If you didn’t, then it’s your lucky day because we are going to teach you everything you need to know about My Nintendo Gold Points and how they can help you save money on your Nintendo Switch games.
What Are My Nintendo Gold Points?
There are many creative ways to save money on Nintendo Switch games, but the most direct is by taking advantage of My Nintendo Gold Points. This is a currency you can receive as part of a robust reward system offered by Nintendo. You can collect these points for any game purchase, both online or physical, and they can be used to receive a variety of different rewards.
My Nintendo Gold points can be spent on anything in the Nintendo Switch eShop, such as digital games and DLC. If you don’t feel like using your points on games, you can also use them to purchase Nintendo Switch Online Memberships which are required to play online multiplayer games. If you have enough My Nintendo Gold Points, you can even get your purchases for free!
This rewards system has been around for a long time, but there’s a lot of information that isn’t commonly known about it. This guide will help you learn how to collect and keep track of your points, as well as find out what you can spend them on.
How to Claim My Nintendo Gold Points
For digital purchases, your Gold points will be automatically applied to your account, so you don’t have to worry about claiming them as you do with physical purchases. The process of collecting My Nintendo Gold Points on physical games, however, is a little more involved.
Here’s how you can collect My Nintendo Gold Points from physical purchases:
Insert the game cartridge that you would like to claim points for into the game card slot of your Nintendo Switch. Hover over the game on the Home screen, and press the + button located at the top of your right Joy-Con. This will bring up a menu. Scroll down to the option that reads My Nintendo Rewards Program and select it. Select Earn Gold Points (game card version only). Here, the system will ask you what account you would like to load the Gold Points onto. Find and select your desired profile. Select Earn Points for this Software. The points will then be loaded onto the Nintendo profile that you selected.
Purchasing games or DLC in the eShop gives you a Gold Points balance equal to 5% of the price of your purchase. With every physical Switch game purchase, you will be gifted a Gold Points balance that is equal to 1% of the game’s price.
Gold Points for physical games can only be claimed within one year of the game’s release date, so it’s a good idea to claim them immediately after your purchase.
How to Use My Nintendo Gold Points on the Nintendo Switch eShop
Using your My Nintendo Gold Points on the Nintendo Switch eShop is relatively simple. Your points balance can be applied to any purchase on the eShop, allowing you to receive a discount or perhaps even get your games for free.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to redeem your Gold Points on the Nintendo Switch eShop:
Launch the Nintendo Switch eShop. You can find this by clicking the orange bag icon at the bottom of the Nintendo Switch home screen. Select your user profile. Select the game, DLC, or membership package you wish to purchase. Select Proceed to Purchase. Select Redeem Points or Use points for a discount on the right-hand side of the screen. Enter how many Gold Points you’d like to use and select Next when you’re done.
You should now see the discounted price of your purchase and select a payment option to pay the remaining balance, if necessary.
How to Keep Track of Your My Nintendo Gold Points
Keeping track of your My Nintendo Gold Points can be difficult. But luckily, Nintendo has it all sorted out for you.
On the Nintendo Switch eShop, you can check your points balance, but not when they will expire. My Nintendo Gold Points will expire one year after your purchase. But if you are making a lot of purchases frequently, it can be next to impossible to remember what points are expiring and when.
The best way to check your point’s information is via the My Nintendo section of your Nintendo Account. There are three tabs available, each showing certain information regarding your points. You can view all of this information, including checking your point’s expiration date, by following the steps below:
Log into your My. Nintendo. com account. Click on your Gold Points money jar. Select Points Summary.
Here you will find the three tabs mentioned above. Select Your Points to find a summary of your points balance. Select Points Expiration to see points your points that will expire before the end of the year. The Points History tab is almost like a bank statement for your points, showing what you received points for and when.
Start Reaping Your Nintendo Rewards!
The Nintendo Gold Points system can be a little difficult to wrap your head around at first, but there are a lot of rewards to be reaped by learning how they work. Hopefully, this guide has helped you become more familiar with My Nintendo Gold Points and how to use them.
Now all that’s left is for you to start thinking about what games to spend your Gold Points on!
