Anybody with a Nintendo Switch knows just how great the eShop Gold Points reward system is. Buy a digital game, and a few extra Gold Points are automatically added to your account ready to shave off a few bucks on your next purchase. Did you think we’d buy Suika Game at full price with our hard-earned cash? No. That was courtesy of Nintendo’s Gold Points. So what do you do with a beloved system? You kill it. Duh.
Waaaah! Give us more money! Waaaaah!
That’s what Nintendo is doing, anyway. In a post on the My Nintendo website, the Zelda and Mario maker confirmed that Gold Points on the eShop would depart for good, starting on 24 March 2025 – just two weeks ahead of the official Switch 2 Direct. The site currently returns an error when attempting to access it, though Go Nintendo managed to source an FAQ that dives into deeper detail.
“Beginning at 9:30 p.m. PDT on 3/24/2025, users will no longer be able to earn My Nintendo Gold Points. Gold Points will no longer be earned for digital purchases on Nintendo eShop after 9:30 p.m. PDT on 3/24/2025,” the FAQ reads.
“Gold Points will no longer be earned on physical games that release after 3/24/2025. For physical games that released on or before 3/24/2025, Gold Points may still be earned by registering eligible titles within one year from the original release date of the game.”
During its heyday, the company would reward customers for purchasing digital games with a 5% kickback to the value of their digital game or DLC purchase, spendable on Nintendo’s website and in the eShop. At most, it saved customers a few bucks on their purchase, encouraging larger spending on its first-party games that regularly feature immovable price points. It was truly, truly great.
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And now, it’s going away. The Japanese company hasn’t provided a reason, nor did it say whether the system would be revamped and brought back, perhaps under a new name for when the Switch 2 hits shelves. This is Nintendo, the company sapping the life out of a former pirate’s paycheck every month, so we’re guessing the “free ride” is over.
Nintendo confirms that Points earned before 24 March 2025 will be available for up to twelve months after the shutter date. It’s worth noting that each Point earned includes an expiration date – so if you’ve got some Gold Points stored up (you can view your wallet here), you’ll want to spend them sooner rather than later.
The FAQ doesn’t mention whether the company’s similar ‘Platinum Points’ would also be retired, though we’re going to assume they’re headed for the graveyard, too. These points could be earned for completing ‘missions’ (like logging into the My Nintendo website every week) and would unlock smaller rewards (like wallpapers) on the South African Nintendo online store.
