",
prices=prices,
start_parameter="test-payment"
)
...And of course you’ll need handlers for checking out, confirming payment, delivering whatever the customer bought, blah blah you get it.
Not too scary, right? If you get stuck, hit up the official docs or community forums—there’s always someone who’s wrestled with the same headache already.
Boom, you’re in business. Now go build something cool and get paid while you sleep. Or nap. That counts too.