Never. I hate the preorder exclusive bonuses; it’s anti-consumer bullshit, especially in an age where every game is available as a digital download, even the physical copies usually require downloads. Publishers are enticing customers to pay while hype is high, before the product is actually available, before quality has been proven and before reviews are published.

I hate gift cards for the same reason, you’re giving money to corporations before they’ve provided anything to you.

Hold on to your money, wait for reviews, then pay them for the finished product if you still want it.

I also think the rising launch prices of AAA games is bullshit, especially for singleplayer games. I’ll usually wait for a decent discount.