The Pokemon Company has provided further information on the forthcoming release of Pokemon Bank as a free service at the end of this month.
To begin, beginning on March 28th, 2023, users won’t have to pay to use Pokemon Bank anymore. From this date, 3DS users who have already downloaded the software will be able to utilize it and the companion app, Poke Transporter, for free. This will provide them the ability to move Pokemon from their DS games to their 3DS games, and then to Pokemon HOME. When it is no longer necessary to pay for it, the app will show “days left” as “?XX.” At this point, there is no indication of when the free service will come to an end.
Users will still have access to some functions, like the ability to transfer their Pokémon to Pokémon HOME, even if paid passes will no longer be available.
Pokemon Bank is becoming free to use
The Nintendo eShop service for the Nintendo 3DS family of devices is going to be discontinued. As a result of this, the Pokémon Bank service for the Nintendo 3DS will become accessible to users completely free of charge. Even after the paid service is discontinued, you will still be able to bring Pokémon into Pokémon Bank from compatible games and transfer Pokémon that you have deposited in Pokémon Bank to Pokémon HOME. You will also still be able to transfer Pokémon that you have deposited in Pokémon Bank to Pokémon GO. To do so, you will, however, need to be registered in a Pokémon HOME Premium Plan that you have paid for.
After March 27, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, bought passes for Pokémon Bank will no longer be available for purchase. Also, Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter will be removed from the download store at that time. On the same day, Trainers will no longer have to pay to use Pokémon Bank to save their Pokémon data. Please be advised that paid passes that have already been bought cannot be returned for a refund under any circumstances.
Take note that inside the game, players will notice a line that reads “Free trial time for XX days,” where XX is a number between 00 and 99. This will be followed by a message that says “Free trial period!” You may ignore this line if you like.
This service is provided at no cost, and there are no plans to terminate it at any point. Any subsequent adjustments will be detailed on Pokemon.com and other relevant websites in advance of their implementation.
