How To Change Regions On The eShop For Cheaper Games

pburke90

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Here's a quick guide on how to change regions on your account and get access to cheaper games on the eShop as in many cases other regions work out a fair bit cheaper than the UK/EU regions. Please note that changing regions does not affect your Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

01 - Check this site to find which country has the cheapest price for the game you want
02 - Switch your region on My Nintendo to that country
03 - Download the Revolut app on your phone or make an account on their website (it's free)
04 - Load the exact amount required to the virtual card based on the link at step 1*
05 - Load the eShop on the Switch, it will ask you to sign in again as you have changed regions
06 - Find the game and select credit/debit card as the payment method
07 - Select the option to pay the exact price and not load a pre-set balance**
08 - Enter your Revolut card details and confirm purchase
09 - Once the game starts to download, you can change your region back on My Nintendo**
10 - Enjoy the game!

*Minimum top-up of £10 required for the Revolut card

**
If you have remaining credit you will either lose it or not be able to change regions back until it is spent so it is always best to select the exact amount when paying.

I've used this method a few times to get purchases cheaper and works a treat on the Russian and South African eShops, where things are usually much cheaper than UK/US/EU eShops.
 
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Can you load specific amounts onto the virtual card or does it have to be a block amount?
 
Yes, you can load specific amounts onto the virtual card. Sorry, forgot to mention that and have amended the OP.
 
I've stickied this for you as it is extremely useful information for Nintendo gamers - as long as it doesn't invalidate the EULA.
 
Thank you. Nintendo have made it very easy for users to switch regions and publicised at launch that the Switch is completely region free, so I doubt doing any of this violates the EULA.
 
Just checking the site that's in the original post and both Ages games aren't appearing with a price next to them for the Russian eShop....

This site is saying Mexico is the cheapest currently:

Save Coins
 
Do you lose your gold coins when switching regions?
 
Can you load specific amounts onto the virtual card or does it have to be a block amount?
As long as it is over £10, you can do specific amounts; just that £10 is minimum as mentioned before.

I have a method for buying in Mexico (and US?) that might be useful for people too, as I found a way to get Mexico PayPal to validate :D can share when back at desktop
 
I put a second account on my console for the kids to use so I just leave that set as South Africa and buy through the console eshop. So far that's always been the cheapest store for the games I've wanted to purchase, but if it's not its easy to change regions.
I did not realise there was a price comparing website though so that's a useful link to have.
 
As long as it is over £10, you can do specific amounts; just that £10 is minimum as mentioned before.

I have a method for buying in Mexico (and US?) that might be useful for people too, as I found a way to get Mexico PayPal to validate :D can share when back at desktop

Go on, tell all...
 
Currently waiting for the site in step 1 to update it's prices for Sonic.
 
As I just found out, don't bother trying Revolut on the Mexican store, the virtual card isn't accepted in that region.

Don't know if there are any other known stores that don't work via this method, might be worth updating the OP with this info if available.
 
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Please tell. Tiny Metal is half the price of the UK store.

1. Create a spare gmail account

2. Create a regional PayPal account - in this instance, Mexico

3. Create a new Nintendo account, using your new gmail address

4. Get yourself signed up to Revolut (won't detail that here, as it is fairly easy really)

5. In your Mexico PayPal, add your Revolut card as a payment method. Use your normal billing address for Revolut, putting Mexico as Region/Country and postcode/zip as 06500

6. This will confirm with a small $1 charge to your Revolut virtual card and add to PayPal nicely

7. Link your Mexico PayPal account to your new Nintendo Account by going to buy a game with the new account; if you click the link in your email, do it incognito, in case it tries to go to the UK version of Nintendo where you may already have your account details saved

8. Proceed to pay for games, using PayPal as your payment method and it will automatically draw funds from your Revolut card as needed

9. Enjoy muchly!
 
This is excellent, I haven't tried but I hope it works, I will be trying this tonight. That's so much for sharing this!
 
Can confirm this works! Definitely do need a 2nd email address for Mexico though, but interestingly I could put my home billing address for the revolut card when adding it to paypal, but overwriting the postcode and region to mexico. I didn't think this would work!

No issues across the board after that, it linked fine and I could purchase Don't starve just fine too! Excellent, much appreciated :D
 
Looking at the website in the link in my OP, UK/EUR are only the cheapest place to buy 2 games out of everything listed. So if you want practically any game on the Switch digitally, you will save money by buying it from another region. You'd be mad not to do this!
 
completely agree, and I have no guilty conscience in doing this considering I have already paid maybe 3x the price of the switch in games by now. Which is insane if you think about it, and it's not like all of these games end up being a hit. There are many very shoddy ports, my biggest regret being WWE 2k18 (which can probably be extended to most other 2k games). So being able to access the same games for cheaper feels good.
 
1. Create a spare gmail account

2. Create a regional PayPal account - in this instance, Mexico

3. Create a new Nintendo account, using your new gmail address

4. Get yourself signed up to Revolut (won't detail that here, as it is fairly easy really)

5. In your Mexico PayPal, add your Revolut card as a payment method. Use your normal billing address for Revolut, putting Mexico as Region/Country and postcode/zip as 06500

6. This will confirm with a small $1 charge to your Revolut virtual card and add to PayPal nicely

7. Link your Mexico PayPal account to your new Nintendo Account by going to buy a game with the new account; if you click the link in your email, do it incognito, in case it tries to go to the UK version of Nintendo where you may already have your account details saved

8. Proceed to pay for games, using PayPal as your payment method and it will automatically draw funds from your Revolut card as needed

9. Enjoy muchly!

Just quoting myself here, as I have used the same method to set up a US paypal account and linked to a US Nintendo account with success. (I used the same method, subbing in a US postcode, state and city etc instead of MX).

Though I didn't get any of the recent deals, it's there with my Mexico account ready to take advantage if needs be. Just a heads-up!
 
If you already have a credit card that offers fee free FX transactions, what's the point of using the Revolut app?
 

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