How to use My Nintendo Gold Points on the Nintendo Switch

My Nintendo Gold Points is a kind of virtual currency that you can earn from select purchases of games and DLC via the Nintendo Switch eShop and other physical Nintendo products.

Nintendo announced in February that the Nintendo eShop will no longer award My Nintendo Gold Points for purchases starting on March 24.

This guide will explain what My Nintendo Gold Points are, show you how to use them, and explain their expiration date.

What are My Nintendo Gold Points?

My Nintendo Gold Points is a kind of currency that you earn when you purchase certain Nintendo products, games, and DLC.

The most common way to earn Gold Points is by buying games via the Nintendo Switch eShop. However, you can also earn them by registering eligible physical software or by purchasing products at Nintendo New York. Once you accrue Gold Points by making purchases, you can use the points to make purchases on the eShop.

For each purchase made on the Nintendo eShop, you earn five percent of the amount you paid in Gold Points and one Gold Point is worth the equivalent of one cent in USD. So if you buy a $59.99 game on the eShop, you would get 300 Gold Points. This in turn could be redeemed for $3 towards a future purchase on the Nintendo eShop.

How to spend My Nintendo Gold Points

You can only spend your My Nintendo Gold Points via the Nintendo Switch eShop or the official Nintendo website in territories where it’s available. Here is how to spend to spend your My Nintendo Gold Points:

1. Open the Nintendo eShop on your Nintendo Switch via the console homepage.
2. Choose a game that you would like to purchase on the shop and click “Proceed to Purchase.”
3. From the purchase page, select the option that says “Redeem points” that’s just above the other payment options.

1. Click next and the eShop will now apply your Gold Points towards that purchase.
2. Select your payment option if you don’t have enough Gold Points to cover the full amount of the purchase. Then choose the amount of funds you want to add.
3. Click the final confirmation to make the purchase. We usually use a credit card to pay for games so the screen says “Use This Credit Card” and lists the last four digits of the card tied to the account.
4. The eShop will show you one final window that lists the cost of the software you want to buy, the amount that will be paid with Gold Points, and your final total cost. Scroll to the bottom and select “Add Funds and Purchase.” You have now bought a game using your My Nintendo Gold Points.

My Nintendo Gold Points expiration date

Purchases on the Nintendo eShop and other places will no longer earn you My Nintendo Gold Points as of March 24. However, you will still be able to use your Gold Points in your account after March 24; you just won’t earn any for purchases after that date.

Otherwise, the usual rules apply to when the points expire. My Nintendo Gold Points “are valid” for one year after you earn them, according to Nintendo’s official FAQ.