3DS and Wii U are losing credit card support, but it isn't all bad news

Nintendo of Japan has announced that it's doing away with some payment methods on the discontinued Nintendo 3DS and Wii U early next year. According to Nintendo's announcement, neither the 3DS nor the Wii U will support credit card payments after January 18th, 2022. While that's a big move, it isn't quite as bad as it might seem at first blush.

After all, support for purchases on 3DS and Wii U isn't ending entirely, just the ability to add funds using a credit card. In a post to Nintendo of Japan's support site, the company confirms that after January 18th, 2022, users will still have a few different ways to add funds to their 3DS or Wii U consoles and purchase games from the eShop.

First, 3DS and Wii U owners will be able to load their accounts with money using Nintendo prepaid cards, which aren't going anywhere. 3DS and Wii U users also can create a Nintendo account, link their Nintendo Network ID (NNID) to it, and shop for games through the Nintendo website using a credit/debit card, an eShop prepaid card, or PayPal.

Finally, Nintendo says that users who own a Nintendo Switch can link their NNID to their Nintendo Account, load up on funds using a Switch console, and then spend that money on 3DS or Wii U. Users also have the option of loading their Nintendo accounts with funds using a credit card on the Nintendo website and then using that balance to buy new 3DS and Wii U games.

So, this isn't the end of all payment support for the 3DS and Wii U, but it is a step in that direction. For now, it seems this has only been confirmed for Nintendo of Japan, but other regions tend to follow NoJ's lead on things like this. At the time of this writing, Nintendo of America hasn't said anything official on its social media accounts, but we'll keep an eye on the company to see if that changes.