Menu
Cart

Club Nintendo FAQ

Note: As of January 2015, Club Nintendo has begun it's closure with 30 June 2015 being the final date of the Club's existence. Hence, most of what I wrote down here will be moot after that date. You basically can't earn anymore coins and whatnot after April 2015, but this piece will still continue to be here as long as required.

So many of you have been wondering what the hell is Club Nintendo and if the same stuff can be enjoyed by Malaysians. The best way to answer it is a yes and a no at the same time. I’ll start with how easy it is to how difficult it can get. So, as per my other FAQs, here’s the lowdown on what it is:


1. What the heck is Club Nintendo?

It’s a loyalty reward system organised by Nintendo that aims to reward gamers who keep on buying Nintendo games and stuff. It’s actually pretty neat to be honest since other providers did not come up with this loyalty service years ago (and still have not).

2. What can I get from Club Nintendo?

Honestly, a whole bunch of stuff. Mainly, the appeal of Club Nintendo is all the rare stuff that you can’t get anywhere else. They don’t sell plushies, figures, soundtracks, some never to be released games even (There’s this one I remember in the DS where you screamed to be a Power Ranger of some sort. IT WAS FRIGGING AWESOME).

3. So how easy is this thing to register?

We are starting to get into the hard part. 
1. Register your Club Nintendo account using a FAKE US ADDRESS. Yup, this will only work if you decide to use a fake address.
2. You need to begin with a US region of a game or console. For Malaysians (as of the date of the FAQ being published), it’s easier to begin with the WiiU, followed by the 3DS XL, and then the games. Ok, supposingly the games are easier to start with, but lets not raise suspicion by just a registering a US game out of nowhere and NEVER BUYING A CONSOLE. Sounds odd don’t it?
3. Once all that is done, you’re all set to go!

4. What is this coin thingy?
Coins are what you get when you register your game or console on to the Club Nintendo Account. On average, it should follow that for every USD you spend on, you get 1 coin. So, usually for 3DS titles priced at USD 39.99, that’s 40 coins.

5. I have a ton of Asian/ Japanese / Pal games! Can I register them?
No. The only way you can do is to have a US game, with a Club Nintendo Pin inside. It’s usually a red card slip inside the game case.

It must be mentioned that if you're intending to go for Club Nintendo Japan or Club Nintendo UK, then you can using the games that you have (Japanese or Pal games respectively). For Asian region, you're out of luck.


6. Wait, how come? I thought Asian and US are the same region?
By coding, yes they are. By eligibility, no they are not. Reason being, what matters for you is to register your game or console to your Club Nintendo account. So, you need that Red Card Slip.

7. Ok, say I have them US games, and a US console (To avoid suspicion), and I have gotten them all registered. Would you tell me how to redeem the stuff?

Honestly, I can’t. Only because I don’t endorse it. However, I can teach you how still:
1. Follow the instructions on the your accounts page. From there, find the Rewards section.
2. Redeem the digital downloads first. We’ll talk on the physical stuff later.
3. Once you have the sufficient coins, you will get your redeemable download code.
4. If you’re familiar with topping up at the 3DS / Wii U E Shop, it’s the same thing. Place the code in, and walah, you get your game.

8. Wait, that’s just the digital game. What if I want a plushie or a soundtrack?
Well kid, lets talk hardships. Because you’re about to get into one.
1. As I mentioned earlier, I am sure you can redeem as you desire.
2. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU WANT TO SHIP IT, THEY DON’T ALLOW YOU TO SHIP TO MALAYSIA. IT’S ONLY FOR US CITIZENSHIPS (And possibly Canadians too).
3. And now, you’re f*cked.

9. WAIT WHAT????
I know. Tough life. Suck it up kid.

10. WHAT’S THE POINT THEN???

I don’t know. You sounded so eager to want it in the first place but never did your study. /starts lighting up a ciggie.

11. SMOKING IS BAD.

Stop screaming. I was meant to look cool for this moment.

12. I’m guessing that coolness of yours means there’s a bypass.
I did say yes and no didn’t I? And how this is to progress from easy to hard.

