The Ultimate Guide To My Nintendo Rewards
/My Nintendo is Nintendo’s rewards programme which sees you earning Gold/Platinum points and redeeming them for discounts and rewards. In my ultimate guide, I’ll be looking at joining, earning points, redeeming points, point expiry and the My Nintendo birthday offer.
My Nintendo Rewards effectively equate to a 5% future discount. However, if you can make that saving elsewhere anyway, that negates it’s value. The limited 12-month point expiry window can make things more difficult too - Andrew Cunningham (Capital Matters Editor)
Related: Boots Advantage | Co-Op Rewards | Costa Club | LEGO Insiders | M&S Sparks | Microsoft Rewards | Morrisons More | Nandos Rewards | Nectar Points | Subway Rewards | Tesco Clubcard
How To Join My Nintendo Rewards
Head to the My Nintendo Sign Up Page and register. My Nintendo is an online-only rewards programme (with no minimum age requirements) that you can join on the My Nintendo website.
Is My Nintendo Free?
Yes, there’s no cost to being a My Nintendo Rewards member. It’s a free loyalty programme.
Earning My Nintendo Points - How They're Calculated
There are two types of My Nintendo Points, Gold Points and Platinum Points. Both are distinct from each other and you earn them in different ways. Here’s how to get them.
Earning Gold Points
You earn 5 Gold Points Per £1 Spent on Digital Games and 1 Gold Point Per £1 Spent on Physical Games on eShop or Nintendo’s Official Online Store as long as the purchase is over £4.59.
For example, you’ll earn 200 Gold Points if you spend £40 on a digital game from Nintendo’s Official Online Store.
Eligible For Gold Points - Digital Switch/3DS/Wii U Software and Physical Switch Software (less than 2 years after release)
Not Eligible For Gold Points - Physical Switch Software (2 Years+ after release), In-Game Items, Virtual Currency, Themes, Physical Software for 3DS/Wii U
To be eligible for Gold Points on Wii U/3DS eShop purchases, ensure you’ve linked your Wii U/3DS with your Nintendo Network ID.
You won’t redeem Gold Points from Physical Game Cards that you’ve bought automatically, you’ll need to do the following:
Insert Game Card To Switch > Highlight Game on HOME > Press + > ‘My Nintendo Rewards’ > ‘Earn Gold Points’
Earning Platinum Points
You earn Platinum Points by completing missions either in-game or through your MyNintendo account
The type of Platinum Point will depend on where you earn it. You’ll earn standard Platinum Points by completing MyNintendo missions and other types by completing in-game missions (eg. Super Mario Run Points by completing missions in Super Mario Run).
Easy ways to earn Platinum MyNintendo Points:
Link Nintendo Network ID to MyNintendo - 100 Points
Visit Nintendo Website (Weekly) - 30 Points Weekly
Opt In To Email Marketing - 30 Points
Link Twitter/Facebook/Google to MyNintendo - 10 Points Each
Some missions give you Platinum Points automatically whereas others require that you collect the points on the missions page.
Redeeming My Nintendo Points
Like with point-earning, you redeem Gold and Platinum Points differently too. It’s important to note here that you can’t exchange one for the other and any rewards you redeem are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Redeeming Gold Points
1 Gold Point is worth £0.01
You can use Gold Points as payment towards digital Nintendo Switch Game and DLC purchases on eShop (not the separate Nintendo Online Store). Gold Points will be auto-redeemed at the eShop checkout. There’s no way you can boost their value so it’s best to use them when you’re given the option.
Redeeming Platinum Points
Platinum Points are redeemed for in-game rewards and Nintendo merchandise
What exactly can you get with your Nintendo Platinum Points? You can basically get different in-game items (eg. Bells in Animal Crossing Pocket Camp or Coins in Super Mario Run) or specific Nintendo merchandise (eg. Calendar, Posters, Coasters).
To redeem a reward, you need to have enough Standard and/or Specific Game Type Platinum Points. For example, to redeem a 200 Point Animal Crossing reward, you could use 100 Standard Platinum Points + 100 Animal Crossing Platinum Points.
Standard Platinum Points are the most flexible, as you can put them towards any Platinum reward. Game Type Platinum Points can only be put towards rewards from that game.
Delivery Costs For Platinum Point Rewards
Whilst most of the Platinum Point redemptions are free to deliver (since they’re in-game items), the Nintendo merchandise is a physical product which has to be dispatched. If you order a Platinum Point reward that needs to be shipped, the following delivery costs will apply:
Purchasing With Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite: Free
All Other Orders: £6.25
In reality that means that, unless you’re buying them with a Switch, the Nintendo merchandise really costs you Platinum Points + £6.25. When you consider that the Platinum Point merchandise isn’t all that enticing (postcards, coasters, calendar etc.), it’s probably better to reserve your Platinum Points for an in-game item.
Nintendo Gold Points Value Calculator
Enter your Nintendo Gold Points total in the calculator below and it will show you what your Gold Points are worth.
Viewing My Nintendo Point and Reward History
You can view a log of all points collected and rewards redeemed through the Point Log page.
Head to My Nintendo > Menu (Top Left) > Your Points > Point Log
My Nintendo Point Expiry
Both Gold and Platinum My Nintendo points expire and, unfortunately, they don’t last long. To view expiry dates for specific points, head to the My Nintendo Point Expiry page.
Gold Point Expiry
Gold Points are only valid for 12 months, until the last day of that month
For example, points earned on the 5th March 2021 would expire on the 31st March 2022
Platinum Point Expiry
Platinum Points are only valid for 6 months, until the last day of that month
For example, points earned on the 5th March 2021 would expire on the 30th September 2021
Do My Nintendo Offer Birthday Points
Yes, on or around your birthday you’ll get an email from Nintendo offering you free birthday points (usually 300 Platinum Points) which you’ll be able to claim for 30 days from the email date.
How do you get the birthday points? First, make sure you’ve added your date of birth to your account, then set ‘Emails From Nintendo’ to ‘On’ in your account settings.
Account Settings > User Information > Date of Birth
Account Settings > Other Settings > Emails From Nintendo > Recommendations ‘On’ > Save Changes
Are My Nintendo Points Worth It?
Although the limited point expiry dates are disappointing, My Nintendo is a free rewards programme so of course I’ll recommend that you join.
Platinum Points are best used for in-game items (although the games you can earn them on are limited) and Gold Points offer an ok discount (effectively 5% off your next Nintendo purchase as long as you make it within the following 12 months) but that discount can likely be negated if you can find Nintendo games or DLC elsewhere (eg. Amazon, John Lewis, Argos, Currys).
Have any questions about My Nintendo Rewards? Comment below for a fast response or message me on Twitter @AndrewYBlogs or Instagram @capitalmattersblog.
Related: Boots Advantage | Co-Op Rewards | Costa Club | LEGO Insiders | M&S Sparks | Microsoft Rewards | Morrisons More | Nandos Rewards | Nectar Points | Subway Rewards | Tesco Clubcard
What loyalty cards work with Apple Wallet in the UK? I go through the list of loyalty cards that are supported by Apple Wallet. Plus, a guide to each card and the best alternatives.