I went in yesterday to pre-order. I didn't put any money down. They said they will charge my card when I pick it up. I received an email confirmation within about 10 minutes after I pre-ordered the phone.
Did you pre-order it online, or did you go inside the store? I might go pre-order (now that they're shipping) it at my local best buy to receive the $50 gift card. Or is that just an online deal?