Excitement for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 has been growing rapidly—but for some Target customers, the pre-order experience has been nothing short of a headache. Several shoppers who eagerly secured their consoles in advance have now taken to social media to express anger over unexpected charges, cancelled orders, and poor communication.
With the official release of the console scheduled for June 5, these problems have left many customers confused and disappointed, wondering whether they’ll receive their device at all.
Simon’s Pre-Order Nightmare
One affected shopper, Simon, shared his story on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Like many gaming fans, Simon was thrilled to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 through Target. But things didn’t go as planned.
He explained that Target initially placed a pre-authorization hold on his card, which unexpectedly turned into an actual charge and stayed on his account for 10 days. After the funds were returned, a second charge attempt came just 24 hours later, at a time when Simon had already paid his rent—causing the payment to fail and his pre-order to be cancelled.
“I chose to pre-order with Target as I am a loyal patron,” he wrote, “but now it’s cancelled. This needs fixing.”
Other Customers Share the Same Experience
Simon wasn’t alone. Other Target customers reported the exact same issue, with one stating, “How are you going to double charge me for my Switch 2 and then a couple days later cancel my pre-order?”
Another user added: “Had the money in my account for the 2 weeks or so, then the hold clears. I had to spend the money on bills, and they tried again later. It’s scummy.”
One of them summed up the confusion, saying:
“Console ships on June 5. You give me back the money on May 3, then try to take it again on the 5th. After two tries, it goes through—but they still cancelled.”
Many users voiced that they now prefer buying in-store to avoid such issues altogether.
Target Responds
Target responded publicly to the complaints with a standard message, saying:
“That’s not good! When you place a pre-order, Target sends an authorization hold request to your card issuer. Please Direct Message us with your full contact information, and order number so that we can look into this further.”
The company also encouraged customers to contact the support line for help resolving the issue.
How Pre-Orders Work at Target
According to Target’s policy, pre-orders do not charge your card until the item ships, but the system may place an authorization hold, which appears as a charge for several days. If the item doesn’t ship right away, the hold may expire and be re-processed—sometimes unexpectedly.
This can cause major issues if customers no longer have enough funds in their account at the time of the second authorization. If the second charge fails, the order is often cancelled automatically.
As anticipation builds for the Nintendo Switch 2, Target’s pre-order process has left some loyal customers feeling let down. With multiple buyers experiencing the same double authorization issue and subsequent order cancellations, shoppers are now questioning whether online pre-orders are worth the risk. For now, affected buyers are advised to contact Target support directly and consider in-store purchases on launch day to avoid similar issues.