Credit for Switch and Switch Online games

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If you know a gamer who owns a Nintendo Switch, chances are they are using Nintendo eShop to purchase games and other downloadable content. To make holiday shopping easier, Nintendo offers eShop Gift Cards at most major retailers in varying amounts. Online stores, like Amazon and Best Buy, even sell digital codes for instant redemption with no waste of paper or time.

When choosing a gift card amount for that special Nintendo fan in your life, keep in mind that new games often cost over $ 60 after tax. However, Nintendo offers plenty of games under $ 50, and eShop gift cards can also be used to purchase game add-ons like expansion packs and unlockable characters. Any value remaining after using an eShop Gift Card will remain in the user’s account.

Beyond special occasions, gift cards can also be used to help manage children’s spending in games with microtransactions, like “Fortnite,” and prevent them from accessing an adult’s credit card. .

How to buy a Nintendo eShop gift card

You can purchase physical Nintendo eShop gift cards from retailers of four different values: $ 10, $ 20, $ 35, or $ 50. Meanwhile, digital eShop cards can be purchased for $ 5, $ 10, $ 20, $ 35, $ ​​45, $ 50, $ 70, or $ 99.

Nintendo eShop Gift Cards can be redeemed online at the Nintendo website or from a Nintendo Switch console. You must create a Nintendo Account to use the eShop, but you will not need a credit card to make purchases with gift cards. Players who own the old Nintendo 3DS handheld can also purchase games from the eShop using gift cards, but these purchases must be made directly from the console.

Nintendo also sells Switch Online gift cards

Some retailers also offer gift cards specifically for Nintendo Switch Online, a subscription service required to play most Switch games online. A subscription also gives you access to dozens of classic Nintendo games.

This service is only available to Nintendo Switch console owners and costs $ 20 per year for a single Switch console, or $ 35 per year for up to eight Switch consoles. A three-month Nintendo Switch Online gift card is also available for $ 8, but we don’t recommend it given the low price of the annual plan.

If you buy a

Nintendo Switch online
gift card for someone who already has the service his subscription will be extended, with a maximum of three years.

Nintendo recently released an additional $ 50 expansion for Nintendo Switch Online that includes access to games for the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis consoles, and content from the expansion pack for the Switch game “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”. Although we are big fans of the standard Nintendo Switch Online package, we cannot recommend purchasing the $ 50 expansion as a gift just yet.

Should I buy a Nintendo eShop gift card or a Switch Online gift card?

Ultimately, you can use Nintendo eShop gift cards to pay for Nintendo Switch Online, so it’s probably best to just buy eShop gift cards. This option gives your recipient much more flexibility with what they can purchase.

If you’re looking for more video game gift ideas, Nintendo also has an online store that sells t-shirts and collectibles alongside Switch games and consoles.