If you’re a fan of Nintendo or know someone that is, you may want to buy a Nintendo eShop card. These cards offer you access to all of your Nintendo products, and they’re one of the most accessible cards on the market today.
Gamers that have never heard of the eShop card before will want to read these five must-read tips first:
1. Know What Your Buying: About Nintendo eShop
Nintendo has been around for decades, and getting a Nintendo eShop card online means that you’ll have access to:
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[list_item]1,000+ titles[/list_item]
[list_item]New titles[/list_item]
[list_item]Classic titles[/list_item]
[list_item]Indie games[/list_item]
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When you have a card, which is offered in $10, $20, $35 and $50 options, you’ll be able to have the games you love delivered directly to your:
All of Nintendo’s family of systems can use the card to purchase games. I would have absolutely loved this when I was a kid and GameCube and SNES were on the market.
There are just a lot of great, family-friendly titles that Nintendo has to offer.
Kids and teens will love getting their eShop card just as much as an adult would. It’s a great, flexible way to use a gift card. Nintendo has made it so that you can use your card on nearly all of their consoles.
It’s perfect.
A lot of people will play their Wii U in the living room, but before bed, they may start playing the Switch. You have total freedom with the eShop card.
2. Region Locks Do Not Exist
I’m the type of person that is always looking for a deal. I want to be able to save money by buying gift cards from people across the world. But a lot of the time, the cards will be region locked.
What does this mean?
Let’s say that you purchase a cheap Nintendo eShop card. You may be purchasing it from someone across the world, and you did all of your due diligence to ensure that the cards and balances are valid.
You’re trying to get a good deal.
Perhaps the seller had a 3DS, someone gifted them their card, but they have since decided to go with Stadia. The person has no more use for the card, so you snatch it up for a great discount.
The Internet allows this to happen every single day.
But with a lot of gift cards, they have to be purchased and used in the same region. For example, you may be tied by the currency that the gift card was purchased in. If you buy a US gift card and try to use it in Europe, there’s a good chance that it will not work in most countries.
These cards that do not work are region blocked.
Why does this matter?
Nintendo announced two years ago that the Switch was not region blocked.
Effectively, you can use your balance to access other eShops across the world. Japan is a great example. A lot of awesome games come out in Japan, and you do not have access to many of these titles in the United States.
But you can hypothetically create an account in that region and access the region’s eShop.
Nintendo has confirmed that you’re able to play games from a different region. You’ll need to change the region in your account settings, but you can play games from other regions. Nintendo does warn that:
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[list_item]All overseas games and software have not been tested with systems from other regions.[/list_item]
[list_item]There’s no support for out-of-region games.[/list_item]
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Effectively, the company does not guarantee that a game from Japan will play well on a system purchased in North America.
But keep in mind that when you change eShops that the balance does not carry over. You’ll want to make sure that your balance is at zero when changing shops to avoid any potential issues that may arise.
What does all this have to do with buying a Nintendo eShop card?
Cards are going to work only on the specific region where they were purchased. You can simply change your US account’s region to Japan, and you should be able to use the eShop card from Japan using this method.
3. Millions of Awesome People to Play With
Nintendo is Nintendo – the console that people remember from their childhoods. You may remember playing Zelda and Mario, and now a new generation is enjoying the same great games.
Millions of people are available to play with thanks to online gaming.
Nintendo Switch, for example, has sold 41 million units worldwide.
That’s massive.
And that’s just one of the products that Nintendo sells. You can use your eShop gift to also purchase:
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]Nintendo hardware[/list_item]
[list_item]Nintendo Direct subscription[/list_item]
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All of this makes gaming more fun. Nintendo Direct is for true, hardcore gamers that want to be able to watch online shows or presentations from Nintendo.
With Switch, you can play games with your friends and family members. It’s a great way for family members and friends to stay connected, too.
Millions of people are playing, so anyone can grow their social circle by playing on Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch Online is also very affordable. You have a lot of different options, including a family membership that can be used for up to eight Nintendo account holders for just $34.99 for the year.
A person can also spend just $3.99 a month for their subscription, $7.99 for three months, or just $19.99 for 12 months. It’s one of the cheapest online options in gaming, and you can sign up right from the eShop.
The person you buy a Nintendo eShop Card for will be able to play Nintendo Switch Online if they choose to purchase the subscription.
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]Nintendo Switch[/list_item]
[list_item]Wii U[/list_item]
[list_item]Nintendo 3DS[/list_item]
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4. eShop Cards Come in a lot of Denominations
Are you planning on giving the eShop card to someone else? If so, you’ll be happy to know that the cards come in a variety of denominations. You don’t have to spend $50 or more on a card if you don’t want to spend that much.
