Gift Upgrade Cost
The Telegram Stars fee for converting a standard Telegram gift into the upgraded NFT form on TON. The amount depends on the gift type and on Telegram's current pricing policy and is paid as a one-off.
Aliases: gift upgrade fee, telegram upgrade fee
Gift upgrade cost is the one-off fee paid by the owner of a Telegram gift to upgrade it into an NFT. It is charged in Telegram Stars and varies with:
- the gift type (more valuable gifts attract higher fees);
- Telegram’s current pricing policy (it is adjusted from time to time);
- the rarity or edition size of the source collection.
What the fee covers
- Telegram Stars charge — the biggest part.
- TON gas for the TEP-62 mint — effectively cents, but bundled by Telegram into a single quoted price.
- Metadata generation — attributes (backdrop, symbol) are rolled and written on-chain.
After payment the gift becomes an upgraded-gift and appears as an NFT on the user’s TON address.
When upgrading is worth it
- If the collection floor exceeds the upgrade cost plus marketplace fees, the upgrade can be profitable in theory.
- If the gift matters as a collectable, upgrading protects it from account-level Telegram bans.
When it is not
- Upgrade cost is comparable to or above the collection floor — resale won’t recover it.
- Mass-issued collection whose price quickly drops.