Update [Mon 24th Jan, 2022 00:00 GMT]: There's one week remaining on this offer - so grab it while you can if you are eligible.
Original article [Mon 27th Dec, 2021 05:00 GMT]: If you are a My Nintendo member located in North America, then you might be one of the eligible users who can currently redeem a free Nintendo Switch Online trial.
It'll last up to seven days and will cost you zero - yes, that's right zero - Platinum Points. This is a "limited time" offer, so get in quick. Nintendo is encouraging users via social media to redeem it so they can then participate in the special Mario Kart 'Holiday Fun Run' taking place in this region.
Grab your own free trial here. And here's the fine print:
- The Free trial cannot be used with Nintendo Accounts that already have an active Individual Membership or Family Membership.
- Your free trial will automatically convert into a monthly membership at the end of the trial period, unless you turn off automatic renewal before the end of the trial. Upon conversion of your free trial to a full membership, and on an ongoing basis thereafter, we will charge you the membership amount unless and until you turn off automatic renewal. Credit card/PayPal account required for users age 18 and up. Terms apply. You can check your membership status here.
- The code is valid until 2/6/2022 at 23:00 (Pacific Time).
Will you be taking up this offer? Leave a comment down below.
[source my.nintendo.com]
Comments 34
"Your free trial will automatically convert into a monthly membership at the end of the trial period, unless you turn off automatic renewal before the end of the trial."
This kind of bull is absolute garbage practice and should never be the standard for any service ever regardless of its quality. I can't help but wonder how many people unknowingly pay monthly after a trial because of this. Most will likely know because I think you get an email after payment but that still doesn't excuse this stuff.
@Yosher I agree that it's a sucky practice, but at the same time, it's hard for me hard to feel bad for people who just can't be bothered to read the fine print.
@Yosher I won't argue that the practice stinks. I've been burned by not cancelling in time with some of a handful of free trials a few times myself. But even before the email confirmation, most of these free trials ask for you to enter your credit card information ahead of time. There's also usually verbage at the time of signing up that explicitly tells you you will be charged whatever the subscription fee is after the trial is up. At least most of the free trials I've signed up for. So it's really no secret or a surprise.
So sure, it's a practice that you wish didn't exist. But at the same time, there is a level of personal responsibility to be had as well
For the few times I've had auto renewal kick in, it's really been just a matter of having forgotten to cancel before the trial end date. Now, I leave reminders in my phone calendar to cancel a day before.
@UmbreonsPapa @Andy_Witmyer Yeah of course this stuff usually comes down to just reading and then remembering but that doesn't make it any less dumb. Most people will likely not fall for it but for the few people who do it just sucks.
No spanks Nintendo
Oh whats this? a normal free trail? and not a DLC pass free trail? thanks nintendo!
This must be the 3rd or 4th "free trial" NSO promo Nintendo have tried to flog in under 3 months.
This smells of desperation, the NSO expansion has clearly underperformed. Which is genuinely no surprise at all, judging by how unpopular it is.
Guessing their subscription numbers is low since this is like second or third time they’re doing this.
@Yosher Iwnt it like that for basically any free trial? I've just gotten used to taking the 2 minutes to turn off auto renew anytime I ever get a subscription, especially a trial. I remember is was a pain doing it on Xbox 360.
Best way to do a free trial has always been sign up, cancel immediately, and enjoy the rest of the trial. Not once have I encountered a trial that doesn't let you enjoy the rest after an early cancel
@Yosher and in meantime they wonder why people do not trust anyone or anything, hooray fineprint.
It is garbage, it boils down there that I feel like to cancel my subscription immediately.
Why bother at all if you cancel a subscription right away?
No thanks, I don't want it for free.
@UmbreonsPapa actually almost always trials can be canceled immediately and you keep the trial till it expires, its just not openly presented that way cause they dont want people to do that
Nintendo's intention is to have customers subscribe past the free trial. That should be a no-brainer if the service offered was worth keeping the subscription! The moral and noble way would be to have the auto-renewal disabled by default, and ask to enable it in-app, and via email. The fact that this is not the way Nintendo set it up indicates that they don't expect to be able to convince potential subscribers of the value they can get from NSO.
"If you are a My Nintendo member located in North America, then you might be one of the eligible users who can currently redeem a free Nintendo Switch Online trial."
(suggests not redeeming such as trial for as long as this Nintendo Switch Online involves fees)
Nope…Nintendo’s subpar online service should be free for an un-“limited” time.
