Here are some tips to make the most of your game purchases.
Budget Your Purchases
Many Club Nintendo users do not know how to pace themselves. Instead of trying to collect 600 coins at once at the end of June, try to earn a set number of coins per month from buying games.
Some Games are Worth More Than Others
While in general it is true that 1 coin equals 1 dollar, there are some games that will give you more bang for your buck. For example, Touch Generation titles for the Nintendo DS retail for as little as $19.99, but still earn you 30 coins upon registration, plus additional coins for early registration and post-play surveys. Wii Fit Plus will also earn you more coins than usual, and if you register your copy of Wii Fit Plus with the Balance Board you can earn yourself a free tote.
Downloadable Games Earn Coins Too
Some Club Nintendo members are under the impression that only retail games will net you coins. However, it's important to note that downloadable titles will earn you 10 coins per game. Not all downloadable games qualify for coins; the only ones that count are those released after October 2008. To earn these coins you need to link your Wii to your Club Nintendo account. Once this is done the games will be registered automatically when purchased.
Downloadable games have varied prices, ranging from 0 to 1500 Wii Points. Regardless of the price, all qualifying games will earn you 10 coins. That means that a 200 point game from the Nintendo DSiWare store is worth 10 coins. For gamers looking for some easy coins, buy a Nintendo Points card for $20 and buy 10 200 point games. Each of those games will equate to 10 coins, which means you can earn 100 coins for just $20. For those worried about the quality of 200-point games, there are quite a few great titles for just a small asking price.
Register New Releases ASAP
While most Club Nintendo users are familiar with how much a Wii and Nintendo DS game will earn them upon completing the product registration survey (50 for Wii, 30 for Nintendo DS), many are not aware that they can obtain an additional ten coins by doing one simple little thing.
For starters, try and purchase games as soon as they are released. By registering games within four weeks of their release, you can earn an additional 10 coins. Registering a game does not mean you have to complete the product registration survey immediately. While the survey will appear on your screen, just exit it out and move onto something else. When you are finally ready to complete your survey, you will earn an additional ten coins because you registered it within four weeks of release.
Register Games You Intend to Buy
On the Club Nintendo website you can indicate upcoming Nintendo-published titles you plan to buy soon after their release. Nintendo uses this information to "gauge interest in upcoming Nintendo-published games", but you can use it to net additional coins. Four weeks prior to a game's release it will be available to add to your "Intend to Buy" list. Once the game comes out you'll have a date you have to register it by listed in the "Intend to Buy" queue. Do so and you'll receive ten additional coins. This bonus is on top of the ten coins you get for registering a game within a month of its release, turning a fifty coin Wii title into a seventy coin game. There may not always be games available to select, so check back often.
Thanks to James Jones for the tip on registering games for the "Intend to Buy" queue.
