Good news, Pokémon trainers! The Pokémon Company just announced that they'll overhaul how trading works in TCG Pocket. More specifically, the current Trade Token system will be retired and replaced with Shinedust, a currency that's already in the game and used for getting flairs.

Once the Token system is taken out of commission, you'll be able to exchange what you already have and replace it with Shinedust. The amount of Shinedust players get on a regular basis will also be increased, as the currency is now needed for both trading and flairs. You'll also be able to share what cards you're interested in trading via in-game functionality.

Unfortunately, it looks like it'll be a while before these changes are made, as the only timeline we get in regards to when this will be implemented is a vague "by the end of autumn". Still, this should be a nice change for trading, as Shinedust should be a lot easier to get than Tokens.

Quote From The Pokemon Company

Thank you for sharing your feedback on the trading feature in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. We’re continuing to read your comments and investigate ways to improve the feature.

Today, we’d like to introduce the following updates to trading that will be implemented by the end of autumn 2025. With these changes, we hope that trading cards between players will be more accessible and enjoyable.

Removal of Trade Tokens

  • Trade tokens will be completely removed and players will no longer need to exchange cards to obtain the currency required for trading.
  • Instead, trading cards of three-diamond, four-diamond, and one-star rarity will now require shinedust.
  • When you open a booster pack, shinedust will be automatically earned if you obtain a card that is already registered in your Card Dex. Currently, shinedust is also required to obtain flair, so we are looking into increasing the amount offered since it will also be needed for trading. Altogether, this change should allow you to trade more cards than you could before this update.
  • Trade tokens you currently own can be converted to shinedust when the item is removed from the game.
  • There are no changes in how one-diamond and two-diamond rarity cards are traded.

Additional Updates in Development

  • A feature will be added that allows you to share cards you’re interested in trading for via the in-game trading function.

We hope that these changes will make trading cards more accessible and allow more players to enjoy making trades.

In addition to the changes above, we are also looking into how to accommodate cards that are currently unavailable for trades, such as promo cards and two-star rarity cards. Keep an eye out for more information about this topic in the future.

We look forward to hearing your feedback as updates are released and remain committed to developing the best possible Pokémon TCG Pocket experience.

Thank you for being part of our community.

What do you think of these changes? Do you think they'll be beneficial for trading cards? Let us know in the comments below!