You can choose the price that is right for you, and this can be:
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]$10[/list_item]
[list_item]$20[/list_item]
[list_item]$35[/list_item]
[list_item]$50[/list_item]
[/list]
When a person applies the card to their Nintendo eShop account, it will take a matter of seconds to get it up and running. Once complete, the person will have the funds in their account to be able to:
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]Purchase games[/list_item]
[list_item]Purchase applications[/list_item]
[/list]
No credit card is required, so it’s really the best option for teens and younger kids that do not have access to their own credit card. Of course, a lot of adults would love to get one of these gift cards, too.
Since the denominations go up to just $50, it really makes sense to purchase one of these cards when you’re on a strict budget. What I like about Nintendo is that they offer a lot of great, cheaper alternatives for games, software and their online subscriptions.
The person that you gift this card to will have a lot more options on Nintendo than they do on PlayStation or XBox.
5. Purchase Your eShop Card from Online Retailers or Shops
If you want to buy a cheap Nintendo eShop card, you should not go to Nintendo first. When you purchase from Nintendo, you do have the comfort of knowing that the company is 100% legitimate.
You will not be scammed by Nintendo.
The company is honest, but you can’t say the same about some other online retailers. You just need to be very cautious when buying from online retailers and shops.
When you buy from these avenues, you’ll be able to save money.
But you’ll also want to do your due diligence. Your due diligence will include:
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]Reviews. Check out reviews on the company’s site. You’ll want to make sure that there are a mix of reviews and that they’re not all the same. Once you find good reviews and ratings, go to third-party sites that also have reviews. I recommend third-party sites because the owner of the website can easily fake their reviews if they want. [/list_item]
[list_item]Complaints. See if the website has any complaints. You can look up the site’s name on Google with the word “scam” or “complaint.” I know a lot of legitimate sites that have complaints, but really dig deep to make sure that the site is not a scam.[/list_item]
[/list]
Testimonials and ratings are another great option for verifying whether or not a site is trustworthy.
I cannot stress this enough: do your research.
A lot of online portals will offer you discounts on an eShop card that are 100% real.
Others are out there to scam you.
If you do your research, you’ll be able to find great deals on the eShop card that you were planning on buying anyway.
It should go without saying that you should never purchase any gift card through a chat room or message app. A lot of people are scammed via email or even text or Facebook messages because someone will mail them saying that they’re selling an eShop card for cheap.
The problem is that if someone is reaching out to you directly via email or social media to try selling a gift card, you can almost guarantee that it is a scam or some kind of fraud.
Consumer agencies always send out warnings about these scams, but people always fall for them, especially around the holiday season. Always go directly to a retailer or online store that you trust when making your purchase, and never fall for one of these scams.
Other Great Gift Ideas to Go With the eShop Card
Do you want a few extra ideas for someone that may want an eShop card and something else? You have a few options, especially for the Nintendo Switch, that are perfect for a gamer. A few of the things that I know other Switch owners want and love receiving as gifts are:
MicroSD card. A microSD card is going to be one of the first and best gifts that I recommend. Switch comes with a small 32GB of built-in storage. It’s a major flaw on Nintendo’s part, but there is the option of adding a larger microSD to increase storage. Nintendo isn’t like PlayStation in the sense that only special microSD cards will work. You can add in a large-capacity microSD card and expand your internal storage by a lot. These cards are cheap, and they’re the perfect accompanying product to go with the eShop card.
Case. Nintendo Switch is more delicate than the Game Boy Advance, and it can be a portable system if you want. I recommend that you purchase a case for the system so that it’s always protected. The cases will be able to hold accessories, so they’re a great option for anyone using the Switch as a portable gaming option.
Screen protector. A screen protector is going to be a great option, too. There are plastic and glass options, and they will be able to prevent potential scuffing of your Switch’s screen. It’s better to scratch your screen protector than it is to scratch the actual screen.
Controller. The Switch Pro Controller is amazing – seriously. You can purchase this option with a gift card, but you may want to give it to the receiver yourself. It’s one of the optional accessories that I highly recommend people buy because it adds a whole new element to your Switch. You can also take the controller on the go, so you can play with the controller anywhere you want. Carrying cases are available that have an additional slot for your controller.
Nintendo may be a gaming console from your childhood, but the company has remained resilient throughout the years. Many console makers have since went under and no longer exist or just make games, but Nintendo still revolutionizes the industry with new, great products.
If you buy a Nintendo eShop card for yourself or someone else, you’re opening a world of gaming to a person. They can purchase everything from hardware to games.
It’s the perfect gift card for Nintendo enthusiasts.
