Apple Watch Debit and Credit Card Charges Begin in the UK, Germany, and France

A few MacRumors readers have taken to the forums to confirm that Apple has begun charging many users based out of the UK, Germany, and France who got in an Apple Watch pre-order early on April 10.

applewatchemojis
The charges in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France come after customers in the United States yesterday began first experiencing charges taken from their debit or credit cards, followed by a change of order status from "Processing Items" to "Preparing for Shipment", for a select group of customers.

As reported earlier yesterday, bulk shipments of Apple's new wearable began arriving at centralized distribution centers across the United States in preparation for the April 24 launch date this Friday. Despite the forward momentum of the news over the past day or so, there still has not been any change to the initial 4/24 - 5/8 delivery date estimate for all of the Apple Watch's early pre-order customers.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...

Top Rated Comments

lellis2k Avatar
140 months ago
Note to self: next time I think "I'll wait and see what people think about this new Apple product" just stop being stupid and order it at midnight.
Estimated Dispatch: June :(
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hlfway2anywhere Avatar
140 months ago
Weird because literally nobody with a 42mm stainless steel w/black sport band has changed status yet.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lotabob Avatar
140 months ago
My bank account just got lighter. No progress on the Apple order status though. It's so funny. Adults (me included) getting so hyped about money going out of our accounts. The exact opposite of normal.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cleareyes Avatar
140 months ago
Does this mean they're supposed to have finished in the US & Canada, because I still haven't been charged in Canada and I had an 4/24-5/8 conformation at 3:04am EDT
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hankkk Avatar
140 months ago
Beta testers just like the iPad1 , I'll wait and get the slimmer, faster, better watch next year that will have support for years to come

Good for you
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MarkW19 Avatar
140 months ago
For those worrying about their order status not yet changing to 'preparing for shipping' (as I have been): I sent a message to Barclaycard to confirm what the pending charges were that weren't yet listed, and they confirmed it was £519 from the Apple Online Store (the price of my SS w/sport band watch). I've checked online, and Apple only process these pending charges when they're preparing an item for despatch, and they then fully charge the card as soon as the item has left them.

Bottom line: if you have a pending charge for your watch - regardless of your current order status - I'm sure you'll get it on Friday. There's plenty of time for the order status to update to preparing and then shipped between now and then, it could even happen as late as Thursday since all UK orders will be shipped next-day anyway.

It's put my mind at rest anyway...now here's to getting to Friday, what a long couple of weeks this has been!!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)