How To Buy Japanese Eshop Cards !NEW!
There's a cheaper way to get Japanese eshop credit if you fulfil the requirements. You need both:1) A credit or debit card that doesn't charge (or charge much) for foreign currency transactions2) A 3DS with the region set to Japan (either because it's a legit Japanese 3DS or because it's been modded to)
how to buy japanese eshop cards
The 3DS eshop supports payment cards internationally and doesn't do the same checks the Switch one does when adding a card. In other words, if you create a Japanese Nintendo Network ID on the 3DS, link it to a Japanese Nintendo Account and then top it up on the 3DS using your foreign credit or debit card, you can then spend it on the Switch eshop.
In the UK, there are an increasing number of bank accounts (and associated debit cards) and credit cards that don't charge for transactions made in foreign currencies except at ATMs, so that's definitely worth looking into. You can have multiple bank accounts too, so don't feel like you're tied to one over another.
Silly question... can I do the opposite of this? Amazon (US) no longer lets me buy gifts cards on my Japanese Switch, so I have to trick my poor mom into buying them for me. And because Paypal in Japan is like "oh, you want to send money to your poor old mother back in the mother land, eh? We'll just skim something like 40% [not an exact value] off of that for you because we care", I basically have to wait until my birthday, and I only have ONE (1) OF THOSE per year!
@kayleedayo Ah, makes sense that there were smaller cards more often years ago. And I never thought to check that machine. I usually just buy a big card, it's not like the unused money after a purchase expires or something.
There's a easier way. Buy the physical Japanese nintendo switch games & hit the plus signing the switch & it will see if the game is eligible for nintendo coins / points. For example if a game is released say 6/22/2022 it will be good until that next date. I have yen in the eshop with out having to buy a eshop card. I like buying physical copies of games regardless of the region.
Once you have your account, you'll obviously need to buy games on it and, unfortunately, paying can be tricky. Credit cards from outside your chosen region likely won't work, and PayPal is also temperamental, but you can purchase Japanese eShop credit from various outlets, register the code and pay using that method. Check out our guide for where to buy eShop credit for different regions regardless of your location.
So you can buy games from any region's eshop at the price in that region. Meaning that in theory you could purchase games at lower prices if they cost less in a particular region and the weak value of the pound doesn't offset it.
The retail cards, well obviously they would be converted to Yen on the current conversion rate when added if they were supported, but that would be a good option for people who don't have international transactions enabled on their CC (or don't have a CC) I've considered disabling international myself, after one incident with a stolen card number that may or may not have been PSN induced, where I couldn't get the funds back from WoW currency purchased in Malaysia because they don't refund international purchases apparently. Hopefully someone will try it out and report back before I find something I want to buy
@Ryu_Niiyama 100% agreed with not using the CC. Nintendo is one of the few things other than select retailers and some bills I have to pay with CC that I actually have used it. I've been debating whether or not to continue with the transition to Switch or to go with cards. I think Nintendo security has been better than most (grrr, Sony, that was the last time Sony ever gets a real CC!) Haven't ruled out Gamestop as the culprit either (used gift cards or PayPal ever since) ) but with Switch who knows if the online infrastructure is outsourced (probably is) this time, so I'm somewhat inclined not to trust it. If you try your cards on the JP eshop tomorrow, let me know how it goes!
@Ernest_The_Crab This is true, but the the non-native conversion fee will vary between cards (in some cases being zero), and I'd wager practically all games I would still come out cheaper paying the charge than paying for import costs etc., and Japan's favourable pricing for games can actually still make this cheaper than buying from your own store (depending on your region).
Thanks for the guide! I got a switch in Hong Kong, even though it's one of the official launch city, there isn't an option to select Hong Kong in the switch startup, but you can select Hong Kong for your account.Unfortunately this means I get no access to any eshop.But thanks to your guide, I can use the UK/JP eshop instead! THANK YOOOUUUU
Question. I'm from Europe. If I buy a game from the US eshop that hasn't yet been released here - will the games 'merge' when it's released? Or will it be a separate file that I have to buy to own the EU version?
