Can I use my Nintendo eShop balance to buy a present for a friend?

I've got a balance in my Nintendo eShop that I want to use to buy a game for a friend. I've been searching for a way to do it when I found this Reddit post from 2015 that pointed to this Nintendo Support page. The support page appears to no longer exist.

Is there some way to purchase Nintendo eShop games and gift them to a different user?

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1 Answer

There is no such option possible. The best thing you can do is to buy an online code and give this key to your friend.

Another option is to borrow the 3DS, put money on the account, buy the game, let it wrapped on the homescreen and give back the present.

There is however no way to transfer the funds from your account to his/her account:

Can I Transfer Unused Funds to Another System?

No. All Nintendo eShop transactions are applied only to a single system and are non-refundable.

(source)

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