What it is
Pokémon TCG Pocket is free to open a limited number of card packs. When the free packs run out, you wait, or you pay for more. There is also a premium track. The cards look like the paper game. The spending is the phone version’s extra.
What it costs: packs and the premium track, and it can be a lot if someone chases one card. What it costs on the free timer: nothing. Trading and wonder picks are the part where other people come into it.
What to look out for
- Packs bought to chase one card.
- A premium subscription renewing.
- Trades with people you cannot name.
- A saved card from the Pokémon or store account.
Ways to stay safe
These steps are for Pokémon TCG Pocket. The house rules still apply on every app.
- Do not put your card details on their device. Not in the App Store, Google Play, the game, or PayPal. If you choose to pay, type the card in yourself for that purchase, then remove it.
- Free packs only, unless you have agreed a specific buy and then removed the card.
- Look at who they are trading with.
- A missing card is disappointment, not an emergency purchase.
In the news
Published reports you can read yourself. A headline is the proof, not a set of instructions, and this page does not repeat graphic detail.
- Games that sell random prizes are getting higher age ratings This BBC report is about higher age ratings for paid random prizes, including card packs. This game sells extra packs when the free ones run out. The report does not name it.
A way to start the conversation
You can say: "You get free packs by waiting. Buying more is a choice I make, not a button you press. My card does not stay on this phone between packs."
Video
Parent briefing
A short video for this guide can be added by an editor. Until then, the written briefing above is the one to use.