Telestars × Dropfans: Card Payments Next to Stars
Telestars, the Telegram sales CRM, now offers card checkout through Dropfans alongside Telegram Stars. Fans pay the way they prefer, and more of them buy.
Dropfans Team
·5 min read
TL;DR
Telestars, the Telegram sales platform used by more than 1,000 creators and agencies, now integrates Dropfans. Creators keep selling with Telegram Stars and can add a card checkout to any paid Script step, AI Offer or Fan Inbox message. Fans who hold Stars pay in one tap, and fans who have never bought Stars pay by card on Dropfans, so fewer sales are lost at the payment step.
For more than a year, every sale made through Telestars has run on Telegram Stars. A fan taps, the Stars leave their balance and the content unlocks. For fans who already hold Stars, that is about as smooth as paying gets.
Not every fan holds Stars, though. Some have never bought any. Some won't do an in-app purchase just to buy a currency before they can spend it on you. Until now, that fan had one way to pay, didn't want it, and left.
From today they have a second way. Telestars has integrated Dropfans, and every Telestars creator can now offer a card checkout next to Stars.
Who Telestars is
Telestars calls itself "the sales platform for Telegram", and it is one of the best-known CRMs for selling on Telegram. Its AI chatbot talks to fans and sells paid media around the clock. A shared Fan Inbox lets creators and chatters step into any conversation, and Scripts, AI Offers, broadcasts and a CRM are built around it. By Telestars' own count, more than 1,000 creators and agencies use it.
Until this week, all of that ran on Stars and nothing else.
Why two ways to pay sell more
The payment method decides a lot of sales, because the payment step is where fans drop out.
- Stars fans want one tap. They already have a balance, they already trust it, and a card form would only slow them down.
- Card fans have never bought Stars, or don't want to. For them, Stars means an in-app purchase first, sold in bundles, before they can spend anything on you. Some of them don't bother.
- Bigger purchases feel natural on a card. A $50 bundle in Stars means buying thousands of Stars first. On a card, it is one payment.
With both on offer, no fan gets stuck with a payment method they don't want. Fans who would have walked away at "buy Stars first" can now pay by card.
How it works for a Telestars creator
Your Telestars workflow stays the same. It just gets one more option.
- Connect once. Link your Dropfans account under Settings → My App, using a key from your Dropfans vault. No account yet? You can create one on the same screen.
- Build paid drops. Pick up to 10 approved files from your Dropfans vault and set a fixed price between $5 and $750. Telestars makes the blurred preview for you.
- Send them wherever you already sell. For each paid Script step, AI Offer or Fan Inbox message, choose Stars or Dropfans. Your scripts and AI keep their existing settings.
The fan sees a blurred preview, your message and an Unlock button showing the price. Tapping it opens the Dropfans checkout in the browser, where they pay by credit or debit card. Once the payment is confirmed, Telestars delivers the content into the conversation, and the message changes from "Awaiting payment" to paid, so you and your chatters can see what sold.
What Dropfans takes care of
- The checkout. Card payments run on Dropfans, so neither you nor Telestars handles card details. The charge shows as DROPFANS on the fan's statement.
- Your money. Card sales go into your Dropfans balance, and Telestars never holds it. Each sale is held 14 days to cover chargebacks and is then released, so after your first two weeks money is released every day. You withdraw on request by bank, card or crypto through our payout partner, or Paxum.
- Verification and review. Every creator verifies their identity before selling, and every file is reviewed before it can be sold. That is why the Telestars picker only shows approved files.
Stars or card at a glance
| Telegram Stars | Card through Dropfans | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the fan pays | Inside Telegram | The Dropfans checkout, in the browser |
| What the fan needs | A Stars balance | A credit or debit card |
| What you receive | $0.013 per Star, under Telegram's Bot Developer Terms | 85% of your price; the fan pays a 10% fee on top |
| When it is withdrawable | Up to 21 days after you receive it | 14 days after each sale, then daily |
| How you cash out | Fragment, in crypto | bank, card or crypto through our payout partner, or Paxum |
Neither one is better for every fan, so offering both makes sense.
Get started
Setup takes about ten minutes, and How to set up Dropfans in Telestars walks through every step with a video and screenshots.
Already on Telestars but not on Dropfans? Create your account from inside Telestars, or sign up here and connect it afterwards.
Telestars is run by TELESTARS LLC, an independent company. Questions about the Dropfans side: [email protected]. Questions about Telestars: telestars.io.
FAQ
Frequently asked
What is Telestars?▾
Telestars (telestars.io) describes itself as the sales platform for Telegram. An AI chatbot chats with fans and sells paid media, a shared Fan Inbox lets creators and chatters reply in any conversation, and Scripts, AI Offers, broadcasts and a CRM sit around it. Telestars says more than 1,000 creators and agencies use it.
Do I have to stop selling with Telegram Stars?▾
No. Stars work exactly as before. Each time you set up a paid Script step, an AI Offer or a Fan Inbox send, you choose Stars or Dropfans.
Where does the fan pay by card?▾
On Dropfans. Tapping Unlock opens the Dropfans checkout in the browser, where the fan pays by credit or debit card without creating an account. Stars payments stay inside Telegram.
What does a card sale cost?▾
Standard Dropfans pricing: you keep 85% of the price you set, and the fan pays a 10% service fee on top at checkout. Your Telestars plan is priced by Telestars; see telestars.io.
Who holds the money from card sales?▾
Dropfans. Card sales land in your Dropfans balance and Telestars never holds it. Each sale is released 14 days after it was made, so after your first two weeks money is released every day, and you withdraw on request by bank, card or crypto through our payout partner, or Paxum.
Do I need a Dropfans account?▾
Yes, with your identity verified. You can create the account without leaving Telestars, under Settings → My App → Dropfans → Create an account, and then verify your identity on Dropfans before your first sale.
Written by
Dropfans Team
Creator Growth, Dropfans
The Dropfans team writes about creator monetization, pay-per-link selling, and the shift away from subscription platforms. Dropfans is operated by KVIQVIEW AB in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Start selling on Dropfans
Upload a file, set a price, share the link. Buyers pay and unlock instantly — no accounts required.
Get started — it's free →