Compatible Local Credit & Debit Cards on the eShop

Get your digital wallets ready! The recent stability update we had did come in handy!

Previously, local-issued credit and debit cards will only work on the 3DS eShop if your Nintendo Network ID or NNID is registered under Canada. Since NNID registered under the US can only use either US eShop Prepaid Cards or US-issued credit cards at that time, users with local cards will have to either create a new Canadian NNID or use their cards to purchase eShop prepaid cards or credits from online stores.

Thanks to Pinoy 3DS Facebook group member Justin Carmelo F. Cristi, we now know that the US eShop currently accepts selected local-issued credit and debit cards:

• BDO Kabayan Savings Debit MasterCard
• BDO MasterCard Credit Card
• BDO MasterCard Debit Card
• BDO Visa Credit Card
• BPI eCommerce Card
• BPI Edge MasterCard
• BPI MasterCard Credit Card
• BPI More Fun Visa Prepaid Card
• BPI my ePrepaid
• Citibank Visa Gold Credit Card
• China Bank Platinum Mastercard
• EastWest Bank MasterCard Credit Card
• EastWest Bank Visa Credit Card
• EastWest Bank Visa Debit Card
• GCash MasterCard
• LANDBANK Visa Debit Card
• Maybank Visa Classic Credit Card
• Metrobank MasterCard Debit Card
• Metrobank ON MasterCard
• PayMaya Visa Debit Card
• Philippine National Bank MasterCard Credit Card
• RCBC MasterCard Credit Card
• RCBC MyWallet Visa Card
• Security Bank MasterCard Debit Card
• UnionBank ePaycard Debit Card
• UnionBank Eon Visa Debit Card
• Unionbank Platinum Mastercard
• *The list above will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.

Using the aforementioned cards, users with NNIDs registered under the US can now:

• Purchase digital games from the 3DS eShop
• Purchase a 3DS Theme from the 3DS Theme Shop
• Purchase DLC within selected 3DS games that have this option
• Should also work with Wii U and Switch purchases

If your card is not included in the confirmed list above and if you are willing to spend a small amount of money, a simple test to confirm its compatibility with the US eShop is a possible option. A card is incompatible if it either gives you a constant error and/or charges you without loading the necessary credits. Please submit a support ticket to Nintendo and coordinate with your bank for refund assistance. If the transaction pushes through, then congratulations! You can share this result in the dedicated discussion thread back at the Pinoy 3DS Facebook group so we can update the list above.


Nintendo eShop Prepaid Cards

Of course, you can still use eShop Prepaid Cards which you can purchase from the following sources:

• Local retailers such as DataBlitz or Game One PH/i.TECH.
• Legit online stores such as Play-Asia, MaximusCards, or PC Game Supply.
• Play-Asia also sells Japanese and European eShop Prepaid Cards.
• Some Pinoy 3DS Marketplace members like John Aguas from Kaizen Gaming may occasionally sell them as well.

The eShop charges tax which varies by state. You can pick California with the ZIP Code 90001 for 0% tax. Other states like Alaska and Maryland also have 0% tax. This is one of the advantages of having a US NNID because the lowest tax in Canada is 5% (from Nunavut or Alberta).

We are still unsure when and why this update was exactly implemented but we are happy nonetheless. Filipino 3DS owners will now have more payment method options making digital purchases easier and more accessible than ever.

Related articles:
• How to Add Funds with a Credit Card
• Forgot Credit Card Password
• How to Remove Credit Card Information from the Nintendo eShop
• Blocked, Restricted, or Unable to Purchase Digital Content With a Credit Card
• Held Funds or Double Charges