•Kristina Horvat• 8 min read
Pokemon GO
How to Get PokéCoins in Pokémon GO: Free and Paid Methods
PokéCoins are Pokémon GO's premium currency, and almost every useful Shop item costs them, from Remote Raid Passes and Egg Incubators to extra Pokémon and item storage. Free coins come in slowly, so knowing how to get coins in Pokémon GO decides how often a player can afford those upgrades.
Pokémon GO has two free ways to get PokéCoins today: defending Gyms and ranking up the GO Pass. Gyms pay a small amount every day, while some monthly GO Passes add a bigger batch on top, and anyone who wants more can buy coins in the app or on the official Web Store.
How to Get PokéCoins in Pokémon GO Summary
Defending Gyms pays 1 PokéCoin for every 10 minutes a Pokémon spends in a Gym, up to 50 PokéCoins per day.
Pokémon GO only pays Gym coins once the defending Pokémon returns to the player.
A single defender needs 8 hours and 20 minutes in a Gym to earn the full 50 PokéCoins, and extra days don't add more.
Some monthly GO Passes give 400 free PokéCoins, and GO Pass Deluxe raises that to 1,400 for $7.99.
The Pokémon GO Web Store adds bonus PokéCoins to every coin bundle, such as 600 coins instead of 550 for $4.99.
Gimmighoul Coins are a separate item used to evolve Gimmighoul, so they can't buy anything in the Shop.
Pokémon GO Gym Coin Rules
Gym defense is the only free source of PokéCoins that works every day. Players earn coins through the Defender Bonus, which pays out for each Pokémon left in a Gym, but the coins only arrive once that Pokémon is knocked out and returns to its owner, not while it's still defending.
The Pokémon GO Gym coin system follows these rules:
Rule | How It Works |
|---|---|
Earning rate | 1 PokéCoin for every 10 minutes of defending, or 6 per hour |
Daily cap | 50 PokéCoins per day across all Gyms, no matter how many Pokémon return |
Time for the full 50 | 8 hours and 20 minutes of defending |
Multi-day defenders | A Pokémon defending for 3 days still pays 50 PokéCoins at most |
Daily reset | The cap resets at midnight local time |
The multi-day rule is where most free coins get lost. A Pokémon that sits in a Gym for three days doesn't return with 150 PokéCoins, since the payout stops at 50 no matter how long it defended. A defender that comes back every day earns far more over a week than one that stays put.
How to Get 50 PokéCoins From Gyms Every Day
Gym choice matters more than Pokémon strength here. Busy city Gyms change hands often, so defenders come back fast and often fall short of the full 50. Quiet Gyms in parks or residential streets keep a defender inside longer, which makes the 8 hours and 20 minutes easier to reach.
The following habits help players collect the full 50 Pokémon GO gym coins more often:
Pick bulky defenders: High-stamina Pokémon like Blissey and Snorlax take longer to knock out, which buys more defending time.
Watch motivation: Very high-CP Pokémon lose motivation faster, so they weaken sooner unless someone feeds them berries.
Feed berries: Golden Razz Berries restore a defender's motivation and keep it in the Gym longer.
Spread defenders out: Placing Pokémon in several Gyms staggers their return times, so more of them come back during the day.
Time the drop: A Pokémon placed in a Gym late in the evening can return after midnight, when a fresh 50-coin cap starts.
Friends can also take turns. One player knocks out the other's defender, then they swap roles the next day, so both reach the full payout without waiting for random players. Once the 50 coins are collected, fighting for more Gyms only uses up Potions and Revives without paying anything extra.
How to Get Free PokéCoins With the GO Pass
GO Pass is a monthly progression track that every player gets for free. Players earn GO Points by finishing Pass Tasks like catching Pokémon, hatching Eggs, joining raids and spinning PokéStops, and each new rank unlocks rewards. Each pass runs for about four weeks, and unclaimed rewards expire a couple of days after it ends.
GO Pass started giving PokéCoins in October 2025, but not every month includes them. The October 2026 pass had no coins, while the November 2026 pass gives 400 free PokéCoins, so it's worth checking the rewards list at the start of each month.
When a GO Pass does include coins, the tiers look like this:
GO Pass Tier | PokéCoins | Price |
|---|---|---|
Free GO Pass | 400 PokéCoins | Free |
GO Pass Deluxe | 1,000 extra PokéCoins (1,400 total) | $7.99 |
GO Pass Deluxe + 10 Ranks | 1,400 PokéCoins plus a jump to Rank 11 | $9.99 |
GO Pass Deluxe adds 1,000 PokéCoins for $7.99, which is about the same coins per dollar as the 1,200-coin bundle for $9.99 in the Shop. The difference is that Deluxe also unlocks extra encounters and items on top of the coins.
GO Points also have a daily limit, but the November 2026 pass lifts it for a no-cap weekend on November 28 and 29. Saving raids and Egg hatches for windows like that helps players climb several ranks at once.
Other Ways to Get PokéCoins in Pokémon GO
Promo codes rarely give PokéCoins. New Pokémon GO codes come out now and then, but they usually reward items like Poké Balls, Incense or other consumables instead.
Daily tasks don't pay coins anymore either. Pokémon GO tested PokéCoins for everyday activities in Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Taiwan in 2020, but the test ended in November 2020 and Gyms went back to being the only daily source.
Gimmighoul Coins are often mixed up with PokéCoins, but they're a separate item. Players collect them by catching Roaming Form Gimmighoul or spinning golden PokéStops, and 999 Gimmighoul Coins evolve Gimmighoul into Gholdengo. They can't be spent in the Shop.
Buying PokéCoins: In-App Shop vs. Web Store
Players who need more than the free sources give can buy PokéCoins in two official places. The in-app Shop sits under the Main Menu, and payment goes through the App Store, Google Play or Galaxy Store. The Pokémon GO Web Store works in any browser with the same Pokémon GO login, and the coins show up in the game automatically.
The Web Store adds bonus PokéCoins to every bundle, so the same price buys more coins there:
Price (USD) | In-App Shop | Web Store |
|---|---|---|
$0.99 | 100 PokéCoins | Not sold |
$4.99 | 550 PokéCoins | 600 PokéCoins |
$9.99 | 1,200 PokéCoins | 1,300 PokéCoins |
$19.99 | 2,500 PokéCoins | 2,700 PokéCoins |
$39.99 | 5,200 PokéCoins | 5,600 PokéCoins |
$99.99 | 14,500 PokéCoins | 15,500 PokéCoins |
The Web Store also sells GO Pass Deluxe and web-only deals, which change from week to week. Prices outside the US follow local currency, so the exact amounts can differ by country.
FAQs About How to Get PokéCoins in Pokémon GO
Final Words
Getting PokéCoins in Pokémon GO for free comes down to Gym defense every day and the GO Pass in months that include coins. Together, those can add up to roughly 1,900 free PokéCoins in a month with a coin-paying GO Pass, which covers plenty of Raid Passes or storage upgrades.
Small habits make the biggest difference over time. Bringing defenders home every day, picking quieter Gyms and saving GO Pass tasks for no-cap weekends all add up, and when buying coins, the Web Store's bonus coins give more for the same price.
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“ Kristina joined GameBoost in 2024 as an SEO specialist and quickly became the go-to writer for third-person shooter and competitive games. She covers titles like Fortnite, Valorant, League of Legends, GTA 5, and Roblox, focusing on how-to guides, practical tips, and updates.”
