With the current high demand for items in consumer electronics stores, it is common for customers to make pre-orders so they don’t miss out.
So if you are wondering about the Best Buy pre-order policy and how it works, keep on reading! Here is what I discovered.
Key Takeaways
Best Buy Pre-Order Policy In 2022
Best Buy allows customers to pre-order products such as gaming consoles, video games, movies, and other electronics as of 2022. Once a Best Buy pre-order has been made, the payment will typically be charged 5 days before the product is to be shipped, unless it is being picked up in-store.
If you want to get more information on how pre-orders at Best Buy works, the pre-order charges at Best Buy, and if you can cancel pre-orders at Best Buy, keep reading!
How Do Pre-Orders Work At Best Buy?
Pre-orders at Best Buy allow customers to place an order for an item that is not in stock or is yet to be released. In most cases, Best Buy will provide a release date so you can be aware of when to expect the item.
Additionally, Best Buy will allow you to place an order for an unavailable item and charge you once the is released or ready for shipping.
In order to complete pre-orders successfully, you will have to ensure that your card is up to date and does not expire between the time you placed the order and the time of release or shipping.
Does Best Buy Charge When You Pre-Order?
No, Best Buy does not charge your items at the time you place the pre-order. Instead, Best Buy will only charge once your items are shipped to the address you provided or are ready for collection at the store.
According to Best Buy’s pre-order policy, placing a pre-order online will require that you authorize the form of payment, which creates a temporary authorization hold on your account.
The hold on your credit card confirms to Best Buy that the credit card has sufficient funds.
Thereafter, the hold will be automatically released after a few business days, resulting in the funds being drawn back into your account.
Before the release date of the pre-ordered items, Best Buy will begin final processing to facilitate the shipping and store pick-up.
The final processing will result in a second hold that clears up by payment to Best Buy as soon as the item is shipped or ready for collection at Best Buy stores.
It is important to note that if your pre-order cart has different items, Best Buy will charge the items differently since shipping will be done differently, depending on when an item is restocked.
In case you are shopping at Best Buy’s physical store, you can pre-order by paying a deposit amount of as little as $5 to the total cost of the item (inclusive of tax).
The remaining amount is paid when you pick the item at the store and fulfill all transactional requirements.
It is important to note that once you pay the deposit, you cannot add funds to the deposit until you pay the entire amount during shipping or at in-store pick-up.
Does Best Buy Cancel Pre-Orders?
Best Buy allows customers to cancel or make changes to pre-orders for items other than digital content such as movies, music, and game downloads.
For pre-orders placed 5 days or more from the expected release date, you can cancel the pre-order at any time, regardless of the chosen method of shipping.
For pre-orders that are less than 5 days from the expected release dates, cancelation depends on the shipping method chosen. The conditions for canceling orders is as follows:
For standard shipping, cancelation time may have expired and will require that you return the item to the nearest Best Buy store or send it via mail.
It is important to note that the return of items by standard shipping has to abide by Best Buy’s return and exchange policy.
For expedited shipping, a customer is allowed to cancel a pre-order 2 days or more from the street date.
For express shipping, a customer can cancel the pre-order 1 or more days from the street date.
Why Did Best Buy Refund My Pre-Order?
Best Buy could appear to have refunded your money when you order an item online, but this is not the case.
The ‘refund’ is a result of a temporary hold in your account that makes it look like Best Buy has returned the initially deducted money.
Initially, when you pre-order from Best Buy, the authorization to make payment will create a hold that will be later on released before deduction when the item is ready for shipping or pick up.
Therefore, if Best Buy appears to have refunded money to your bank account, you should authorize a second payment since the money will be charged and deducted just before shipping.
Why Did My Best Buy Pre-order Get Canceled?
Best Buy might cancel your pre-order if there is a failed verification during the order process.
Ideally, Best Buy requires automatic verification of shipping information, billing information, and payment details.
In case you receive an email from Best Buy stating that there was failed verification on any of these details, you will be prompted to fix the issue.
If Best Buy’s system determines that the issue cannot be fixed, then the order may be canceled.
Therefore, to avoid the cancellation of your order, you have to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date.
Why Does Best Buy Charge Twice On Pre-orders?
Best Buy does not charge twice for pre-order. Instead, Best Buy confirms that there is sufficient credit on your credit card by card by creating a temporary hold once you authorize payment.
Once the credit has been confirmed to be sufficient, the payment is released and deducted in the final stages of processing the purchase.
To learn more, you might also be interested in reading up on Walmart’s pre-order policy, if Best Buy charges a restocking fee, and the Best Buy video game return policy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, high demand for consumer goods leads to reduced stock in Best Buy stores.
Therefore, Best Buy has provided customers with a means to pre-order items so that they can get them once the store has restocked.