Trading Guide for Pokémon TCG Pocket

The trading system allows players to complete collections and missions, helping them build decks with those hard-to-find cards that didn’t appear in pack openings. With the launch of B1, there was a major update to the trading system, now allowing cards from the following rarities to be traded: , and . In addition to this, you can now also trade cards from the current expansion.

How does the trading system work ?

• Trades can be done between friends.
• Trades can be done between cards of the same rarity.
• Trading sometimes requires Shinedust, whose cost change based on the rarity of the card. Every trade—free or otherwise—consumes 1 Trade Stamina.
• Cards from all sets, apart from the PROMO series, can be traded.
• You do not need multiple copies of a card to be able to trade it.
• You can only send one trade offer at a time.

What cards can be traded?

• You can trade all rarities of cards, except for and cards. Promo cards cannot be traded at this time.
• Trades have to be done between cards of the same rarity.
• Trading cards from the current set is also possible.
• It is possible to trade cards between different expansions.

How does Trade Stamina work?

Every trade you do consumes 1 Trade Stamina, regardless of the rarity involved in the trade. Trade Stamina refreshes gradually every 24 hours. Your maximum naturally recovering Trade Stamina is limited to 5 (just like with Event hourglasses or Wonder hourglasses), but you can purchase extra stamina, up to 8 in total. The 3 overshooting slots for Trade Stamina will also be used in case your trade gets declined or cancelled. At that point, the Trade Stamina and/or Shinedust will be refunded to you.

You can recover Trade Stamina with Trade Hourglasses or Poké Gold.

• A Trade Hourglass recovers 1 hour of Trade Stamina. This means you need 24 trade hourglasses to recover 1 full Trade Stamina and be able to trade.
• Poké Gold recovers 4 hours of Trade Stamina. The cost for 1 full Trade Stamina is thus 6 Poké Gold. This means the costs scale as follows: 2 Poké Gold for 8 hours, 3 Poké Gold for 12 hours, 4 Poké Gold for 16 hours, 5 Poké Gold for 20 hours, and 6 Poké Gold for 24 hours.

Trade Stamina will be refunded if the trade is terminated or declined.

How much Shinedust is needed to trade?

Shinedust is not necessary to trade cards with or rarity. Shinedust is however necessary to trade , and cards. Both people involved in the trade will need enough Shinedust to complete the trade.

Refer to the table below to see how much Shinedust is needed to complete a trade

Trading wishlist

The trading wishlist helps players find other players to trade with, without relying as much on external communication. When you choose a partner to send a trade to from your friend list, if they have cards wishlisted, these cards will show up on the top of the card selection screen. This should allow you to trade with more ease and improve your acceptance ratio.

To add a card to your wishlist, visit that card in your dex, and click the little heart symbol in the upper right corner. You can have a maximum of 20 cards in your wishlist. When you add a card to your wishlist, the card will also display a heart symbol if you spot this card in a Wonder Pick.

Trading and copies of a card

What happens if I trade away my only copy of a card?

If you trade your only copy of a card, that card will still be visible on your Card dex. However, if you try to click it, it will say "Not obtained". If you owned flairs on that card, the flairs will still be in your account, but they will not be viewable until you re-acquire the card that you traded away. If this card was in one of your decks, it'll become greyed out in the deck editor.

Likewise, the card you had still counts toward your progression in a Card Dex mission, such as "complete the Pokédex" or "obtain all cards", even if you don't have it anymore.

What happens if I trade away a card used to complete a Theme Deck mission?

If you trade away a card you used to complete a Theme Deck mission, that mission and theme deck will still be marked as completed. However, if you try to build a deck using the Theme Deck List function, the card you are now missing will be greyed out in your deck, and you will be unable to play the deck unless you edit it or obtain the card you are missing again.

What happens if I trade away a card used to complete a mission?

Your mission (such as in Themed Collections) will still be completed. Although you lost the card, the mission completion will never be revoked.

What happens if I trade away a card that gave me progression in a mission?

If you trade away a copy of your card, and that card currently counted as progress in a mission, your mission progress will remain and nothing will be lost. This means that if you currently have 4 Gardevoirs and you trade away 1 of them, your mission progress for Collect 5 Gardevoir cards mission will remain unchanged.

When you get a Gardevoir later, even though you still have 4, you will now complete the mission since it's the 5th time you had a Gardevoir card. Consequently, if two people are 4/5 progress on the icon mission, and they trade the same Pokémon back and forth, they will both be able to complete the mission with 5/5 Gardevoirs, even though both users still have only 4 Gardevoirs in total.

