Telegram Premium in Russia can no longer be paid for through the App Store. Payments from MTS and Beeline mobile numbers to a Russian Apple ID no longer go through. But actually, in the case of Telegram Premium, this is a good thing. You can pay for it through the official @PremiumBot. Moreover, the price through the bot is lower — it doesn’t include the App Store commission. Here’s how it works and whether you even need to subscribe to TG Premium.
Premium in Russia can still be paid with a bank card. Image: payment.mts.ru
Why You Need Telegram Premium and What It Offers
A regular user doesn’t need Premium for the star next to their name. The subscription removes limitations that genuinely get in the way of daily use. File uploads become faster, the maximum document size increases to 4 GB, voice and video message transcription to text becomes available, along with real-time chat and channel translation. Plus expanded dialog management tools. All of this is listed in the official Telegram Premium FAQ.
Everything Premium gives you
In practice, the subscription is especially useful in three cases. First — you work extensively in Telegram and constantly send files, voice messages, and long texts. Second — you have dozens of channels, folders, and chats, and standard limits are no longer enough. Third — you simply want a messenger without ads in large channels. If you only open Telegram a couple of times a day, you don’t need the subscription.
Telegram Premium Price in Russia
The exact price depends on the purchase method, region, exchange rate, and current promotions. Telegram explicitly mentions possible taxes, provider commissions, and currency conversion. But the base price for Russia right now is 299 ₽ per month when purchased through @PremiumBot. You can also get Premium for 2,390 rubles per year, but that’s not a great deal at all. Recently, Telegram sent Russian users an offer to subscribe to Premium for 2 years at once for 2,990 ₽. That’s a noticeable discount compared to monthly payments.
There’s also an annual subscription, but it’s not worth buying
For those who previously subscribed to Telegram Premium through in-app purchases on iPhone, this is also a better deal. Before, you were paying not just for the subscription but also compensating for the App Store commission. Now there’s no need for that, and you can buy Premium in Telegram for considerably less.
Buying Telegram Premium in Russia
You can pay for Telegram Premium in Russia right now with a bank card without any restrictions. Here’s how it works:
Launch the bot and follow the steps it suggests
- Open the @PremiumBot in Telegram and tap Start.
- Choose monthly payment for 299 rubles or switch to the 2-year option for 2,990 rubles.
- Accept the user agreement and select a payment method: SBP, SberPay, or bank card.
- Confirm the payment and wait for the transaction to complete.
After that, the subscription activates on your account. There are a few things worth knowing in advance. Telegram has warned Russian users that subscribing to Premium in the region may become technically impossible. You should be prepared for this. The subscription renews automatically until you cancel it. And deleting the app or your account does not cancel the subscription by itself.
Therefore, the smartest approach is to pay through the official bot, avoid questionable intermediaries, and immediately after purchase check the Telegram Premium section in settings. There you’ll see the next billing date. If the bot doesn’t generate an invoice or the payment doesn’t go through — the issue isn’t with these instructions but with payment availability for your region or payment method.
Is Telegram Premium Worth Buying in 2026?
If you actively use Telegram for work, read channels, send large files, maintain lots of folders, and want voice message transcription — Premium is justified. It’s one of the few subscriptions where some features genuinely save time every day rather than just adding cosmetic touches. Especially if you get it at the lower price through @PremiumBot.
If you only need Telegram for chatting with family and reading a couple of channels — there’s no reason to pay. The free version of the messenger is still available, and all core features remain intact. Premium is worth subscribing to for those who hit the limits or regularly use advanced features. Everyone else can comfortably stay on the free tier.
