When does Walmart charge for preorders?
By Britton Jewell · Last updated
Short answer: when it ships, or when you pick it up, if you pay with a card. Preorders paid with PayPal or a gift card are charged the day you order. On listings marked Preorder Price Guarantee, Walmart charges the lowest price it offered between your order and the day it ships. Walmart can cancel preorders for several reasons, including quantity limits and bulk purchases.
Who wrote this: Britton Jewell, a collectibles reseller who runs BuyHoldCollect. Everything below comes from Walmart's own help pages, Terms of Use and listing terms, which we link or quote at each point (checked ). Your order confirmation is the final word for your order. More about us.
When you're charged, by payment method
| You pay with | When you're charged |
|---|---|
| Credit or debit card | When the order is handed to the carrier, or when you pick it up. You may see a pending authorization before then. |
| PayPal | When you place the order |
| Gift card or eGift Card | When you place the order |
Source: Walmart's Terms of Use say "you will not be charged for most orders until the order has been picked up by you or delivered to the carrier," and list the exceptions: "orders or preorders paid for with a Gift Card, eGift Card, or PayPal account." The Preorder Price Guarantee terms on preorder listings say the same.
If you're keeping a figure's cost off your card until it ships, use a card, not PayPal. If you'd rather pay now and forget about it, PayPal or a gift card does that.
The Preorder Price Guarantee
Some Walmart preorder listings show "Preorder Price Guarantee" under the price, with a Details link. Those terms say "you will not be charged more than the price displayed when you completed your order." After that it depends on the seller:
- Sold by Walmart: "you will be charged the lowest price offered by Walmart for the item between the time you completed your order and the time the item ships to you."
- Sold by a Marketplace seller: you pay the price shown when you ordered, no lower.
It only covers items that aren't ready to ship yet, show the guarantee statement on the listing, and are bought by eligible customers. Check for the statement and the "Sold and shipped by" line before you order. Compare Amazon, whose guarantee runs to the end of release day and also covers only items it sells (see when Amazon charges for preorders).
Marketplace sellers
Some preorders on Walmart.com come from third-party Marketplace sellers, not Walmart. Walmart's seller guide says its Preorder program is invitation-only, sellers have to "honor the original purchase price," and the item "must be shipped the day of the product's release" (Walmart Marketplace preorder guide). The same charge rule applies: card payments are charged at shipping. The difference is cancelling and returns, below.
Cancelling a Walmart preorder
You can request cancellation of most orders "before they are processed." Sign in, go to Account, then Purchase history, find the order and select Request Cancellation at the bottom, if it's there. The option may be missing if the order is on its way, or if you ordered from a Marketplace seller. In that case Walmart points you to returns once the item arrives (edit or cancel an order). While a Walmart order is being prepared, you can also change the payment method or shipping address there.
Why Walmart cancels preorders
Walmart's canceled orders page lists the reasons: the order "exceeded our rules for quantity limits and bulk purchases," the item is out of stock, a price or listing error, a fraud check that needs more information, an unavailable carrier, or an outdated app or browser. You get an email, and "if we cancel your order, we won't charge you." A pending hold from your bank can still take a while to drop off; Walmart says it can't remove it.
Walmart's Terms of Use also reserve the right to limit quantities "per person, per household, or per order," and "to prohibit sales to dealers or resellers" (Terms of Use). Stick to the listed limit on hot preorders. For the other reasons preorders get cut, see why was my preorder cancelled?
Hot items: preorders vs. drawings
Walmart sells some high-demand collectibles through its Collectibles Drawing instead of a normal preorder. You enter your payment method up front, you're charged automatically only if you're picked, and entries can't be changed (Walmart's drawing rules). For how that works with Pokémon cards and other sell-out items, see why are Pokémon cards and hot toys always sold out? Walmart's regular preorders for figures, Funko Pops and trading cards are listed on its Collectible Preorders page, with a release date and an estimated arrival on each item.
Quick answers
Does Walmart charge for preorders right away?
Not if you pay with a card. Walmart charges a preorder when it ships or when you pick it up. Preorders paid with PayPal, a gift card or an eGift Card are charged when you place the order.
Does Walmart lower the price of a preorder?
Only on listings that show the Preorder Price Guarantee. For those items sold by Walmart, you're charged the lowest price Walmart offered between your order and the day it ships. For Marketplace sellers, you pay the price shown when you ordered.
Why do I see a pending charge from Walmart for a preorder?
It's usually an authorization hold your bank placed when you ordered. Walmart says it can't remove the hold; your bank releases it on its own schedule. If you paid with PayPal or a gift card, it's a real charge, because those are charged at order.
Can I cancel a Walmart preorder?
Usually, before it's processed. Go to Purchase history, find the order and select Request Cancellation if it's available. Marketplace seller orders may not have that option; then you return the item once it arrives.
Why did Walmart cancel my preorder?
Walmart lists quantity limits and bulk purchases, out-of-stock items, price or listing errors, a fraud check, an unavailable carrier and an outdated app or browser. If Walmart cancels, you aren't charged, though a bank hold can take time to drop off.
New to terms like preorder, MSRP or exclusive? See our collector and reseller glossary.
Related: When do preorders get charged? Store-by-store · When does Amazon charge for preorders? · When does Target charge for preorders? · Why is everything sold out?
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Store policies change. This page is general information, not financial advice, and BuyHoldCollect isn't affiliated with Walmart. Quotes are from Walmart's help pages, Terms of Use and preorder listing terms as of October 20, 2026.