Preordering a new iPhone on launch day is often as exciting as it is frustrating. Apple has never made preordering its latest products especially simple, but that appears to be changing this year. iPhone 13 preorders officially open at 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET on Friday, September 17th, but you can do much of the prep work right now. Go to Apple’s online store, click on “Get ready” under the iPhone 13 model you want, and then follow the steps you normally would to preorder an iPhone. When you log back into Apple.com on Friday morning, all you’ll need to do is complete your order.
One very important caveat: You can only prep your iPhone 13 preorders until Thursday night at 9 PM PT / 12 AM ET. If you don’t lock in the details of your order before midnight on the East Coast, you’ll have to wait until Friday morning to scramble for a preorder.
iPhone 13 preorders open at 8 AM ET on Friday
Apple even went as far as to publish a news release describing the simplified preorder process: “Apple is making it easier than ever for customers to get ready for pre-orders of iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 mini. From now until tonight at 9 p.m. PDT, customers can get a head start on pre-orders by choosing their iPhone 13 model, selecting how they want to pay, and leaving the product in their shopping bag, so they’re only a click away once pre-orders open.”
In that same release, Apple notes that there are new ways to pay monthly for an iPhone. You can also add an Apple Card as a payment method and get 3% cash back. You’ll get the cash back whether you choose to pay for the iPhone 13 all at once or in monthly installments.
The easiest way to save money on a new iPhone from Apple’s online store is via trade-in. Apple says that customers can save up to $1,000 on an iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max by trading in an old device. If you go to an Apple Store, you will receive instant credit toward a purchase or an Apple Gift Card. If you’re trading in a device from home, Apple will ship you a prepaid trade-in kit to pack it in. But don’t forget to search around to see if you can get more for your device elsewhere.
If all goes accordingly, this could be one of the least stressful iPhone launches. Once again, iPhone 13 preorders officially open at 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET on Friday, September 17th. iPhone 13 models will arrive in stores and be delivered to customers starting Friday, September 24th.