What happens if I trade away a card currently used in my binder or display board?

If you trade away a card you are currently using in a binder or a display board, you will get a warning before sending the trade offer. If you do complete the trade, the card will simply be removed from the binder or display board - it will not become greyed out as in decks.

Trading and flairs

Does trading affect a card’s flair? Can I trade a flair?

Trading a card does not affect the card's flair. The flair is independent of the card. However, it is possible to trade the flair along with the card if you want to. This requires your trade partner to send you a flaired card back. The flair does not have to be in the same Shinedust cost range.

What happens if I trade my last flair away?

If you trade your last copy of a specific flair away, the flair will be removed from that card in decks, binders and/or display boards. If this was your last copy of the card, the card itself will also be removed or greyed out from these places. If you are trading away your last copy of a flair, you will get a warning from the game to make sure this is OK for you before sending the trade.

Can I trade limited flairs from events?

Yes, you can trade limited flairs from events. However, be aware; when you do trade one, you will not get a warning from the game telling you that this flair is especially rare.

Trading and languages

Does trading affect a card's language?

Cards retain their original language when traded, just as they do when obtained via Wonder Picking. Don’t worry: during gameplay, the card’s language will automatically display in your system language. Read our guide related to the cards language in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

Can I choose which language to send in a trade?

Yes, during the trade, you will have the option to send cards in specific languages if you happen to own multiple languages of the same card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I see my previous trades?

To see cards you have traded and received in the past, go to the Social Hub (the middle button at the bottom of the screen) > Trade > History. You will be able to see your 30 most recent trades over the past 90 days.

I cannot trade a card, why?

• Make sure you have at least 1 Trade Stamina, and enough Shinedust for rarer cards.
• You need to be friends to be able to trade. Additionally, neither you nor your friend can be trading with anyone else at the same time, nor can either of you have activated the setting to suspend trade offers.
• You and your partner need to be above level 3.

What should I do if the trade button is grayed out and cannot be pressed?

When too many players are trading at the same time, trading may be temporarily suspended. Please wait and try again later.

Where can I find people to trade Pokémon TCG Pocket cards with?

You can join the Pokémon-Zone Discord Server and post in the trading channels to find trading partners! You can also check the in-game wishlists of your friends to try to find a good trade, but we recommend trading via our Discord server. Remember to check the Channels list to be able to see all the available channels on the server, as some channels might be hidden by default.

List of changes made to the Trade system

This section will document all changes done to the Trade system over the years.

• February 2026: Paldean Wonders is now tradable.
• January 2026: Fantastical Parade is now tradable.
• December 2025: Crimson Blaze now tradable.
• October 2025: 2-star cards, 1-shiny cards and 2-shiny cards can now be traded. Cards from the current set can now be traded, meaning that Deluxe pack: ex and Mega Rising are now tradable.
• September 2025: Secluded Springs is now tradable.
• August 2025: Wisdom of Sea and Sky is now tradable.
• July 2025: Trade Tokens discontinued, replaced by Shinedust. Wishlist system added. Eevee Grove is now tradable.
• June 2025: Extradimensional Crisis now tradable.
• May 2025: Celestial Guardians now tradable.
• April 2025: Shining Revelry now tradable.
• March 2025: Triumphant Light now tradable.
• February 2025: Space-Time Smackdown now tradable.
• January 2025: Trading functionality released, Genetic Apex and Mythical Island tradable.

Previous information on Trade Tokens

Trade Tokens used to be the main currency for trading, up until July 26, 2025. Trade Tokens were not necessary to trade cards with or rarity. Trade Tokens were however necessary to trade , and cards. Both people involved in the trade needed enough trade tokens to complete the trade.

Trade Tokens were primarily obtained by exchanging (dusting) cards from your Collection, just as you exchanged a high rarity card for special tickets or flairs. See the table below for a reference on the cost to burn and trade these cards.

Trade Tokens could also be obtained from completing certain event missions.

Trade Token discontinuation and exchange rates

Following the discontinuation of Trade Tokens in July 2025, you can exchange your remaining tokens into the following useful items at the following rates:

In addition to this exchange system, when you obtain a card already registered in your card dex, the amount of Shinedust that is automatically granted has been increased to double the current amount as of the summer of 2025. This is to help facilitate trades and flair collection.

The ability to convert Trade Tokens will end July 29, 2026.