Quote Originally Posted by Jojoya View Post
I have yet to be charged immediately when I pre-order a FFXIV expansion through the SE store.

I just went back through my payment method statements to confirm. I pre-ordered Shadowbringers but was not charged until July 3, 2019 (official release date).

I pre-ordered Endwalker and was not charged until November 15, 2021 (a week before the original announced release date that got pushed back at the last minute).

Perhaps it will be different this year but that is not how it's been done in the past.
It was changed back in May 2023. Preorders are now processed immediately as soon as the order is placed.