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What you need to know about pre-ordering the iPhone 5c from major carriers and stores

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While it appears there will not be any preorders available for the iPhone 5s, many retailers and carriers are announcing their iPhone 5c pre-order plans. Starting tonight at 12:01 am Pacific Time tonight, you’ll be able to place your pre-order directly with Apple and have it delivered right to your door on the 20th – as long as you’re able to beat out the other customers (potentially millions) to the punch.

As a result, it may be better to work out a pre-order with a carrier or retailer as the demand could be much more sporadic, as it has been in past years. On the other hand, these outlets usually receive less stock and Apple supplies their own stores more quickly than they do for third-parties. We’ll be watching the shipping times as these pre-orders roll out so check back frequently.

Below you will find all of the current announcements, but you should definitely also take a look at how to get the most money for your current iPhone:

Best Buy

Pre-ordering an iPhone 5c will be available starting tomorrow, September 13th, right when the stores open (in-store only). To pre-order the phone, you’ll have to visit a location and purchase a $50 Best Buy gift card to hold your spot and you’ll need to come back to purchase the phone once it’s released (you can use the gift card). The company isn’t promising that pre-ordering will guarantee you September 20th availability, so you’ll want to be there bright and early tomorrow morning to make sure you get one of the first spots. The retailer is not offering any special pricing beyond Apple’s price points.

best buy

Walmart

Pre-ordering the iPhone 5c through Walmart will actually get you $20 off – they’re offering the device for $79 starting tomorrow and it’ll be available for pickup on September 20th. That is, of course, if you’re able to beat out everyone else that’ll be grabbing this great deal. They’ll be offering the iPhone 5s for $189 starting September 20th. Expect huge Black Friday-like lines and very few units.

Radio Shack

Radio Shack is yet another retailer that is doing pre-orders in-store only starting tomorrow when stores open. You’ll be able to reserve your spot for all carriers, colors, and storage sizes.

T-Mobile

The “Uncarrier” will be offering pre-orders for the iPhone 5c starting tomorrow (time unspecified). You can “express interest” in the phone by typing your information on this form. Unlike other carrier offerings, the iPhone 5c on T-Mobile will be $0 down. The cost of the device will be paid through 24 monthly payments of $22.

Verizon

Pre-orders on Verizon will start September 13th at 12:01 Pacific Time through the website.

Sprint

Just like Verizon, Sprint will be offering pre-orders September 13th at 12:01 Pacific Time through its website.

AT&T

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Lastly, AT&T will follow suit and offer iPhone 5c pre-orders through their website tomorrow morning at 12:01 Pacific Time. Above is a price matrix dealing both contract and AT&T Next pricing. The 5S, while listed above, will not be available for pre-order.

Canadian Carriers

TELUS, Bell, Roger, and Fido will be all offering iPhone 5c pre-orders tomorrow. Pricing information is scarce and we also can’t tell if these pre-orders will be available online or in-store only and what time they will start.

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Comments

  1. Duston Foster - 11 years ago

    You can not preorder any phone with rogers online sadly, has to be done at store level. At least here in Ontario.

    • Dimitri Kyriakis - 11 years ago

      Wrong, very wrong. In Toronto ONTARIO & around the GTA, all Rogers stores are NOT allowed to do pre orders. All reservations for Rogers customers have to be done online. All pre orders for new customers have to be done online as well. Rogers stores ( not authorized) are not allowed to take pre orders or reservations. This has been made clear for the past 3 years now.

      Rogers Authorized dealerships can not.

      • Dimitri Kyriakis - 11 years ago

        Rogers Authorized dealerships can** They are not part of Rogers communications, they are just authorized dealers to sell Rogers products. They have their own warehouse / inventory then Rogers does.

  2. Jesse Letain - 11 years ago

    Does anyone know if it will be different in the apple store to buy a phone out right? I know last year you couldn’t do that but I figured this year it may be different because of T-Mobile.

    • MaRico NoHands Spikes - 11 years ago

      Supposedly, all iPhones will be available on the 20th, contract or non contract, but that’s what I heard thru the grape vine, or Apple Orchard in this case

  3. Javier Peralta Zamora - 11 years ago

    Hello 9to5 mac, im in usa but i live in mexico. Im olanning make line in the florida mall apole stor, do you know if im gonna can, 1 buy a iphone 5s or 5c unlocked factory, inc ase of not i can buy one for full price with no contract, and unlocked via imei?.
    Please help me thabks

    • Omar Fierros - 11 years ago

      Javier, podrás comprar tu iPhone en el Apple store a precio completo sin contrato, a vienen desbloqueados de fábrica para ser usados en cualquiera compañía, te recomiendo que investigues en tu compañía de celular en México sí es que te lo vas a llevar para allá para ver como te lo pueden activar, saludos y suerte!

      • Javier Peralta Zamora - 11 years ago

        Te agradesco infinitamente tu respuesta ya me emocioneee jajajaja, por cierto en retail store hasta cuantos iphones puedo comprar?

  4. Jaime Wilkesheski - 11 years ago

    Note that the AT&T NEXT program is 20 payments of the payment specified. 5s 16GB $27mo x 20 = $540. So, its $110 less then the standard 5s – off contract price.

    • KevinQ (@ksuyen) - 11 years ago

      Hi I am just wondering how the contracts work in US? Does the $22/mo price include calls, data and SMS like those in other countries?

      • MaRico NoHands Spikes - 11 years ago

        You pick a 2yr plan for $XX.xx(min$19) includes talk time, sometimes text if not you have to add text for min$5 , You pick data for whatever Gigs you figure your going to use for $XX.xx(min$15), then add next plan for $XX.xx (different regions range from $22-$27), add all that up for your monthly price.
        Family Plan is the way to go, I used a lot of data (I’m unlimited LTE thru AT&T using iPhone 5) and little minutes so sharing minutes is best for me plus we get roll over, so all in all to me I have unlimited minutes when I need them most.i only pay about $75 month.

  5. Alex (Wulf) (@Vwulf99) - 11 years ago

    Just called ATT and they said that you can pre-order both models tonight at 12:01 PST.

    • Dimitri Kyriakis - 11 years ago

      Are you sure? How does that work. No other carriers in US & Canada even Apple will not let pre orders for the 5S but ATT does? Hmm….

    • Jonathan West - 11 years ago

      I don’t see anything about pre-ordering the 5S on att.com. I’m about to pre-order a 5C for my wife though.

  6. Hamza Sheikh - 11 years ago

    Ouch. Sadly, I cannot also pre-order the iPhone 5c right now in my area. I have been planning to get my iPhone 5c from T-Mobile.

  7. Mike Swanson - 11 years ago

    I went to a Walmart in Vancouver Washington. No lines but the employees were clueless and did not know anything about the pre-order. They called another store and same story. Apparently they did not get the memo.