Why Telegram asks you to pay to log in
Updated
Short answer: Telegram sometimes asks for a one-time fee, usually shown as a week of Telegram Premium, before it sends the SMS code to sign up or log in. It covers the cost of SMS in countries like Kenya and keeps out fake accounts. Try the free ways below first. If Telegram still insists, you pay inside the Telegram app through Google Play or the App Store, and Google Play in Kenya accepts M-Pesa.
What the fee is
When you sign up, or log in on a new phone, Telegram normally sends a code by SMS. In some countries it may instead show a payment screen: Telegram's own documentation says that "due to the high cost of SMS verification codes" for your country or mobile network, the user "must purchase a Telegram Premium subscription in order to proceed with the login/signup".
In practice it is a small, short Premium purchase, often one week, priced in your currency. Kenyan users have reported about KSh 140 to 200 since late 2025. The screen appears inside the official Telegram app, before you are logged in.
Who sees it
- People signing up for Telegram, or logging in on a new phone, in Kenya and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where SMS is expensive.
- Not everyone: two people on the same network can get different screens, and the same person may see it on one attempt and not the next.
- It can appear even if the account already has Telegram Premium.
Why Telegram charges it
Two reasons. Mobile networks charge Telegram for every SMS it sends, and in some countries those charges are high. And a fee makes it expensive to create fake and spam accounts in bulk with cheap phone numbers.
Free ways to get your code
Try these before you pay. Telegram decides which options it offers you, so not every one will appear.
- Get the code in Telegram on another device. Open Telegram on any phone, tablet or computer where you are still logged in, including Telegram Desktop or Telegram Web in a browser. The code arrives as a message from the official "Telegram" account. It costs nothing.
- Use your login email. If you added a login email to your account, Telegram can send the code there instead.
- Use a passkey. If you created a passkey (Settings › Privacy and Security › Passkeys), you can log in with your fingerprint, face or screen lock, without a code.
- Wait, then try again from your usual phone and network. Don't request codes over and over: too many attempts can lock you out for hours.
If you have to pay
- The fee is paid inside Telegram's own login screen, through your app store: Google Play on Android, the App Store on iPhone.
- In Kenya, Google Play takes bank cards and M-Pesa, which it shows as M-Pesa Xpress. On iPhone you pay with whatever your Apple ID accepts.
- Once you are logged in, check whether the purchase renews. If Google Play or the App Store lists it as a subscription, you can cancel the renewal under your store's subscriptions.
- Oya Stars can't pay or remove this fee for you. It is charged inside Telegram before you are logged in, and a Premium gift doesn't reliably stop it.
Stay safe
- Never pay anyone to "unlock", "bypass" or "verify" your account. The only real fee is the one inside the official Telegram app, paid through Google Play or the App Store.
- Never share your login code or your two-step password. That is how accounts are stolen.
- Use only official apps, from Google Play, the App Store or telegram.org. Old or modified versions may skip the screen for some people, but they put your account at risk.
Avoid it next time
- Stay logged in on at least two devices, for example your phone and Telegram Web.
- Add a login email and create a passkey.
- Turn on Two-Step Verification with a recovery email.
- When you change phones, log in on the new one before logging out of the old one.
Questions
Is the Telegram login fee a scam?
Not when it appears inside the official Telegram app and the payment window is Google Play or the App Store. A fee asked for by a person, a bot or a website is a scam.
Does everyone in Kenya have to pay it?
No. Telegram shows it to some people, on some attempts. Try the free ways first.
Can I pay the login fee with M-Pesa?
On Android, yes: Google Play in Kenya accepts M-Pesa. On iPhone it depends on what your Apple ID accepts.
Will Telegram Premium stop the fee?
Not reliably. The fee can appear even for accounts that already have Premium.
I paid but still can't log in. What now?
Contact Telegram through telegram.org/support. For a refund of a store payment, ask Google Play or the App Store.
Once you're back in
Buy Telegram Stars, or Premium for anyone with a username, and pay with M-Pesa in our Telegram bot.
Open Oya Stars in TelegramSources: Telegram's API documentation, auth.sentCodePaymentRequired; Tech-ish, 27 November 2025. Oya Stars is independent and not part of Telegram.