The final round of Club Nintendo's Elite Rewards are out now, with several game offers for each system to choose from.
For the last several years, Club Nintendo has rewarded users for their dedication to buying Nintendo consoles and games as well as registering and providing feedback on those products. By doing so, users earn coins (or stars in some parts of the world) that can be redeemed for games, bags, calendars and other items.
If users obtained 300 coins, then they reached gold status, and if they earned 600 coins, they qualified for platinum status. All elite users regardless of status received a free gift, usually in July, with platinum users usually receiving better gift options.
However, this year is the last year for Club Nintendo, and the service is scheduled to completely shut down June 30. Because Nintendo couldn't give the rewards out in July, it is giving them out in April. Users will have until April 30 to redeem their free gift.
Unfortunately, if you did not qualify for elite status before, Club Nintendo is no longer allowing users to earn coins, and there is no way to reach elite status at this time.
These are the games elite users will have to choose from:
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Nintendo Wii U | Nintendo 3DS |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Status | Advance Wars | Crashmo |
| The Legend of Zelda | Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! | |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | Pushmo | |
| Metroid Fusion | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels | Super Mario Bros. Deluxe | |
| Super Mario Kart | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages | |
| WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons | |
| Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | The Mysterious Murasame Castle |
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Nintendo Wii U | Nintendo 3DS |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum Status | Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze | Animal Crossing: New Leaf |
| NES Remix 2 | Mario Golf: World Tour | |
| Punch-Out!! | Mario Kart 7 | |
| Pushmo World | Mario Party: Island Tour | |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | New Super Mario Bros. 2 | |
| Row 5 - Cell 0 | Yoshi's New Island | |
| Row 6 - Cell 0 | Ultimate NES Remix |
If you still have coins to spend, you have until June 30 to use them. Throughout the month it might prove difficult to redeem coins or elite status gifts, as the Club Nintendo website is currently experiencing heavy traffic.
When Nintendo launched the final wave of games that can be redeemed with coins on the site, I observed delays accessing Club Nintendo, as did many others, and the company was forced to put up statements explaining that the site was experiencing heavy traffic. The problem lasted for several days, as users tried to use their coins before they expired. Although the problem will likely improve as users manage to get their games and the server load declines, it could last for several days.
Nintendo has plans to start a new loyalty program later this year, but little is known about the new program at this time. Until that is released, Nintendo fans can enjoy the last days of Club Nintendo and say goodbye to the service.
Follow Michael Justin Allen Sexton @LordLao74. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
