Owners of the Xiaomi ecosystem often face a shortage of standard space for backup photos and contacts. The built-in 5 gigabytes that the Mi Cloud provides fill up in just a couple of months of active smartphone use, which forces them to look for ways to expand the digital space so that they do not lose important data when changing a device or breaking it.
Buying more is not just a waste of money, but an investment in the preservation of personal archives. Unlike many competitors, the Chinese giant offers a flexible charging system that allows you to pay only for the right amount of data, but the process of activating a subscription can raise questions for users, especially in the current environment.
In this article, we will discuss in detail how to purchase Xiaomi cloud storage, what are the tariff plans and how to circumvent possible payment restrictions. You will learn about the nuances of the service and understand whether to switch to a paid version right now.
Benefits of Expanding Mi Cloud Storage
The main reason users are thinking about buying a subscription is automatic sync, and when your smartphone runs out of free space, new photos are no longer stored in the cloud, which creates a risk of data loss, and a paid account removes this restriction and allows you to store thousands of images in their original quality.
In addition, the expanded tariff allows access to the Device Search feature with a higher geolocation refresh rate, if you lose your phone, the chances of finding it increase significantly, and the frequency of backing up system settings and application listings increases.
- 📸 Storing photos and videos in full resolution without compression
- 📍 Advanced features for finding lost device in real time
- 🔄 Automatic backup of settings and application data
- 📁 Increased storage space for documents and notes
⚠️ Note: When buying a subscription, it is important to link your account to a reliable phone number, as it is important to restore access to paid storage without any need to use it. SIM-maps may be difficult.
It’s worth noting that the amount of space you buy is not valid for one device, but for the entire Mi Account, which means you can use the same tariff on your phone, tablet, and even through the web interface on your computer, accessing a single data space.
Overview of tariff plans and cost
The Mi Cloud service offers multiple subscription tiers that vary in the amount of space available.A basic free 5GB fare is often not enough even for the average user who actively takes camera shots and records videos.
The next tier is 50GB, which is usually enough to store documents, contacts and a few thousand photos in good quality, and for most users who don’t shoot 4K video daily, this option is optimal in terms of price and volume.
For those who need a serious archive, there are tariffs of 200 GB and 2 TB. Such volumes allow you to create full copies of the system, store video archives from Xiaomi surveillance cameras and share family access with other members of the account.
| Tariff. | Volume | Estimated price (mo) | For whom? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 5GB | Free of charge. | Contacts and notes only. |
| Standard | 50GB | ~ 150 rubles. | Active users of photos |
| Premium | 200GB | ~300 rubles. | Family access and video |
| Maximum | 2 TB | ~650 rubles. | Professionals and archives |
Prices may vary slightly depending on the region of the account registration and current exchange rates, as the service is global.
Instructions for buying through smartphone settings
The easiest and most reliable way to sign up is to use your smartphone’s built-in menu, which ensures that payment is tied to your current account and activation is instant.
You first need to go to your phone's settings and find the partition that's responsible for your account, and the path may vary slightly between the MIUI or HyperOS versions of the shell, but the logic remains the same.
☑️ Subscription buying algorithm
Once the tariff is selected, the system will suggest entering the payment method data, depending on the country, this can be a linked bank card, mobile phone balance or an account in Google Play / App Store.
It's important to make sure that the device has two-factor authorization enabled, a security requirement that Mi Cloud puts forward for all financial transactions, and without a confirmed phone number, the purchase may not go through.
⚠️ Note: If you change your account region in your settings, your purchase history and active subscriptions may not be transferred.
Payment for subscriptions from Russia: nuances of 2026
For users from the Russian Federation, the process of paying directly through the Mi Cloud interface can be complicated by sanctions restrictions. Cards of Russian banks (Visa, MasterCard, MIR) are often not accepted by international payment gateways of the service.
In such a situation, direct payment via the phone menu may not work, the system will give an error or simply not show the available payment methods, but this does not mean that you can not use the service.
One way to work is to use virtual cards of foreign payment systems or intermediary services that specialize in paying for foreign subscriptions, and sometimes payment through the balance of a mobile operator, if this option is supported by your account registration region.
Another option is to buy recharge codes or gift cards if they are available in official partner stores, but in 2026 this format is becoming less common, giving way to direct binding of cards.
Alternative ways to expand memory
If buying Mi Cloud directly causes too many payment difficulties, it makes sense to consider alternative storage options.
Many users are switching to using third-party cloud storage, such as Yandex.Disk, VK Cloud or Telegram (favorite), for storing photos, which often offer more loyal terms for users from the CIS and accept any Russian cards.
Physical expansion of memory also remains relevant: Buying a 256GB or 512GB MicroSD card will cost less than a yearly cloud subscription and does not require monthly payments.
- 📱 Use of third-party clouds (Yandex, Sber, VK) photo
- 💾 Buying a high-speed microSD memory card
- 💻 Regularly copying data to your home PC or NAS
- 🗑️ Cleaning duplicates and heavy video files manually
⚠️ Note: When using third-party clouds to sync your gallery, Xiaomi may need to disable native Mi Cloud sync to avoid conflicts and file duplication.
The combined approach is often the most effective, for example, contacts and notes can be left in the Mi Cloud (they are enough for 5 GB), and heavy photos and videos can be automatically uploaded to another cloud or memory card.
Subscription management and cancellation of auto-renewal
After a successful purchase, it’s important to know how to manage your subscription. Auto-selling is handy, but if you plan to use extended storage only temporarily (for example, to transfer data to a new phone), auto-payment is better off.
Subscription management is done through the same interface where the purchase was made, and Settings → Mi Account → Cloud → Manage Storage displays the current status and date of the next charge-off.
When you cancel your subscription, your data is not deleted instantly, usually a grace period (about 30 days) is granted during which you can renew the tariff or download data, after which the files exceeding the free limit can be deleted or blocked for download.
If you change your device and move to another platform (like iOS), be sure to check the data port terms.Mi Cloud has a web version and a Windows app, allowing you to pick up the archive even without a Xiaomi smartphone.