My Nintendo Gold Points Can Pay for Online

Last week Nintendo, at long last, gave the public their first official breakdown of the Nintendo Switch Online system and how we’ll start shelling over our hard-earned cash.

Since then, Nintendo has confirmed on their official FAQ for the online service that, “Gold points can be used when purchasing a membership in the Nintendo eShop. They cannot be used for auto-renewal.”

What this all means is that essentially if you have a My Nintendo account, and have amassed enough Gold points, you can use those to purchase your Switch Online account. However, this is just the initial payment, as any subsequent payments cannot be paid for in Gold points.

Starting last March, users have been able to use their Gold points to purchase Switch titles in the eShop. The points come by way of 5% of the purchase price on eligible digital purchases and 1% on physical copies of games.

The online service will allow users access to the multiplayer components of some of their favorite titles such as Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, Nintendo has confirmed that some Switch titles will be exempt, like Fortnite; it is unclear at this time what the distinction is that makes a game necessary for online payment.

Along with your subscription, Nintendo is allowing access to their new cloud storage for save data should your  Switch break or be misplaced. As with the online capabilities, there will be some games that are exempt from the cloud saves as well including Dark Souls: Remastered, Dead Cells, and FIFA 19.

Users will also get unlimited access to 20 NES titles (some come with local and online multiplayer as well) that can be streamed to their consoles, and more will be added in the future. However, these cannot be downloaded to the Switch hard drive.

Nintendo Switch Online launches tomorrow, September 18th, and can be purchased in three separate ways. These include a one-month subscription for $3.99 USD, a three-month subscription for $7.99 USD and finally a 12-month subscription for 19.99 USD. If there are multiple Switch systems in your house or if you have a willing friend, the family plan exists for $34.99 USD. This essentially saves you and another person a few dollars if you are both planning on buying Switch Online.

Will you be purchasing a Nintendo Switch Online subscription? Let us know below.

Anthony DeVetis

Anthony is into all things video games, television and film. He’s also a Star Wars and Marvel nerd and will jump at the chance to talk about either. Since the wee age of 3, when his Dad introduced him to his first computer game, Anthony has never stopped playing. He thanks Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3 for making him the gamer he is today.