Nintendo ends rewards programme in the Switch online shop
The popular "My Nintendo Gold Points" in the Switch eShop will soon be no more. The rewards programme is being cancelled without replacement.
In a news item on "My Nintendo", the Japanese company announces that the Gold Points reward system on the Switch will be cancelled from 25 March.
Gold Points are a popular reward system in Nintendo's eShop. It was originally introduced to motivate Switch users to buy digital games. You receive up to five per cent of the purchase price back in the form of Gold Points. If you buy a game as a physical edition, you only receive one per cent of the purchase price. One point corresponds to one cents or one cent.
You can collect the points and use them for your next purchase in the eShop. The system was particularly popular for smaller indie titles and in-game purchases. I also downloaded a "free" game from time to time thanks to the points.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
The details on the end of the gold points
From 25 March, you will no longer receive Gold Points for newly purchased digital titles in the eShop. Pre-orders for games released after 25 March will still be rewarded with Gold Points until 24 March. Gold points will still be awarded for physical games as long as they are released by 24 March - pre-orders of physical games that launch after this date will no longer earn points.
The good news is that you can continue to spend the points you have already earned in the eShop even after the end of the Gold Points programme. According to Nintendo, these are still valid for twelve months from the date of receipt.
Preparing for the Switch 2?
The timing of the end of the Gold Points suggests that the changeover has to do with the launch of the Switch 2. Nintendo will unveil the console in detail on 2 April and is expected to release it in the second quarter of the year.
In the course of the transition to a new console generation, it can be assumed that Nintendo's online infrastructure and shop will also receive a major refresh. Nintendo has confirmed in an FAQ that the Switch 1's equally popular voucher system will not work on the Switch 2. This can be used to purchase two Switch games at a reduced price.
Nintendo has not yet announced a new rewards programme or an alternative to the Switch Gold Points - neither for the Switch 1 nor the Switch 2. There is also no word yet on an alternative to the voucher programme for the Switch 2.
Header image: Domagoj Belancic
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Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
