The world of Pokémon runs on two things: the power of friendship and PokéDollars. While the first is pretty easy to obtain, you won’t find money just lying around on the ground (although you may find rare treasure on the ground you can sell for a quick buck).
If you’re hoping to buy some stylish clothes, healing items, vitamins, PokéBalls, or any of the other Pokémon Trainer necessities, you’re going to need a lot of cash.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to make money fast in Pokémon Sword and Shield, including recommendations for before and after beating the story.
If you would like more general tips and tricks for getting started in Sword and Shield, check out our Beginner’s Guide for everything you need to know about the Galar Region.
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Use The Amulet Coin
One of the best held items in Pokémon is the Amulet Coin, which doubles any prize money you receive from battling if the holder participates in said battle. While the item can be purchased outright from a merchant, since this guide is about making money and not spending it, we’re going to walk you through finding one for free.
You can get yourself an Amulet Coin in two possible ways: behind the sign located in the outskirts of Motostoke, and as a random held item when catching a Galarian Meowth (Route 4). Once you have the item, make sure to give it to the first Pokémon in your party to ensure you’re getting twice the rewards from each battle.
Battle Every NPC
Although some NPC battles are easy to avoid, it’s best to take them all on headfirst if you want to make money fast. Beating a trainer will reward you with varying amounts of PokéDollars.
One of the best NPCs to battle for farming money is Chloe, a Pokémon Breeder who appears in the Wild Area. Defeating her will reward you with a whopping 9,000 PokéDollars (18,000 if you’re using an Amulet Coin).
The best part is you can challenge Chloe multiple times throughout the game by finding her in the Wild Area. She’s usually found at the bottom of the steps near the entrance to Motostoke or standing next to random paths, trees, and boulders throughout the Wild Area.
Sell Treasure From The Wild Area
A great way to make money is to comb over the entire Wild Area each day and keep an eye out for any sparkling spots on the ground. These spots will typically contain a pearl, nugget, or another treasure you can sell for a decent amount of cash.
While you’re free to sell items at any shop, keep in mind that the Stow-on-Side merchant will offer to purchase a specific treasure for twice its value every day. He’ll also tell you what the item for the following day will be, so if you come across two of the same item, consider holding onto one.
Complete Poké Jobs
Sword and Shield give you the option to send your Pokémon out on Poké Jobs that will help them level up quickly. As a bonus, when your Pokémon return from a job, there’s a chance they’ll come back with some money or ingredients.
While the amount may not be substantial, it can be a great way to make some extra cash with the additional Pokémon you have lying around in your PC boxes.
Use Gigantamax Meowth
After beating the story, make sure to collect your Mystery Gift Gigantamax Meowth via the in-game menu. Since the event ended January 15th, 2020, chances are you already have it or missed your chance. Still, you should be able to trade for one on r/pokemontrades or r/PokemonSwordAndShield.
Once you obtain a Gigantamax Meowth, make it reach level 100 with EXP Candies. The reasoning behind this is the higher Meowth’s level, the more money it produces when using the move ‘G-Max Gold Rush.’ To access G-Max Gold Rush, your Meowth must know a Normal-type move prior to Gigantamaxing.
After you max its level, give Meowth an Amulet Coin to hold, doubling your battle rewards. The next step is flexible, as all that’s required is a series of NPC battles where Meowth can farm money. We recommend participating in a tournament at Wyndom with Meowth as your starting Pokémon or rechallenging the Pokémon League.
You can use G-Max Gold Rush a total of three times before your Gigantamax phase comes to an end. This will yield 99,999 PokéDollars per battle in addition to the 19K+ you’ll get from winning while holding the Amulet Coin. Factor in multiple battles, and that comes out to roughly 350K PokéDollars per attempt.
