A Wii Points Card is a Great Way to Buy the Points You Need to Buy from the Wii Shop

A Wii points card lets you buy games and other software from the Wii Shop. Because the Shop doesn't accept money or credit cards for purchases, you'll need to purchase Wii points first, and add them to your Wii Shop account before going on a shopping spree.

Wii points cards are easy to find. Most retailers selling Wii products also sell points cards. The most common points card is the 2,000 points card. These 2,000 points cards cost $19.99 in the US and around £14.99 in the UK.

The points card has a silver panel on the back of the card. Scratching off this silver panel with a coin reveals a code. You'll need to enter this code in the Wii Shop to activate your points.

To activate your points, go to the Wii Shop channel…

In the Wii Shop channel choose the link that says "Start Shopping". From there choose "Add Wii Points", and then click on "Redeem Wii Points Card".

Enter the number on the back of your card and your points will be added to your account immediately.

If you're used to shopping online, points cards are available from all of the best online retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Play.com and Game. The card is usually delivered in a couple of days, so it's a quick and easy way to buy points for yourself, or if you're buying a points card as a gift.

Points cards make a great gift for someone with a Wii console. It's like giving them a gift voucher for the Wii Shop.

It's important to shop around as online retailers often sell Wii points cards at lower prices to try and get your business. This means you get your games and downloads at a discount because the less you pay for your points, the cheaper your games are. It's possible to buy your points directly from the Wii Shop but points from the Wii Shop are a standard price, so you won't benefit from cheaper points.

Before you get going, here are a few important things you should know about Wii points…

• Points are region specific so you can't buy a points card in the US and use it in Europe or Japan. The place you buy your points is the place you have to use them.
• Nintendo limits the number of points you can have stored on your console. If you buy a few cards and you reach this limit, you'll need to spend a few before you can activate any new cards.
• Points don't have a set expiry date and stay in your Wii Shop account until you use them.
• Points bought or activated in the Wii Shop can't be used in the Nintendo DSi shop and vice versa (the DSi is the new Nintendo handheld games machine). If you have a Wii and DSi, you'll need to buy points for each of these Shops separately.

The Wii points card is an easy way to buy and activate points. Once added to your Wii Shop account, it's really quick and easy to purchase and download items from the Shop. Although the points card might give you more points than you need at first, they don't expire and you can always spend them later when something in the Shop catches your eye.


The Wii points card is a great way to add Wii points to your Wii Shop account. Learn more about Wii points from the main Wii Points page.


Nintendo Wii Explained Home Page