Welcome back to another year of the (formerly) most blessed event in Canadian gaming! E3 preorder deals have a long tradition in Canada, and they are back this year!
A History Lesson:
In previous years, Future Shop (rip) and Best Buy during E3 would give a 33% discount of the price of new games provided you ordered 3 or more. This was wonderful because of the relatively hassel free protential for returns or cancellations.
This got even better last year when Amazon jumped into the fray, matching the offer and mistakenly giving many up to 50% off the price of new releases. Sadly, the closure of Future Shop and the rise of Canadian gaming prices has brought us to today.
How it works this year:
UPDATE: Amazon has saved us!!!
LIST OF ELIGIBLE TITLES
List of eligible and missing Amazon.ca E3 promo games. Let me know if it's not viewable. Quote/PM me if you have any games that need adding, or if any of the games become available.
To be eligible, they must show this on the product page:
You can make as many orders as you need, but there is no reason not to make one big order either. If you cancel a game but have more than 3 still in the order, the deal is not affected.
Best Buy:
Basically, you have to sign up for reward zone and enter your email. They will email you 4 unique codes (ugh), one for each day which can be used to get the deal.
Best Buy has also said they will price match any future lower prices and apply the deal to the lower price, unlike in previous years.
Some great things to know from dancrane212:
dancrane212 said:Sale is online only.
You are not charged until shipping and you are only charged for the game that is shipped out, not the entire order if other games release at a later date.
You can cancel at any time even if one of the games has already shipped.
Games may or may not be added to each retailer's list as they are announced.
At least for BestBuy I can guarantee returning games does not affect your current order, but I haven’t had to return a E3 ordered game to Amazon yet so I’m not sure how it works there. Canceling part of the order on Amazon will void the discount on the entire order.
Amazon:
Pros
Prices can update
The promotional price is applied to the regular game price and will be updated if that base price for the game ever decreases before releasing. So say you order a game $40 with a 15% discount and said game goes on sale a couple months which lowers the regular price to $35. When your game ships you will be charged $35 minus the 15% promotion. If the Canadian dollar ever gains ground on the US and the prices are updated on Amazon you will get the cheaper price in addition to your discount.
Better website
Orders can be adjusted online at any time even if part of the order has been shipped. You are able to change billing/shipping information all from the web portal without any issue.
Amazon Prime
If you are a prime subscriber (or use the free trial for the week of E3) you can order all your games with the “free” prime shipping option to give yourself a much better experience than the slower default, free, option. Preorders made while a prime member are not changed (reverted to a lower shipping tier) if your subscription ends before the item is shipped.
Cons
Shipping
While I have heard and experienced bad shipping times with both companies non-prime orders have usually been very late shipping to me on the east coast, and are usually much slower than Best Buy.
Harder to return
There are no Amazon retail location so returning unwanted games is more of a process than just dropping by a Best Buy.
Best Buy:
Pros
Retail Locations
With Best Buy having a decent amount of retail locations throughout Canada it makes returning unwanted games very easy. This will not affect your remaining games in the order.
Faster default shipping times compared to Amazon.
If you’ve ever been to the Canadian deals thread here on Gaf you’ve certainly seen, or experienced yourself, the very slow delivery speeds you can encounter when using the free shipping option on Amazon.ca. Best Buy, while not perfect, does seem to have a much better track record of getting you the game sooner than Amazon (default free shipping) with their free shipping option.
Cons
Terrible website.
Once part of your order ships you cannot update any information on said order. If 1 of your 3 games ship and you move or need to change the credit card attached to the order you will need to call up Best Buy support and have them correct it on their end.
Previously didn't make updates to the base price of a game.
Last year Captain Toad was added to the Best Buy during the E3 promotion as a $59.99 game. When the official price was unveiled and updated on the website ($39.99) it did not do so on existing orders from E3 and folk ended up paying a couple dollars more than MSRP ($59.99 - 30% rather than $40). To fix this you had to call up Best Buy’s phone line and hope you got someone who understood and was sympathetic to your cause to fix the situation. Someone at work was on the phone for a good couple of hours trying to get something worked out before he made any progress. Best Buy now says they will adjust the price but it doesn't appear the website is capable of tracking such a change yet. Keep that in mind while ordering.
Best Buy Official FAQ:
Best Buy said:E3 2015 FAQ:
What is the E3 pre-order deal this year?
During E3 2015 (June 15-18), Reward Zone™ Gamers Club members can receive 20% off games when pre-ordering 2 or more eligible games online at once. This includes games that are newly announced at E3!
And we have an extra special promotion for you Nintendo fans! Follow this link for more information on the Best Buy exclusive Nintendo Button set!
How do I get the deal?
You must be a Reward Zone™ Gamers Club member and request your exclusive daily codes. Once you have your codes, select the 2 or more games you’d like to pre-order and add them to your cart. Enter your exclusive E3 pre-order code during checkout and the discounted price will be displayed.
How do I get my codes if I am a member of Reward Zone or Reward Zone Gamers Club?
If you are a Reward Zone Gamers Club member, click here, select “Already a Reward Zone Member”, follow the directions from there and your codes will be emailed to you!
How do I get my codes if I am not a member of Reward Zone or Reward Zone Gamers Club?
