So you‘ve been playing Pokémon GO for a while now, and your Pokémon storage is filling up fast. You want to keep catching awesome new Pokémon, but you‘re constantly having to transfer Pokémon just to make room. Upgrading your storage would solve this problem, but you don‘t want to spend real money on PokéCoins. Don‘t worry – I‘ve got you covered!
In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through all the legit ways to earn free PokéCoins so you can expand your storage for zero cash. With some effort, you can unlock plenty of extra Pokémon and item storage without spending a dime. I‘ll also share tons of pro tips to efficiently manage your storage, so you get the most bang for your PokéCoin buck. Let‘s do this!
How Do I Increase Pokémon Storage for Free in Pokémon GO?
When you first start playing Pokémon GO, your Pokémon storage is limited to just 300 spots. That might seem like a lot at first, but trust me – it fills up faster than you expect!
Here‘s a quick overview of how storage works in Pokémon GO:
- Each upgrade costs 200 PokéCoins and adds 50 extra Pokémon slots or 50 item slots.
- You can upgrade storage up to:
- 6,300 Pokémon slots
- 5,300 item slots
- That means you need 25 Pokémon upgrades and 21 item upgrades to maximize storage.
- Fully upgrading both will cost 13,000 PokéCoins total.
The only way to get PokéCoins without paying real money is to earn them through gameplay. I‘ll cover the best ways coming up next!
Earning Free PokéCoins in Pokémon GO
These are all the methods you can use to legitimately earn PokéCoins for free:
Defend Gyms
This is hands down the most reliable way to earn free PokéCoins over time. Here‘s the gist:
- You can earn 2 PokéCoins for every 10 minutes one of your Pokémon defends a gym, up to 50 coins per day.
- The longer your Pokémon stay on gyms, the more you‘ll earn each day.
- To maximize coins, capture multiple gyms daily and use high CP Pokémon.
- Give defending Pokémon berries to keep their motivation up!
If you consistently earn the 50 coin maximum from gyms every day, you‘ll rack up 1,500 PokéCoins each month.
Complete Research Tasks
Many Field Research tasks and Special Research rewards give decent PokéCoin payouts. Here are some to look out for:
- Battle in a Gym – 20 coins
- Make 5 Nice Throws – 100 coins
- Win a Level 3 or higher Raid – 100 coins
- Evolve 5 Fire-type Pokémon – 500 coins
Spin PokéStops for Field Research tasks that offer coins. Also finish Special Research lines that reward coins at each step.
Refer Friends
Pokémon GO‘s friend referral program lets you earn big coin rewards. Here‘s how it works:
- When you refer someone and they reach level 15, you get 1,000 coins.
- At higher friend levels, you get chances to earn more coins.
- Refer active players to quickly accumulate coins.
According to data from Pokémon GO Hub, the average player can earn 1,700 coins from referring just one friend to level 25.
| Friend Level | Referrer Reward |
|---|---|
| 15 | 1,000 coins |
| 20 | Chance at 700 coins |
| 25 | Chance at 1,000 coins |
| Total Possible | 2,700 coins |
Level Up
When you reach certain trainer levels, you‘ll be rewarded with a lump sum of PokéCoins:
- Level 15 – 1,200 coins
- Level 20 – 1,200 coins
- Level 25 – 2,400 coins
- Level 30 – 3,600 coins
Use Lucky Eggs to double XP gained and speed up reaching these levels. Claim those level up coins ASAP!
Check for Free Coin Giveaways
For special events or when servers are down, Niantic often issues free PokéCoins to players. This is usually 50-100 coins at a time.
Follow Niantic‘s social media and checkout the in-game news to watch for free coin giveaway announcements. Don‘t miss out on grabbing those!
Spending PokéCoins to Upgrade Storage
Once you‘ve saved up PokéCoins, you can spend them to expand storage:
- Go to the shop and select Storage Upgrades.
- Each upgrade costs 200 PokéCoins.
- Add more Pokémon storage before item storage. You can always toss items.
I recommend upgrading in increments of 150-300 slots as needed, rather than maxing out immediately. Aim to have at least 600-800 open Pokémon slots so you‘re not constantly transferring.
Occasionally buy item upgrades too – around 350-500 slots is comfortable. I know we all hoard Poké Balls!
Managing Your Pokémon Inventory
In addition to buying upgrades, you can take steps to organize your collection and free up space:
Transfer Duplicate Pokémon
Check for duplicate Pokémon and transfer any extras, especially common ones like Pidgey or Eevee. The only exceptions are Pokémon you‘re deliberately saving multiples of.
Frequently Transfer Weak Pokémon
Make a habit of transferring weaker or less useful Pokémon regularly. This clears out Pokémon under 1,000 CP that aren‘t worth powering up, except special cases.
Trade with Friends
Trading allows you to transfer Pokémon to friends and get new ones you don‘t have. Trade away duplicate legendaries or extra shinies to clear up slots.
Trading also rerolls stats, so trade weak Pokémon to try and get better IVs. It‘s a win-win!
Delete Unneeded Items
Revives and potions can quickly eat up item storage. Toss any beyond what you reasonably need for raids and gym battles.
Also, make sure to open the max 20 gifts daily from friends to get Poké Balls. You can never have enough!
Use Pokémon HOME
The Pokémon HOME app lets you store up to 6,000 Pokémon in the cloud. Transferring Pokémon from GO to HOME is a great way to offload extras to storage.
Trading away Pokémon from HOME also earns you Candy XL, which can power up Pokémon beyond level 40. It‘s the best of both worlds!
Let Research Stack Up
DON‘T claim research encounters right away if your storage is full! Let them stack up, then catch them when you have space. This prevents losing out on rewards.
With some smart management, you can maintain solid Pokémon and item storage without constantly buying upgrades. Use these tips to keep your collection neat and usable!
Expert Tips on Earning Coins
As a hardcore Pokémon GO player myself, I‘ve picked up some pro strategies for scoring free PokéCoins efficiently:
Target gyms in remote locations – These stay under your control longer since fewer people battle them. Parks, hiking trails and small towns are great options.
Deploy tanky Pokémon – Use Pokémon with high HP like Snorlax, Blissey and Chansey to defend gyms longer and earn more coins.
Power up gym defenders – Investing some Stardust to level up your defenders above 3,000 CP makes a big difference in longevity.
Coordinate with friends – Take turns putting each other‘s Pokémon in gyms to ensure you all get your 50 daily coins.
Complete easy research tasks – Skip ones that require too much effort for the coin payoff. Go for fast and simple ones.
Use Pokémon HOME bonuses – Transferring 100 Pokémon to HOME earns you 3,000 coins in bonus boxes!
Follow these tips and you‘ll be raking in PokéCoins daily. Remember to spend them wisely on the upgrades that will benefit your gameplay style the most.
I hope this guide gave you a complete overview on how to expand your Pokémon GO storage for free. With smart coin earning and inventory management, you‘ll never have to transfer another Pokémon again! Let me know if you have any other questions – I‘m always happy to help fellow Pokémon GO trainers. Gotta catch ‘em all!
