Nintendo Switch users have just been granted a new way to spend their My Nintendo Gold Points. In an announcement by Nintendo, the company has stated that beginning in March, My Nintendo members will be able to put their My Nintendo Gold Points towards buying Switch games through the Nintendo eShop. This provides a major step up from what their Gold Point system was utilized for previously, and acts as a legitimate currency.
My Nintendo Gold Points are currently received through purchasing Nintendo games from the eShop or Switch games from retail stores. Gold Points can be exchanged for discounts, or coupons towards a preselected list of games. Due to the Gold Points being a currency equivalent now, users with enough of them will be able to buy new games with them from the eShop with no added cost. Nintendo’s current standard includes earning Gold Points worth 5% of the amount each individual paid for a certain game without including any discounts used. Purchasing a physical game for the Switch will earn players with Gold Points worth 1% of the Nintendo eShop purchase price for that game in particular. These Gold Points can then be redeemed on users next eligible digital purchase, which includes full games and DLC, if used directly on the eShop.
Given these percentages, it is not difficult to conclude that users will need to spend a large amount of money to amass the amount of Gold Points necessary to purchase a brand new game. Currently, spending $100 on the eShop rewards users with 500 Gold Points. These Gold Points are equivalent to $5.00, should they be cashed in.
Anyone with a Nintendo Account can use My Nintendo for free. There is no exact date set for when these rewards will be launched, but Nintendo has stated that it will be sometime in March.