If you are not a Reward Zone Gamers Club member, click here, select “Not a Reward Zone Member”, follow the directions from there and your codes will be emailed to you.
How to use your codes:
During E3 (June 15-18), add 2 or more pre-order games to your cart.
Check your email for the code that corresponds to the current date of the offer.
While in checkout, enter the code in the “Add a promotional code” field on the right of the page. The 20% discount will be applied to all pre-order games in your order.
Continue through checkout, submit your order, and save big!
Check out up to once per day, June 15-18th.
When can I start using my codes?
The promotion is valid from June 15- 18 and the codes will only work between those dates. Since they are single use codes, save them for when you are ready to order. Each code is valid on a specific date, so do ensure you’re using the correct day’s code.
Why am I receiving one code for each day of E3?
New games will be announced each day and you may want to pre-order them as they’re announced. Since our codes can only be used once, we’re providing you with one code per day to make sure you can get the deal every day of E3 if you’d like.
I lost the E3 promo codes that were emailed to me, what do I do?
If you deleted the email that contained your codes, contact us at 1-866-969-7393. We will confirm your eligibility and provide you with replacement codes.
Will the discount apply to any game on bestbuy.ca?
The discount only applies to pre-order games online and includes the newly announced titles from E3 (see disclaimer below). The offer is not available for in-store pre-orders.
Does the 20% discount apply to my whole order or only video games?
The discount does not apply to any other types of items you have within your order or games that are not eligible (see disclaimer below).
A game I want to pre-order is not on the website yet. What should I do?
Sit tight! We will be adding titles throughout the week as fast as possible. We’re aiming to have every title announced at E3 up for pre-order before the promotion expires.
If there is a pre-order DLC announced at a later date, will I get it?
If a preorder DLC bonus is announced for the standard edition of the title you preorder, you will absolutely get the bonus! (A Day One version for example)
If a game is sold out online, will there be a chance for them to come back on for pre-orders again?
Yes! Keep checking back as all titles should be in-stock during the pre-order window.
Do I have to pay for the games when I order them?
No, you will have to add your payment details when you check out, but you won’t be charged until each game is ready to ship. It does not matter if they all come out at different times.
If the price of the game is reduced closer to release, what does this mean for my order?
You will receive 20% off the new lower price! That is, as long as your order and the games are all eligible for the promotional deal.
Can I update my method of payment at a later date if needed?
If you have placed your order as a guest, payment methods cannot be updated after you have submitted your order. Members can definitely update their payment information; follow this link for full detail and instructions or call customer service directly at 1-866-969-7393
Why are so many of the release dates set for December 31st?
This is just a placeholder date; all games will be updated with the actual release dates once our vendor partners have provided us with full details.
How does the shipping work? Does pre-ordering them at once mean they'll ship together?
Each game will be shipped as they are released.
Does this promotion work in-store too as I’d rather pick them up in-store on launch day?
Unfortunately, this is an online-only promotion and the games will be delivered to your shipping address as they are released.
Do you have any other recommendations to make this the smoothest experience ever?
-Place your order as a member (rather than using the guest option) so you always have access to your order details and can update them online as needed.
-Questions about codes are to be directed to RZ Gamers Club customer service (1-866-969-7393)
-Questions about your order can be directed to Customer Service
-Enter your Reward Zone™ member ID to ensure that you receive your 2x Reward Zone Points you get for every dollar spent on all new and used games and gaming accessories as a Reward Zone Gamers Club member.
What if I haven’t received my Reward Zone Member ID at the time I make my purchase?
Just leave this field blank, and we will ensure your points are added to your account within 36-days of your purchase. Unfortunately, with such a high volume of new members coming in, there may be a delay in the distribution of Reward Zone Member ID numbers. If you don’t see your points reflected in your account after 36-days, please call Best Buy Reward Zone Canada Member Services toll-free at 1-866-969-7393 (Canadian customers only).
Disclaimer & Details:
Offer valid for Reward Zone Gamers Club members only. A valid offer code must be used at the time of order. Offer cannot be combined with any other promotional offer. No dealers please. Best Buy reserves the right to cancel any orders that are fraudulent or do not comply with the terms of this offer. Excludes: Skylanders & Disney Infinity, LEGO Dimensions and Collectors Editions of software titles. See BestBuy.ca/E3 for details. Reward Zone points will be automatically added to your Reward Zone account 36 days after the purchase date.
Quick Math Reference:
30% Off:
79.99 = 55.99
74.99 = 52.49
69.99 = 48.99
64.99 = 45.49
59.99 = 41.99
49.99 = 34.99
39.99 = 27.99
20% off:
$79.99 = $63.99
$74.99 = $59.99
$69.99 = $55.99
$64.99 = $51.99
$59.99 = $47.99
$49.99 = $39.99
Some things to keep in mind:
You can cancel your order up until it ships, and you can return anything unopened to the store for a refund. No real risk to preordering anything here!
Best Buy will be adding all the new stuff announced at the conferences, so it doesn't hurt to wait until the end to see what you want.
Quick Links:
Deal home
Xbox One Titles
PS4 Titles
Wii U Titles
3DS Titles
Vita Titles
Remember everyone, it's even better than last year!
Will update OP if Amazon matches.