Walmart Pre-Order Policy In 2022: Everything You Need To Know Before Placing Your Pre-Order

Are you looking forward to a new product launch this year? Want to make sure you secure the hottest tech, games, and more on release day without hassles?

Then pre-ordering at Walmart may be perfect for you!

Walmart offers pre-orders on some of the most in-demand and anticipated new releases. As a Walmart pre-order customer, you can relax knowing you‘ve locked in the product you want and will get it in your hands as soon as possible after launch.

However, before you click that pre-order button, there are some key policies and fine print you need to know about Walmart pre-orders.

In this detailed guide, we will explore:

• Exactly how Walmart‘s pre-order process works
• Walmart‘s pre-order payment timelines
• Expected delivery date for your pre-order
• How to cancel if your plans change
• Return policies for pre-ordered items
• Shipping costs and fees
• Eligible pre-order product categories
• And much more!

By understanding the ins and outs of Walmart‘s pre-order system, you can confidently pre-purchase your most anticipated items worry-free. Let‘s get started!

How Does Pre-Ordering at Walmart Work?

Pre-ordering at Walmart is intended to be simple for customers. Here is an overview of what you can expect as a Walmart pre-order shopper:

• Pre-Order Announcements: Walmart will advertise upcoming pre-orders available on Walmart.com for major product releases. This gives you advance notice to prepare.

• Place Your Pre-Order: On the specified pre-order start date, simply add the product to your cart and complete checkout as normal. For very popular items, Walmart may limit quantities available for pre-order.

• Get Confirmation Email: Once your pre-order is placed, Walmart will send you an email confirming the transaction details including expected delivery timeframe.

• Automatic Payment: Walmart will automatically charge your payment method as outlined below, either immediately or when shipment occurs depending on payment type used.

• Shipping Notifications: As your pre-ordered item nears launch and ships from Walmart, they will send shipping confirmations via email and text alerts.

• Delivery: Walmart strives to deliver pre-orders on or near the official product release date. But shipping delays can occur during major launch events when demand strains supply chains.

Overall, the process is straightforward – just monitor for pre-order announcements, purchase ahead of release date, and then wait for delivery!

When Does Walmart Charge for Pre-Orders?

One of the most common pre-order questions is when shoppers will be charged. Walmart has distinct pre-order payment policies depending on payment method:

• Debit Card: Immediately charged full amount when pre-order placed.

• Credit Card: Charged once item ships.

• Walmart Gift Card: Deducts gift card balance immediately.

• Walmart Rewards: Deducts point balance immediately.

• PayPal: Full amount processed immediately.

Let‘s explore the nuances in more detail:

Debit Card Pre-Order Payments

Debit card pre-order transactions will immediately withdraw the full dollar amount from your linked bank account to pay for the pre-order.

• This means sufficient funds must be available in your account at the time you place the pre-order to avoid overdrafts.

• Walmart does this to ensure they can collect payment when the item ships.

• If your debit card expires before the expected ship date, Walmart may cancel your pre-order.

Credit Card Pre-Order Payments

If you pre-order using a credit card, Walmart will instead charge your card only once the item has shipped from their warehouse. This allows more flexibility if your credit card expires before ship date.

However, be aware:

• Walmart may put an authorization hold on the credit card for the pre-order amount. This temporarily reserves the funds but does not process payment.

• Your card must still be valid on the actual ship date or your order may be cancelled.

• Consider keeping the credit card account active until delivery just in case.

Gift Cards, Rewards, PayPal Pre-Order Payments

For Walmart gift cards, Walmart Rewards account balances, and PayPal pre-orders, the full dollar amount is deducted immediately at the time you place the pre-order. Similar to debit cards, these payment forms remove funds right away instead of waiting for shipment.

The bottom line:

• Debit cards, gift cards, Rewards, and PayPal pre-orders are charged immediately when placed.

• Credit cards wait to process payment until the shipment process begins.

Walmart‘s pre-order payment policies can help you plan your purchase in advance!

Expected Pre-Order Delivery Timeframe: Will It Arrive on Release Day?

One question on every pre-order customer‘s mind is: When will my pre-ordered item actually arrive?

Walmart advertises that they work hard to deliver pre-orders by the official product release date. This means if the publisher or manufacturer sets a release date of June 15th for a new video game or iPhone, Walmart intends to fulfill pre-orders to arrive around that same date.

However, Walmart does caution that unforeseen delays in their supply chain or with delivery partners can shift expected delivery dates later, even for pre-sales. Some factors that can cause pre-order delivery delays include:

• High demand – When hot new products launch, the volume of orders can strain Walmart‘s distribution capacity. This is especially true for the holiday season.

• Shipping delays – Bad weather, transportation issues, and other disruptions can slow deliveries from Walmart warehouses to your doorstep.

• Item shortages – If the manufacturer undersupplies the product at launch, Walmart may not receive enough to fulfill all pre-orders on time.

Under normal circumstances, Walmart delivers most pre-orders on or very close to the official street date. But the above factors can push your delivery 2-3 days past the initial release in some cases.

Walmart will share estimated delivery dates in your pre-order confirmation email. Check this and watch for any shipping delay notifications from Walmart as the expected ship date approaches. While not guaranteed, you can expect your Walmart pre-order to ship on or around the release day in most cases.

Eligible Pre-Order Products at Walmart

Walmart offers pre-order opportunities across a wide spectrum of the most in-demand products and entertainment releases. Here are some of the major categories and top products you can expect to pre-order at Walmart:

Electronics Pre-Orders

• Smartphones – iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel
• Tablets – iPad Pro, Galaxy Tab S series
• Smartwatches – Apple Watch, Fitbit Sense
• Laptops – MacBook Pro/Air, Dell XPS, HP Spectre
• Gaming consoles – PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
• Headphones – AirPods Pro, Beats, Bose

According to Walmart pre-order data, iPhones are consistently the hottest electronics available for pre-order each year. Over 2 million iPhone 14 models were pre-ordered in September 2022 alone.

