Snapchat recently announced news that is every Gen Z Snapchatter’s worst nightmare — having to pay for snap memories. Snapchat will be changing their policy to make snapchatters who have over 5 gigabytes (GB) begin paying for storing their memories through Snapchat. 5 GB of storage is the equivalent of thousands of Snapchat memories.
Memory storage plans
There are three new memory storage plans being offered to Snapchat users. There is a 100 GB plan, a 250 GB plan that also requires you to purchase Snapchat Plus and a 5 TB option that would be paired with Snapchat Platinum. The 100 GB plan will be priced at $1.99/ month, the 250 GB plan will be $3.99/ month for Snapchat Plus members and lastly the 5 TB plan will cost $15.99/ month. Snapchat considers the top tier plan to be considered Snapchat Platinum. The upper two tiers require the user to have a Snapchat Plus subscription.
Snapchat’s statement
In a statement posted on September 26, 2025, Snapchat came forward to explain how they never expected Snapchat memories to grow to the extent that they did. They preface that most Snapchatters do not exceed the 5 GB limit they are starting to charge for. They also stated they will allow a 12 month temporary storage time for those memories that go out of the 5 GB range. Snapchat also emphasizes the fact that they hope the memories their users are saving are special to them and worth an added cost.
Problems
One of the biggest things about Snapchat that brought them so many users was the ability to store Snapchat memories- even if users did not realize it. For many users, they grew up on Snapchat. It is Gen Z’s version of a Facebook or MySpace that allows you to look back on old memories and photos. For those who have been loyal Snapchat users, there are years of memories that have been stored through the app and cannot be easily transferable to a new platform. Thus, almost forcing users to pay these new fees.
Next steps
If you’re not willing to pay for Snapchat memories, it is a good idea to get ahead of the game now and begin to save the extra memories outside the free 5 GB directly to your camera roll. To do this, you can submit a request by going to your Snapchat settings and choosing to save your memories under the “my data” tab.
Are Snapchat memories worth the added costs? Or is it time to move on from the app? Let us know what you think at @VALLEYmag on Instagram!
