Pokémon Go guide: PokéCoins and the shop

If you want to upgrade your Pokémon Go storage or bag, you’ll need PokéCoins. In our Pokémon Go guide, we’ll explain how to get PokéCoins for free using gyms and what bundles to look out for in the shop.

How to get PokéCoins for free

The only way to get free PokéCoins is by occupying gyms. Up to six Pokémon can be put in a gym, if it’s for your team. Red gyms are owned by Team Valor, yellow gyms are run by Team Instinct, and blue gyms are occupied by Team Mystic. You can change the color and team of a gym by battling in it and knocking out the Pokémon. It takes multiple rounds of battling to do this.

You will get six PokéCoins per hour while your Pokémon is in a gym, but you’ll only get the coins when your Pokémon gets knocked out. You can also only get 50 PokéCoins per day, adding a cap to how many freebies you can grab. Even if you have multiple Pokémon in gyms, you can still only get 50 PokéCoins per day.

Buying PokéCoins

If you’re in need for more coins, you can always buy some for real money. The prices vary a bit by region, but in the U.S, the prices are as follows:

• 100 PokéCoins: $0.99
• 550 PokéCoins: $4.99
• 1,200 PokéCoins: $9.99
• 2,500 PokéCoins: $19.99
• 5,200 PokéCoins: $39.99
• 14,500 PokéCoins: $99.99

As you can see, the more PokéCoins you buy, the better deal you get, but don’t let that persuade you to spend lots of money on the game. Spend responsibly!

What to buy in the Pokémon Go shop

If you plan on playing Pokémon Go longterm, you’ll need storage upgrades and bag upgrades. These allow you to hold more Pokémon and more items, respectively. Both upgrades cost 200 PokéCoins each.

Lucky Eggs are a good purchase, especially if you’re trying to speed up the rate you’re leveling. One Lucky Egg costs 80 PokéCoins and a set of eight costs 500 PokéCoins.

You’ll also need to buy Premium Raid Passes if you want to do more than one raid a day. While spinning a photo disk at a gym will give one free Raid Pass, those hunting for a Shiny Legendary or looking to collect an army of powerful Pokémon will probably need more.

We don’t recommend buying Poké Balls, as you can get them very easily for free from spinning Poké Stops. Incubators are also a very optional item, since you have a free permanent Incubator. So unless you need to hatch many eggs at once or quickly, you won’t need extra.

Community Day bundles normally do offer good deals for lots of items at a discounted price, but it depends on what’s in the bundle. Buying loads of Lucky Eggs in a bundle tends to be pretty worth it, but sometimes buying too many bundles can result in having lots of excess Premium Raid Passes. (Yes, we are speaking from experience.)