# Sell access to your Telegram channel

> Charge for access to a private Telegram channel or group and get paid in crypto (USDC on Solana). Paying subscribers are let in automatically and removed when they cancel — add Soca’s shared bot as an admin: no bot to build, no token to copy, no code.

Part of the Soca documentation (https://soca.finance/docs). Human version: https://soca.finance/docs/business/telegram-access
Want to charge for your private **Telegram channel** or group and get paid in crypto? Soca gates it behind a subscription: anyone who subscribes is let in automatically, and anyone who cancels is removed automatically — billed in **USDC on Solana**, renewing on its own. There is no bot to build, no token to copy, and no code. Think of it as the crypto-native version of what a paid Telegram membership bot does, run for you.

> **In one line**: A private Telegram channel, gated behind a Soca subscription paid in USDC — members let in the moment they pay, removed the moment they lapse, all on autopilot.

## What you can gate

A **private channel or group**: paying members are let in with a one-time invite, and lapsed members are removed. Each connection maps to exactly one plan: *while* a member holds an active subscription to that plan, *they* hold access. Run several tiers by pointing each plan at its own channel.

## How members pay

Access is sold as an ordinary Soca [subscription](/docs/business/subscriptions): recurring **USDC on Solana**, renewing automatically, with gas sponsored so the customer never needs SOL. Members who check out with a Soca account save 1% on every payment, and you still receive the same amount — Soca covers that discount out of its own fee, never yours (see [pricing](/docs/overview/pricing)). You keep custody the whole time; each payment settles straight to your wallet.

## Set it up (add the bot as an admin)

1. **Create the plan**: If you have not already, create the [subscription plan](/docs/business/subscriptions) membership will be sold under. Its checkout link is what you share with prospective members.
2. **Add Soca’s bot as a channel admin**: Add Soca’s Telegram bot (its exact @username is shown on the Integrations screen) to your channel or group and promote it to **admin** with two permissions switched on: **Invite Users via Link** and **Ban Users**. Those are what let it add paying members and remove lapsed ones. You never create a bot or handle a token — it is the same shared Soca bot every merchant uses.
3. **Map your channel to a plan**: In **Dashboard → Settings → Integrations**, open Telegram, enter your **channel id**, and pick the plan that grants access. When you save, Soca checks that its bot really is an admin of that channel and shows you the channel’s name to confirm — so a wrong id or a missing permission is caught right there, not weeks later when someone can’t get in.
4. **Share your checkout link**: Post the plan’s checkout link wherever your members are. From payment onward it runs itself.

> **Finding your Telegram channel id**: A public channel can be entered as **@yourchannel**. For a private channel, forward any post from it to a bot like **@userinfobot** and it replies with the id — it starts with **-100**.

## What your members experience

1. **Subscribe**: They pay through your plan’s hosted checkout like any other subscription — with Google, email, or their own wallet. Nothing to install.
2. **Connect Telegram**: Right after paying (or later from their Soca account) they tap **Connect Telegram**, which opens Soca’s bot with a personal link.
3. **Connect the wallet they paid with**: They connect the same wallet the subscription is paid from. That is what proves the person joining is the person who subscribed — nobody types or pastes an ID.
4. **They’re let in**: Soca sends them a one-time invite link into the channel, and renewals keep the access alive with nothing more for them or you to do.

## When a subscription ends

Access is removed automatically when a member cancels, revokes their payment authorization, or exhausts failed-payment recovery. The member is removed with a **kick, not a permanent ban**, so they can rejoin instantly if they resubscribe. One important nuance: during [failed-payment recovery](/docs/business/subscriptions), members keep access while automatic retries run, so a briefly-late renewal never ejects a good member — access is only pulled once the subscription is genuinely over.

## Monitor who has access

**Dashboard → Access** is the control room. It lists your connected channel, its gating plan, and every member’s wallet, Telegram identity, and current state:

| Status | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **Active** | Paid and in. The steady state. |
| **Access pending** | Paid but not yet in — usually waiting on the next sync, or the member hasn’t connected their Telegram yet. |
| **Removing** | No longer entitled; Soca is taking access away. |
| **No access** | Not entitled and not in. |

Access reconciles automatically every minute, and a **Sync now** button forces a pass immediately. If a paying member stays pending after a sync, the usual cause is a missing bot permission — make sure Soca’s bot is still an admin with **Invite Users via Link** and **Ban Users**. The [technical guide](/docs/developers/telegram-and-discord) covers the exact checks.

> **Membership, end to end**: Checkout handles the payment, renewals handle retention, recovery handles late payments, and access automation handles the door. A paid Telegram community runs on one link and zero admin.

Selling access to a Discord server too? See [Sell access to your Discord server](/docs/business/discord-access). For how the grant and revoke work under the hood, see [How Telegram and Discord access works](/docs/developers/telegram-and-discord).