Amazon UK have updated their pre-order payment policy for video games – payment for pre-order items will now be taken upon payment NOT dispatch.

The news comes from former games journalist Dave Scammell who spoke to Amazon directly regarding the updated policy after experiencing it himself:

Spoke to customer services who said their help pages haven’t been updated yet, but that is new policy. — Dave Scammell (@VG_Dave) May 29, 2019

I’ve also spoke to multiple Amazon Customer Services representatives who explained the reason behind the change was due to customers cancelling Limited Edition items close to release, stating it cost a “huge loss for Amazon”. I’m not sure I buy that being the sole reason for the change, but it very well may have been a major factor.

I was told the charge itself will usually take place within 48 hours of when the order is made, however can take up to a maximum of five days. The Pre-Order Price Guarantee is still in place – if the price drops after the order is made, you’ll be refunded the price difference once the order dispatches.

No official word yet on whether or not this will also affect Amazon EU / US sites. However, I’ve already seen reports of customers experiencing the same at Amazon ES and FR. It’s also worth noting this new pre-order policy isn’t exclusive to video games and applies to other items also, such as blu-rays.

The change marks a fairly large policy change for the retailer who would previously take payment for any pre-order items a couple of days before their release, upon dispatch. As a result many gamers flocked to Amazon for their gaming pre-orders thanks to their customer friendly low risk approach. This is now unfortunately not the case.

There were also plenty of customers pre-ordering games purely to benefit from pre-order exclusive betas and bonuses (you know who you are!). Now folks wishing to do so will have to part way with their funds for approximately 5-7 days minimum (the time it takes for the refund to be processed).

Will this influence your likelihood to pre-order upcoming releases from Amazon? Have you been charged for pre-orders before dispatch recently? Let us know!