How to Earn Coins in Pokemon GO

This guide will tell you how to earn coins in Pokemon GO. Coins are the primary currency in Pokemon GO and can be exchanged for almost anything in the shop, but there are only two ways to earn coins.

To earn coins in Pokemon GO, you can either leave Pokemon to defend Gyms, or purchase coins outright with money. Here's what you need to know about each method.

How to Earn Coins in Pokemon GO

Earning Coins From Gyms

If you don't want to spend real money on the game, this is your only way to obtain coins. When you come across a Gym belonging to your team, or take another team's Gym, you can leave a Pokemon in the Gym to defend it. When it's defeated and returns, it'll bring you some coins.

For each 10 minutes your Pokemon defends the Gym, you'll earn one coin. Therefore, it's a good idea to leave a strong Pokemon that can hold its own against other trainers. But you don't want your Pokemon to stay in there too long, either, because you can only receive a maximum of 50 coins a day from Gyms. If your Pokemon stays for a week, it won't receive more than 50 coins.

Purchasing Coins

The other way to get coins is by purchasing them. Coins are on sale in the shop at the following prices:

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

You can use coins to purchase almost anything in the shop, including Poke Balls, Incense, Lure Modules, Incubators, storage upgrades, cosmetics for your character, and more. It's a good idea to spend wisely, and only use coins on items that you can't get by spinning PokeStops or completing missions normally.

Want items that PokeCoins can't buy? Check out our guides on how to get Pinap Berries or a Dragon Scale to evolve your Pokemon.