How to send gifts in Telegram: Stars, collectibles, and NFTs explained

Gifts are one of Telegram's most distinctive features. Whether you want to congratulate someone on a birthday, say thank you, or simply show appreciation for a creator whose work you follow, the app has a built-in gifting system that goes well beyond a simple emoji reaction. Some gifts are purely fun, while others can be collected, traded, crafted into rarer versions, or converted into NFTs on the TON blockchain.

In this guide, we cover everything you need to know: how to buy Telegram Stars, the difference between standard and collectible gifts, how to send a gift to any user, and what you can do with the gifts you receive.

Buying Telegram Stars

Gifts in Telegram can only be purchased using Telegram Stars, the platform's internal currency. Stars are the only officially supported payment method within the app, a requirement tied to the rules of both the App Store and Google Play.

There are three ways to buy Stars.

• Through the app store. The most straightforward option. Open Telegram's settings and find the Stars purchase menu. Payment goes through Apple's App Store or Google Play depending on your device. Your full Stars history is also available in the same section.
• Through @PremiumBot. The most popular option for users who want to avoid App Store or Google Play markups. The bot offers a direct purchase flow with more competitive pricing.
• Through Fragment. The best option for those comfortable with cryptocurrency. Connect a TON wallet, authorize with Telegram, and you can purchase up to 1,000,000 Stars in a single transaction.

What kinds of gifts are available?

Telegram offers two broad categories of gifts: standard gifts and collectible gifts.

• Standard gifts are unlimited animated illustrations covering a wide range of themes, from rockets and cakes to hearts and flowers. They work similarly to animated emoji and are designed to be sent freely without any scarcity mechanics. Standard gifts are typically priced between 15 and 100 Stars, depending on the item.
• Collectible gifts are limited-edition digital collectibles with a fixed supply. Unlike standard gifts, only a predefined number of copies can exist. Each collectible has unique attributes — including a backdrop, symbol, and number — making some variants rarer than others. Collectible gifts can be displayed on profiles, worn as emoji statuses, shared in Stories, gifted to channels, traded in Telegram's marketplace, or converted into TON-based NFTs that can be transferred and traded outside the app.

You can check availability directly inside the app. Tapping on a collectible gift in someone's profile shows how many remain, for example: "Available: 7,067 of 100K."

Collectible gifts as NFTs

Converting limited-edition gifts into NFTs on the TON blockchain is a fully implemented feature of the Telegram ecosystem. Once converted, a collectible becomes a decentralized blockchain asset with verifiable ownership that exists independently of the Telegram app.

This opens up several possibilities:

• Collectible gifts follow TON NFT standards and can be freely transferred to external platforms such as Getgems or managed through any compatible crypto wallet.
• Buying and selling collectible gifts for Stars is available directly inside Telegram through its built-in gift marketplace.
• Trading is also available on Fragment, alongside anonymous numbers and usernames.

Crafting and upgrading gifts

Telegram has introduced a crafting system for collectible gifts. Users can combine up to four existing gifts to create upgraded versions classified as uncommon, rare, epic, or legendary. Each crafted gift receives a unique visual design and effects. Adding more gifts to the crafting pool increases the success rate, and combining items with matching attributes raises the probability that those attributes carry over to the new item.

Telegram has also introduced the ability to preview gifts before sending them, with an updated visual for how they appear to the recipient. More on that here:

How to send a gift

Sending a gift is simple. Make sure you have enough Stars in your balance, then open the profile of the person you want to gift.

Tap the relevant menu option to send a gift. Telegram will show two choices: a Telegram Premium subscription or a gift from the catalog. Select a gift, add an optional comment with emoji, and choose whether to show your name or send it anonymously. The recipient will see your identity either way, but anonymous sending hides your name from the public gift display on their profile.

What you can do with received gifts

Once you receive a gift, you have several options depending on the type.

• Keep it. The gift appears on your profile and can be displayed as an emoji status or added to your Stories.
• Convert it to Stars. Any gift can be exchanged back for Stars, which you can then use to buy new gifts, pay for Premium, or tip creators.
• Convert a collectible to an NFT. Limited-edition gifts can be moved to the TON blockchain, giving you full ownership as a blockchain asset. From there, you can transfer it to a crypto wallet, list it on Getgems, or sell it on Fragment.
• Craft with it. Combine multiple collectibles to try to create a rarer version with unique traits and visual design.
• Gift it to a channel. Collectible gifts can be sent to Telegram channels, not just individual users.