You and one friend stand in the same place, pick one Pokémon each, and both pay Stardust. It opens at Trainer level 10, a Pokémon can only be traded once, and the Stardust price drops by up to 96% as your Friendship level climbs.

One trade, start to finish

• Be friends, and be near each other. The one exception is a remote trade, further down.
• You each choose one Pokémon. Before you confirm, the game shows what yours will become: the new CP and HP arrive as a range, not a number.
• You each pay the Stardust. The price sits next to the confirm button.
• You each get Candy. The amount of Candy you earn depends on the distance between where the two Pokémon were caught. The further the distance, the more Candy, so a Pokémon caught on vacation beats one from the end of your street.

Friendship pays for itself

You earn one friendship point a day together, from opening a Gift, raiding or battling, so the levels are really a calendar. Best Friends lands after 90 of those days and takes 96% off every trade after it.

The Attack column is the boost you both get for raiding or battling together, and the Premier Balls are extra throws at a raid boss you beat with that friend.

Special Trades cost more

Some trades are priced as Special Trades, and you can only complete a limited number of them in a day. These are the ones:

• A Pokémon that isn't in your Pokédex yet
• A Legendary Pokémon
• A Shiny Pokémon
• An Ultra Beast
• A form you don't have yet, like a regional form, an Unown or a costume
• A Pokémon with a special feature, like a Location Card

What you can't trade

Scopely's help center: “Mythical Pokémon (like Mew) and Pokémon that have previously been traded once before cannot be traded.” In the game's own species data, 22 are locked out:

7 forms are locked out on top of that, while the species they belong to trades normally: Black Kyurem, White Kyurem, Dawn Wings Necrozma, Dusk Mane Necrozma, Ultra Necrozma, Crowned Sword Zacian, Crowned Shield Zamazenta. All of them are fusions or transformations.

Ten that evolve free after a trade

Trade one of these and the Candy cost of its next evolution drops to nothing. Do it before you evolve, not after, and the ten together save 1,600 Candy.

Lucky Pokémon

Any trade can come out Lucky, and a Lucky Pokémon costs 50% less Stardust to power up forever after. The odds rise with how long you've had the Pokémon, which makes old storage worth keeping.

Once you're Best Friends, any interaction can make you Lucky Friends, and then your next trade is Lucky on both sides. A Lucky Trinket does the same on demand, from Great Friends up.

Trading remotely

Forever Friends, at 180 points, unlocks a trade you can do apart. The tag for it arrives 5 points early, and each remote trade after the first costs another 90 points.

• You each tag up to 3 Pokémon you'd part with, then pick one from what the other tagged.
• Neither of you has to be online at the same time. Each step waits up to 48 hours.
• 1 a day, and it never counts as a Special Trade whatever you send.

The Friendship table, the Lucky discount, the free evolutions and the remote limits are read out of the game's own data files. The level names, the Special Trade list and the trading requirements come from Scopely's help center: trading, friendship and remote trading.

Questions people ask

How does trading work in Pokémon GO?

You and a friend stand in the same place, each pick one Pokémon, and each pay Stardust. Both of you also get Candy. Trading opens at Trainer level 10, and a Pokémon can only be traded once, so whatever you receive stays with you.

How much Stardust does a trade cost?

Less the better you know each other. Friendship cuts the price by 20% at Great Friends, 92% at Ultra Friends and 96% at Best Friends. Special Trades cost more than ordinary ones at every level.

What is a Special Trade in Pokémon GO?

A trade of something you don't already have or can't easily get again: a Pokémon new to your Pokédex, a Legendary, a Shiny, an Ultra Beast, a new form or a Pokémon carrying a special feature. Special Trades cost more Stardust and you can only do a limited number each day.

Which Pokémon can't be traded?

22 species can't be traded at all, Mew and Arceus among them, and neither can anything that has already been traded once. 7 fused or transformed forms are out too, including Black Kyurem, even though the species itself trades.

Which Pokémon evolve for free after a trade?

10 of them: Boldore, Gurdurr, Karrablast, Shelmet, Phantump, Pumpkaboo, Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler, Haunter. Trade one and its next evolution costs no Candy, which is 1,600 Candy across the whole set.

What is a Lucky Pokémon?

A Pokémon that comes out of a trade with a shimmer on it and costs 50% less Stardust to power up for the rest of its life. It happens at random, and the longer you've had the Pokémon, the better the odds.

How do you trade remotely in Pokémon GO?

Reach Forever Friends, at 180 friendship points, then tag up to 3 Pokémon you'd offer. You each pick from the other's tagged list, you have 48 hours per step, and you can do 1 a day. A remote trade never counts as a Special Trade.

How long does it take to become Best Friends?

90 friendship points, and you earn one a day from opening a Gift, raiding or battling together, so about 3 months. Forever Friends takes 180 points, or about 6.