How Do I Know If Someone Has Snapchat Premium? There are a few visible signs that someone has Snapchat Premium — officially called Snapchat Plus. The clearest one is a small star badge on their profile. But the badge can be hidden, and some signs only show up in specific situations. Here is what to look for and what the limits are.
What Is Snapchat Premium (Snapchat Plus)?
Snapchat Plus — often called Snapchat Premium — is a paid subscription tier that, as reported by TechCrunch, Snapchat officially launched in June 2022 at $3.99 per month. It gives subscribers access to a set of exclusive features not available on the free version.
Most of these features are personal — things only the subscriber can see or use. But a handful leave traces that others can notice, which is what makes it possible to identify a Plus user in the first place.
How to Tell If Someone Has Snapchat Plus — Visible Signs
Snapchat does not publicly announce who subscribes to Plus. But there are observable indicators if you know where to look.
The Snapchat Plus Badge (Star Icon)
The most direct sign is a small black star icon that appears next to a Snapchat Plus user's display name on their profile. When you open someone's profile and see this badge, it confirms they have an active Plus subscription.
The catch — users can choose to hide this badge. If someone has turned it off in their settings, the star will not appear even though they are still a subscriber. So the badge confirms Plus when visible, but its absence means nothing either way.
Story Still Up After 24 Hours
Free Snapchat users' stories disappear after 24 hours. Snapchat Plus subscribers can extend story duration anywhere from one hour up to one week. If you check someone's story and it has been live for longer than a day, that is a reliable sign they have Snapchat Plus.
In practice, this is one of the easier indicators to catch — you just need to notice the timestamp on their story.
Their Snap Has Been Replayed More Than Once
Free Snapchat users can replay a snap once per day. Snapchat Plus subscribers can replay snaps twice. If someone has replayed your snap more than once, they are almost certainly a Plus subscriber.
This one only applies if you are the one who sent the snap — you will see the replay count on your end.
AI Bitmoji Background With Golden Ring
Snapchat Plus subscribers get access to exclusive AI-generated profile backgrounds. These have a visible golden ring around them and a small AI label. If you visit someone's profile and their Bitmoji backdrop has that golden ring, it is a clear Plus indicator.
This is visible to anyone who opens that person's profile — it does not require any special relationship or friend status.
Pinned Best Friend on Their Profile
Snapchat Plus users can pin one friend to the top of their chat list and designate them as a Best Friend Forever (BFF). While the pinned chat itself is only visible to the subscriber, the BFF label can sometimes appear on friendship profiles. If you see it, it suggests Plus.
Visible vs. Hidden — What You Can and Cannot See
As noted by VentureBeat, Snapchat+ is a subscription service that offers access to exclusive experimental features — and many of those features are intentionally private, visible only to the subscriber themselves.
|
Indicator |
Visible to Others? |
Can Be Hidden? |
|
Star badge on profile |
Yes |
Yes — user can disable it |
|
Story lasting over 24 hours |
Yes |
No |
|
Snap replayed more than once |
Yes (sender only) |
No |
|
AI Bitmoji background (golden ring) |
Yes |
No |
|
BFF pinned friend label |
Sometimes |
Partially |
|
Story rewatch count |
No — subscriber only |
N/A |
|
Half-swipe detection (Peek a Peek) |
No — subscriber only |
N/A |
|
Custom app icon |
No — only on their device |
N/A |
What If None of These Signs Are Visible?
Honestly — you may not be able to tell. Many Snapchat Plus features are entirely private. Things like seeing who rewatched your story, detecting half-swipes, or accessing extended analytics are all subscriber-facing only. Nothing surfaces to the people around them.
If someone has hidden their badge and does not have extended stories or AI backgrounds active, there is no reliable way to confirm they have Snapchat Plus just by looking at their profile. The absence of visible signs does not mean they are not a subscriber.
Snapchat Plus vs. Free Snapchat — Feature Comparison
|
Feature |
Free Snapchat |
Snapchat Plus |
|
Star badge on profile |
No |
Yes (can be hidden) |
|
Story duration |
24 hours max |
Up to 7 days |
|
Snap replays |
1 per day |
2 per snap |
|
AI Bitmoji backgrounds |
No |
Yes (golden ring) |
|
Custom app icons |
No |
Yes |
|
Story rewatch analytics |
No |
Yes |
|
Half-swipe detection |
No |
Yes |
|
Pin a Best Friend (BFF) |
No |
Yes |
|
Subscription cost |
Free |
$3.99/month or $29.99/year |
Conclusion
The clearest sign someone has Snapchat Plus is the star badge on their profile — but it can be turned off. Story duration over 24 hours, multiple snap replays, and an AI Bitmoji background with a golden ring are the next most reliable indicators. If none of these are visible, there is no definitive way to confirm it from the outside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone hide their Snapchat Plus badge?
Yes. Snapchat Plus subscribers can toggle the star badge off in their profile settings. If it is hidden, no badge will appear even though the subscription is active.
Does Snapchat notify you if someone has Snapchat Plus?
No. Snapchat does not send any notification or alert to tell you that someone in your contacts has subscribed to Snapchat Plus.
How much does Snapchat Plus cost?
Snapchat Plus is available at $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Both tiers include the same set of Plus features.
Can you tell if someone has Snapchat Plus without being their friend?
Partially. The AI Bitmoji background with the golden ring is visible on any public profile. The star badge, if enabled, is also visible. But most other signs require you to interact with them directly.
Is Snapchat Plus the same as Snapchat Premium?
Yes. Snapchat Plus and Snapchat Premium refer to the same paid subscription. Snapchat officially calls it Snapchat+, but users commonly refer to it as Snapchat Premium.
