Pokémon Bank app to be available free of charge

A day after Nintendo announced the discontinuation of the Wii U eShop and the Nintendo 3DS eShop, The Pokémon Company announced the Pokémon Bank 3DS app will be available free of charge to users also in late March 2023.

This comes after Nintendo announced last night users will only be able to re-download purchased games and DLC and download software updates via the Nintendo 3DS eShop.

The Pokémon Bank 3DS app allows fans to deposit, store and manage their Pokémon up to 3,000 of them online. It works with Pokémon Sun, Pokémon Moon, Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and other titles.

For 3DS users, Pokémon Bank is the only way to transfer Pokémon from previous generations to newer ones. Fans must download the app before the late May 2023 deadline to continue with their progress. Users can eventually move their Pokémon from Pokémon Bank to Pokémon Home, though that requires the Premium subscription plan. Pokémon Home works with Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS.

The Pokémon Company released the following announcement:

“With the discontinuation of the Nintendo eShop service for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, the Pokémon Bank service for Nintendo 3DS will become available at no cost to users. You will still be able to transfer the Pokémon you’ve deposited in Pokémon Bank to Pokémon HOME even after the paid service is discontinued, and you’ll still be able to bring Pokémon into Pokémon Bank from compatible titles. However, you’ll need to be enrolled in a paid Pokémon HOME Premium Plan to do so.

In late March 2023, Pokémon Bank’s paid passes will no longer be offered for purchase, at which time Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter will no longer be available to download. On the same day, Trainers will be able to start using Pokémon Bank at no cost. Be aware that there will be no refunds for paid passes that have already been purchased.

There is no end date planned for this no-cost service. Any further changes will be announced in advance on Pokemon.com and elsewhere.”

[Source]: Pokemon.com: Pokémon Bank Services Will Be Available at No Cost to Players – [Archive] – [Screenshot].