In 2018, Nintendo launched a rewards program that allowed users to earn Gold Points when purchasing Switch games, either digitally or physically. Although it took multiple purchases to redeem anything significant, users could still save a few dollars on future purchases, regardless of whether they bought cheaper or more expensive titles. Unfortunately, Nintendo announced that users will no longer be able to earn Gold Points after 9:30 PM PDT on March 24 when buying digital copies of games.

Any eShop purchases made after this time will not earn Gold Points, although pre-orders made before the deadline will still earn points as long as the pre-order was placed before the cutoff. The points will be awarded within a day of each processed transaction.

The rules are more complex for physical game releases. If a user buys a game released on or before March 24, they can still earn Gold Points, but only if the game was purchased within a year of its release date. Naturally, physical versions of games released after March 24, 2025, will not be eligible for Gold Points. It’s also worth noting that Nintendo awards significantly fewer Gold Points for physical purchases.

Many users may be unaware that they can also earn Gold Points by shopping at the Nintendo New York store. This will remain the case until March 24, and the rules for physical releases mentioned above will apply after checkout.

Nintendo’s decision to end the Gold Points loyalty program may be related to the upcoming Switch 2‘s announcement and release. While it’s unclear whether Nintendo will introduce a new loyalty program, more information will likely be revealed after the April 2 Nintendo Direct, where more details about the long-awaited console will be shared.