March 31, 2016 marks the first day of the premier My Nintendo program.  Replacing the debunked Club Nintendo program from about a year ago, this new My Nintendo program acts similarly but with a whole new coat of paint.

What is it? Basically if you use, buy, and download Nintendo products, you can be rewarded with games, physical gifts, DLC, Virtual Console games, console themes, and eventually app perks.

There are two types of points: gold and platinum.

Platinum points are earned by basically using Nintendo products. For example, users that sign into the My Nintendo program every week will be rewarded with some platinum coins or by using the new Nintendo Miitomo app. These points can be redeemed for digital content provided by Nintendo.

Gold points are earn by purchasing qualified Nintendo content from the Nintendo eShop on 3DS or Wii U or even from the official Nintendo website. Gold coins are used to purchase software and games. The more expensive a game is, the more Gold coins you will earn.  A $5 game, for example, will yield 10 Gold coins whereas a $50 game will earn 60 Gold coins.

Further, Missions are ways to earn points by using various Nintendo services.  For example, I completed a mission by linking my eShop account to my My Nintendo account.  Also, after logging into the My Nintendo account, I secretly earned some points by completing an Easter Egg mission.  If you scroll down the very bottom of the screen, click on the Mario brick, then continue to click on your Mii at the top of the page until this secret is unlocked.  Pretty cool, Nintendo!  I also earned a bunch of Platinum coins by linking various social media accounts to my My Nintendo account. The Miitomo app also launches today and many Missions are based on this official Nintendo app.

Points are only valid for 6 months after being earned and the points earned first are the first to be used up.  Everything is maintained in the Points History section of your My Nintendo account.

While the program is still young, there are a few noteworthy rewards available.  The only way to download the My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess game is through the My Nintendo program.  It will set you back 1000 Platinum points.  Users can also earn a discount code for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and Captain Toad Treasure Tracker. Pikmin 3 DLC, Super Mario 64 (Wii U Virtual Console) and Metroid Fusion are also some cool stand-out prizes.  Flipnote Studio 3D is also currently available as a free download if you don’t have it already.

So there it is, the new My Nintendo rewards program.  What do you think?  Will you take advantage of the perks?  Or do you miss the old Club Nintendo program?  Let us know what you think.