Apple Return Policy: 14-⁠Day Window, Refunds, Gifts & Price Drops

Apple's return policy is short and strict compared with big-box stores: you get 14 days from the date you receive the product ¹, it has to come back complete, and a few situations – gifts, carrier plans, locked devices – change the outcome. Everything below comes from Apple's U.S. Sales and Refund Policy. To compare with other retailers, see our return policy guides.

Apple's 14-day return window

You can return or exchange a product with a receipt within 14 days of the date you receive it from Apple ¹. Because the clock is tied to the day you receive the product rather than the day you order it, a slow shipment doesn't eat into your two weeks.

The policy covers every Apple-run channel: Apple Store locations, Apple Store Online, the Apple Store App and orders placed by calling Retail Customer Care ¹. It doesn't cover Apple products sold by anyone else – those go back to the retailer that sold them, under that retailer's rules ¹.

What condition the product must be in

Apple expects the product back in its original condition with all of its included parts, accessories and packaging ¹. In practice, that means keeping the box, cables and any inserts until you're sure you're keeping the device. Returned products may be inspected before a refund or exchange is approved ¹.

How Apple refunds you

Apple exchanges the item or refunds it based on the payment method you used ¹. A few payment types have specific rules:

• Cash or cash equivalent over $750: Apple mails you a refund check within 10 business days ¹.
• Apple Account balance: the portion you paid with your balance goes back to your Apple Account, or to an Apple Gift Card if that isn't possible ¹.
• Everything else: once an inspected return is approved, the refund or exchange is issued within 10 business days ¹.

If Apple itself cancels an order after you've paid, it refunds you ¹, and if it can't supply a product you ordered, it cancels the order and refunds the purchase price ¹.

Returning a gift

Gift recipients can return an item with a gift receipt, and Apple will offer an Apple Gift Card ¹ rather than a refund to the original payment, so the value stays with Apple. Apple Gift Cards themselves cannot be returned ¹.

Turn off security features before you return

Apple builds in security features to protect a device if it's lost or stolen. If those features were activated and the person returning the product can't disable them, Apple may refuse the return or exchange ¹. Before you hand over an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch, make sure any security features you turned on are disabled so the return isn't blocked.

iPhones, carriers and AppleCare+

Returning a phone to Apple doesn't settle things with your carrier. Carriers have their own cancellation policies, a return may not automatically cancel or reset your wireless account, and you remain responsible for your service agreement and any related fees ¹. