Nintendo announced that they will be discontinuing their Gold Points system. Buyers will no longer receive any Gold Points starting March 25, 2025, 4:30 AM UTC.

Due to the discontinuation being a month away, Nintendo has given a grace period of 12 months for people to utilize their Gold Points. Any Gold Points earned by March 24 can continue to be used until they expire a year later even though the earning of Gold Points will suspend next month.

Gold Points were a system Nintendo utilized for customers making digital purchases through Nintendo channels or redeeming download codes. The number of points buyers were rewarded was based on 5% of the original cost of the digital content purchased. These points could then be used as a discount on the buyer’s next purchase. Josh Martinez on Boss Rush wrote an in-depth article explaining how the Gold Point system for Nintendo worked.

There are a few additional caveats now for the earning of Gold Points that come with the discontinuation. Gold Points, through a system explained by Josh Martinez, could be earned on physical game cards. Now that the system is shutting down, Nintendo has explained they will honor any redemptions made so long as the game title has been released by March 24. Any titles released afterwards will not be honored. The release date of said titles that Nintendo will honor is the one posted on the Nintendo eShop.

Pre-orders for digital titles is a different story. The pre-orders must be listed on a Nintendo channel such as the Nintendo eShop or My Nintendo Store by March 24 in order to qualify for Gold Point redemption. The release date for those titles will not matter, even if the payment does not go through until after March 24. Instead, Nintendo will honor the redemptions so long as it’s been 24 hours since the purchase is processed or an email with the subject, “Thank you for your Nintendo eShop purchase” was sent to the buyer’s registered email address.

Due to the necessity of having the pre-order done through Nintendo, any pre-orders done by an outside retailer will be listed as a download code. As such, they will not qualify for Gold Point redemption after March 25.

With the discontinuation of the Gold Point system, it is a wonder what will be step up to replace it or if Nintendo intends to discontinue a point reward system entirely. What are your opinions about Nintendo’s announcement? Share your thoughts in the comments below or in our Boss Rush Discord!

News Source: Nintendo

Featured Image Source: Caleb Oquendo

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