@Yosher
This is an unfair and aggressive strategy that should be forbidden. But it actually has become a standard. It's exactly the same with PS Plus. And I have an impression that in both cases the option to cancel is maliciously hidden in the back alleys of the menus.
Not even the expansion pack version lmao
All these trials serve to prove is just how awful NSO is from a value standpoint.
I'm not keen on spending money just to trade a handful of Pokémon here and there, unlock the odd Tetris 99 theme, and compete in Wario Cup. I'm disinterested in online gaming generally, and the games that I am interested in usually have little to no active players, so I couldn't possibly justify the expense. Maybe with a family plan, but where am I going to find seven other people who will consistently honour their end of the bargain?
I have little to no interest in playing NES/SNES games that I will quickly lose access to either, and I am content with the Arcade Archives releases and the retro compilations that contain ROMs of classic games.
I'll certainly take advantage of (another) trial if extended to Australia, but mainly because I want a couple of foreign Dittos for BD/SP. Hardly worth putting down AU$30 per annum for.
@sleepinglion
Legit that’s how I played a link to the past.
@Silly_G Yep I've passed on a fair share of games due to requiring NSO because there just isn't any value in it for me. Thankfully Fortnite doesn't require NSO so I have my multiplayer covered there.
@SuperCharr
Yeah unless you are really into smash, Mario kart or Mario maker it is really not worth
@Snatcher People who have the normal NSO should be able to get a free trial of the expansion...but nah, they want us to pay $60 for like...a couple of N64 games. lol
@Joeynator3000 It's really for the Genesis games, those run perfectly. The N64 stuff is just kind of thrown in.
@stuntz0rZ Everything should be free
Bring back Mario35 it was the best part of NSO and they replaced it with Pac-Man!
If only people actually forced themselves to stop paying for this. Then Nintendo would start reconsidering. Money speaks more than feedback.
Switch Online has been around for a while now, what they should be offering are free trials of the plus portion so folks on the fence can judge the N64 emulation for themselves
@blindsquarel Man, that was a fantastic Zelda title. Loved ALTTP
Add more games then, no? Okay bye. Game pass is worth the money not this scam.
@Andy_Witmyer I've never taken any free trial where I had to give my payment details in advance. But I wanted to add to your remark, that it is terrible to live in a society where "honesty" includes a lot of small "legal" print, so much boring stuff taken for granted, and legal common sense and nonsense, to hide a couple of really criminal things, and say "we told you and you agreed". That is the sort of manipulation that should make any contract not-legally-binding. At the same time, it is understandable that some of the stupid stuff is there, because not only big corporations are after quick and easy money, and many people will actively search for ways to exploit a contract going through complete absurdities...
Simply put: ask me anything in open and free human agreement, and I will consider it (maybe not longer than 0.1 seconds to reaffirm the "no" you already had, but "yes" or negotiation is an option), but give me a contract and try to force or otherwise manipulate me into signing something where an entire team has written a long text to secure all your interests in my absence, and you'll probably have a no forever.
That said, again, I understand that it has its use as a solely protective measure, and maybe even for all parties involved (you don't want to sell a microwave oven to then be sued because someone killed their cat in it, and you forgot to mention it should not be used to dry a cat after a bath), and I have a couple of contracts going (like with an internet provider, obviously, where I know what I pay and what I pay for, where I trust them and where I don't). But indeed, free trial with automatic extension to a paid subscription is pure marketing manipulation. "You want to taste this food product? Have a free sample, while we take your credit card information and inform our warehouse to already ship a load of it to you. Unless you make an effort to not receive it and send it back, but you can't do that now, call customer service".
I've had similar things happen. A dentist appointment, I called five times spread across a week to cancel it, "yearly vacation". Weekend. Monday I got someone on the phone. "you'll have to pay for consultation however, you can only cancel up to 48 hours in advance, that's our policy". Of course I didn't pay and they could do nothing about it, but had I signed a contract for an appointment, understandably not thinking about such absurdities, that would have come with a lot more stress...
It would be nice if I could get a trial of the EP, but then again, I probably would just dabble in a couple of Genesis games as I've played everything else LOL. Can't wait until more N64 games come so I actually be interested in buying the EP.
@Shambo I honestly agree with pretty much everything you wrote. And that sucks that you jilted in that way by the dentist's office. It is pretty awful that so many companies - from every field and industry - seem to work in at least one or more ways to screw over the customer via some sort of legal jujitsu. It's just become a very common practice and obviously, it's not one that I condone.
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