I haven't got anything but a few demos and freemiums there yet, so I can't comment on bank cards - but eShop seems pretty liberal about it in general. With no Nintendo representation in Belarus, I've been using a Belarusian Visa card on Russian eShop for ages, and I've had no issues with western stuff like Amazon and Humble Bundle either. It's PS Store where you tend to be out of luck since PSN rules demand the same region for an account and a bank card you're attempting to use on it.
@ktej75 You have to use either a credit card that allows for international transactions but also accepted by Nintendo (or so I've heard, I haven't been successful with my Visa credit cards; I think MasterCard/Cirrus works) or purchase region specific eShop card codes for the other account from reputable online retailers like play-asia. For example, I just bought an eShop card from play-asia to pay for Virtua Racing and the code was on the transaction success screen as an image (revealed by clicking a button).
1. You can only use credit cards or gift cards issued in the country you want to make an account for. If you want to buy in the Japanese eShop only credit cards issued in Japan or Japanese gift cards will work.
Wish i could also get some Japanese gift cards for Switch in Europe, so i would definately get Virtua Racing. Don't want to wait for the European version (they might skip it, like they did with Turbo OutRun on 3DS) but so far, i can only get my hands on European gift cards for credit.
Search for Nintendo eshop codes in the search bar and select the amount in yen you want. Then click "Buy and get code" on the right side of the screen. You will likely be prompted to re-enter your card information on the next screen. Do so. You should then be on the "Review and Place Your Order" page. Ensure that the correct payment method and billing address for the card you are using are there. Then click the yellow button under the "Order Total" amount on the right. Proceed to step 6.
If everything goes right, you should be met with an "order processing" screen. You will likely be stuck on that screen for a minute or so. If you're lucky enough for it to go through without a hitch, move on to step 7. If not, you will be met with a screen saying that the processing will take additional time. This is likely due to our US cards doing business with Japan. In this case, simply wait a while and keep checking your email. After a couple of hours, my orders did finally go through, and I was charged the exact amount of USD as would equal the amount of yen I ordered (according to the Google currency converter). Once you receive an email from amazon.co.jp, your code should be inside. Proceed to step 7. If a code is not present, you likely had your payment declined and I cannot help you from this point. Your mileage may vary here, but I've not heard of anyone being declined outright yet. Edit: Lately the orders have been saying to verify payment method right after placing them. If you see this on your My Orders screen, just make sure it's using the right info and click verify. It may take a few tries. Once the words Pending verification and Verify payment are gone and you see the words Order Competed, you should have the email with the code.
Excellent guide. It took me under an hour to follow it from start to finish. Off Gamers actually had a promotion on US Eshop cards that made them CHEAPER than the current exchange rate, and my purchase was verified and delivered in under two minutes from paying. Now I can buy games from the USA only sales! Yay! Thanks very much.
Recipients can redeem their eShop cards and access their content on a Nintendo Switch, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Here is a quick 3 step tutorial on how to redeem a Nintendo Japan eShop Card.
A couple things to note. The Japanese eShop is, not surprisingly, entirely in Japanese, but it's laid out exactly like the North American and European eShops. All prices are in yen, but certain foreign credit cards will actually work perfectly fine (you'll have to try yours out to see if your credit card provider allows it), though you may have to pay a currency conversion fee. You can also purchase Japanese eShop cards from certain retailers, though that also comes with its own unique quibbles. Also, games you purchase with your Japanese account can be played with any account, with the exception of DLC, which is only accessible by the Japanese account.
Nintendo eShop cards are compatible only for the Nintendo eShop country or region where they were intended to be sold. If you purchased a Nintendo eShop prepaid card for a different country or region, we cannot replace it, exchange it, or offer a refund. 041b061a72