How to order the iPhone SE in the U.S.

Want to pick up the iPhone SE? Here's how to do it.

Apple's new four-inch iPhone SE arrives in the United States on March 31, but you'll be able to start forking over your hard-earned cash for one very soon: On March 24, the iPhone pre-order floodgates will open.

Unlike Apple's traditional pre-orders, there's no set time to begin ordering the iPhone SE: As with the Apple TV pre-order, the company may let you buy an SE as soon as 12:01 a.m. or as late as 11:59 p.m.

We may not know the exact time, but we're preparing in earnest: Here are the various ways you can buy the iPhone SE.

Not in the U.S? Here's how to pre-order iPhone SE in the U.K., and Canada.

First: Check your upgrade eligibility and pricing

Before you do anything else, you'll want to check the state of your current wireless contract, as that will dictate how much you'll pay for your shiny new iPhone SE. If you're on any of Apple's major partner carriers, you can pre-check your eligibility right on the company's website: It then stores this information for pre-ordering time.

If you're on Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program, you may also want to check with Apple about the status of your eligibility to switch to an iPhone SE. If you purchased an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus through the program and are considering switching to the SE, you're only seven months into your contract, and you may need to wait a few more before you're eligible.

If you don't have a carrier plan currently, or aren't sure what your various options are, I'd also advise reading our carrier guides:

• Which U.S. iPhone carrier and plan should you get?
• Which Canadian iPhone carrier and plan should you get?
• Which U.K. iPhone carrier and plan should you get?

Second: Should I have my iPhone mailed to me or pick it up in-store?

This largely depends on how quickly you want your iPhone, whether you want to drive anywhere, whether your carrier plan's billing address matches your current address, and if you plan to trade in your old iPhone or take advantage of Apple's Upgrade Program.

If you choose to have your iPhone pre-order mailed to you, you're at the whim of your local UPS or FedEx drivers. If your driver regularly comes at 8AM, you may get your iPhone earlier than the crowd; if your house or apartment doesn't usually get deliveries until 8PM, you may feel a little FOMO.

In addition, picking up in store is often the only way students or kids on their parents' plan can get their device on day one: Due to certain carrier rules, you may be required to ship the phone to the billing address on file—which may not be your current address.

There's also the upgrade or trade-in route to consider: Currently, if you want to trade in your old device or take advantage of Apple's Upgrade Program, you have to do this in-store. No ordering online for you.

The best way to order: The Apple Store app

If you want to avoid stalling pages when pre-orders open, you can make your current iPhone be the cause of its own eventual resale-or-drawer-dom demise by ordering via the Apple Store app. This is my preferred method, in large part because the app is quick, easy, requires very little effort on your part, and best of all — you can use Apple Pay.

It might be a little mean to make your current iPhone buy your new one, but hey — all's fair in love and pre-ordering.

• Apple Store app - Download now

If you want to use a computer: Apple.com

If you have a partner carrier plan in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world, you can pre-order on Apple.com.

• iPhone SE - Order here

If you need to: Go through your carrier

While I've personally had little luck going through AT&T's store in a timely manner, I know some people swear by carrier websites for fast pre-ordering. Most carriers will offer an online ordering process, including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile, as well as international carriers.

Like the Apple Store app and Apple.com, many of the carriers often offer "pre-registration," which lets you pre-enter your carrier details to speed up the process of acquiring a new phone.

If all else fails: Check the other big box stores

If Apple and the carrier websites are failing — or you want to support big-box stores—you can pre-order your very own iPhone SE on one of the websites for the electronics store of your choice. Best Buy, Walmart, and Target usually offer pre-order sales, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were other stores with the same options; if you want to try pre-ordering someplace I haven't listed, your best bet is to check the company's website first to make sure the iPhone SE is available.

Questions?

Are you picking up a new iPhone SE? Have other questions about the pre-order process? Let us know below.