13. So, what’s the bypass then you schmuck.

It’s a long trip, so lets continue with number 4.
4. Technically, you’re not that f*cked yet.
5. If you want a physical item from the US store, you need to consider these options below:
- Have a relative in the US to send it back to you. You will have to put in his/her details to get it shipped to them. And then they will have to send it back to you.
- Hire a shipping service. Some people in the US know that US items stays in US. They don’t get out of there. So, these shipping services can help you send. Some of them that I can remember include VPost and HopShopGo. VPost is more popular among Malaysians. And these shipping services are not cheap.
- Fly there and get it yourself. Plan a month’s long vacation so that you can time it to get it any time you want. But whether they send to your hotel or not remains to be explored.

14. How much does them shipping services cost?
Beats me. Last I checked it would be USD 20 per item or 500 gram or something like that.

15. WHY SO MAH FAN?
Ask Nintendo.

16. You don’t do that kind of service where you bring the Club Nintendo stuff back for us?

I may be Malaysia’s Favorite Guy when it comes to Nintendo stuff, but this I don’t do.

17. Are you doing it in the future?
I would say never say never. But then I would be singing Justin Bieber. No one wants that.

18. WELL ARE YOU???
Not at the moment genius.

19. Ok. Fine.
Good.

20. I nak merajuk (Translation: I wanna whine and be all crummy).
Lantak kamu. (Translation: I careth not)

21. So is it really beneficial?
Honestly, for the download games, I would say yes. For the rare stuff, yes too. No one else will get them for you. Only Nintendo can. The downside is you need to pay to get these rare stuff back in Bolehland.

22. Ok. Then I will struggle. BUT SAY. SAY. SAY, do you know where I can buy this rare stuff?
Play-Asia.com. I’m serious. They have a section that sells that stuff. (And also Ebay, thanks to Muhammad Fuad for that)

23. Wait really???
Yeah, of course. Whether there’s stock or not, different story. Whether it's expensive or not, that's also another different story.

24. So…. I don’t have to buy games and whatnot just to get those stuff?

It seems so. Unless Nintendo decides to pull Play-Asia’s plug and render them useless since it’s not strictly legal anyways.

25. Ok, thanks for making things complicated.

Don’t thank me. Thank Nintendo.

26. They should make this stuff available worldwide.

Your favourite Nintendo guy agrees. But not possible.

27. I feel like I should not ask why.
Not unless you want me to start an essay.

28. Fair Enough.
I like it that you’re obedient.

29. So, I have plenty of points, what are these status thingies?

Owh, the Elite Status? That’s simple. You only need to register a certain amount of titles and coins to get them. 300 for Gold. 600 for Platinum. When you get that level, you unlock super ultra rarer stuff.

30. WHOA. I WANT ULTRA RARER.
Maybe you should consider Ultra Street Fighter 4 instead. That’s less hassle. It won’t be available for Nintendo though (as far as I am concerned).

31. Do I retain my Elite status forever?
No. It expires every 1st July. You start back at Zero for that.

32. THEN WHERE DO ALL MY COINS GO???
They still are around. Just available for the more available stuff. They do this every year.

33. What if I want more coins? And what’s this +60 or whatever number next to the console or game that I bought?
Those are extra coins that you can get provided you meet some criterias, like filling in surveys or buying in specific means.

34. I think I’m all set. I know now what should be done Master.

Before you go, here’s a little checklist on whether you should or should not invest in this Club Nintendo Reward thingy:
- Do you have a means to get stuff from US?
- Do you not mind on paying a small shipping fee to get the ultra rare stuff back?
- Do you intend to buy lots and lots of games from Nintendo?
- Do you want to get this on only because you want more games from Nintendo not caring whatever game it is?
- Do you intend to be loyal to Nintendo and be a fanboy forever? Screwing the other console makers with their wishy washy policies and troll face attacks?

If you answered yes to all that (or even just one of it), then yeah, I welcome you to the club. Remember rule number 1, we don’t talk about CLUB NINTENDO REWARDS. Rule Number 2, ah you know how it goes.