Video Games Pre-Orders

• Call of Duty franchise
• FIFA franchise
• Madden NFL franchise
• Assassin‘s Creed installments
• Super Mario franchise
• The Legend of Zelda games
• NBA 2K series

Video game pre-orders allow buyers to play hot new titles as soon as they launch at midnight. Walmart sees peak pre-order demand for major franchises like Call of Duty and sports games each holiday season.

Movies & TV Show Pre-Orders

• Marvel films
• Star Wars films
• DC films like Batman
• Major animated films
• Limited edition box sets
• TV series fan favorites

According to Walmart, superhero films lead the way with most movie pre-orders, followed by big family animated features. Limited edition DVD/Blu-ray box sets also see strong pre-order interest.

Music Pre-Orders

• Pop artists – Taylor Swift, Adele, Ed Sheeran
• Hip hop artists – Drake, Kanye West
• Country artists – Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan
• Rock bands – Foo Fighters, Green Day
• Vinyl records – Retro albums, new releases

Walmart reports vinyl records have grown exponentially for pre-orders as that format returns to popularity. Top artists across genres commonly have new album pre-orders.

Books/Audiobooks Pre-Orders

• New fiction from bestselling authors – Stephen King, John Grisham etc.
• Upcoming memoirs and non-fiction
• Hotly anticipated new fantasy/sci-fi novels
• Buzzed-about debut authors
• Children‘s books – Dr. Seuss, Mo Willems, etc.

Pre-orders for signed editions and limited early releases also grow for booklovers. Pre-orders of audiobooks simultaneously increase.

Toys & Collectibles Pre-Orders

• Lego sets – Star Wars, Harry Potter, new kits
• Hasbro – Transformers, My Little Pony
• Mattel – Hot Wheels, Barbie
• Funko Pops and accessories

Toy manufacturers strategically limit supply on hot holiday toys, making pre-ordering key to high-demand items as gifts. Walmart also allows pre-orders of collectible figures, exclusives, and limited editions.

So in summary, virtually any major entertainment launch across gaming, movies, music, and books is fair game for pre-order at Walmart. Big electronics releases and toy launches are also pre-order staples.

Walmart wants to offer you first access to the products you‘re most excited about!

Can You Cancel a Walmart Pre-Order?

Life happens, and plans change. So what if you pre-order an item at Walmart but later decide you need to cancel before it ships?

Here are the key points on Walmart‘s pre-order cancellation policy:

• You can request to cancel an order that has not yet shipped.

• Contact Walmart Customer Service to initiate cancellation – this cannot be done independently online.

• If the cancellation occurs before shipment, you will be promptly refunded your full payment.

• Walmart will only allow cancellation before the pre-order leaves their fulfillment center.

• Once an item ships, you cannot cancel but can still return the item.

So you generally have until a pre-order enters the shipping process to cancel with Walmart directly. Some benefits of canceling:

• Immediate refund if already charged.

• Temporary authorization holds also removed from your account if placed.

• Avoid committing to an item you no longer want or need.

• Lets Walmart make the inventory available for other customers.

Just be aware – once Walmart ships your pre-order, cancellation is off the table. You‘ll need to wait to receive the item if you want to return it instead.

Act quickly if you need to cancel so Walmart has time to process your request before release date.

Returning Walmart Pre-Orders: Refund Policies

Walmart does allow pre-ordered merchandise to be returned as with any regular purchase. However, some limitations apply:

• The return/refund window opens on the delivery date, not your pre-order date.

• Most items are returnable within 90 days of receiving your order.

• Select categories like electronics and media have shorter 30 day return windows.

• Refunds provided will be the product price only – shipping fees are non-refundable.

• Items must be returned in new condition with original packaging.

Here are key categories with 30 day Walmart pre-order return periods:

• Video games
• Movies/music
• Smartphones
• Laptops
• Tablets
• Smartwatches
• Drones

These categories see high rates of "early buyer‘s remorse", leading Walmart to limit the return timeframe.

Outside of those, you generally have 90 days from delivery to return pre-orders, either by mail or at your local store. Just don‘t wait too long after getting your item!

Will Walmart Charge Multiple Shipping Fees for Pre-Orders?

Here is some good news on Walmart‘s pre-order shipping policies:

• When pre-ordering multiple items in one transaction, Walmart will charge you one single shipping rate for the full order.

• Even if the items ultimately ship from separate warehouses at different times, you still pay shipping only once.

For example, if you pre-order a new video game, drone, and iPhone in one order, Walmart will calculate one flat shipping fee. This is much more affordable than paying shipping per item!

The one exception is oversized/bulky items requiring premium freight shipping – those may incur an additional shipping surcharge. But for most pre-orders, enjoy simplified flat rate shipping from Walmart.

Pre-Order at Walmart with Confidence!

Thanks for taking the time to learn about Walmart‘s pre-order policies before placing your next order!

As you can see, pre-ordering upcoming product releases at Walmart is straightforward and affordable. Now that you understand payment timelines, delivery estimates, returns, and more, you can pre-shop worry-free and conveniently get first access to the items you really want.

Here‘s a recap of the key benefits of pre-ordering at Walmart:

• Lock in hottest new products before sell-out risk
• Guaranteed delivery by or soon after release day
• Automatic shipping as soon as available
• Simplified flat rate shipping on most orders
• Cancellations allowed before shipment
• Standard return policy still applies

With your new knowledge, go treat yourself to that long-awaited video game, album, or electronic you‘ve been dying to get! Happy pre-ordering!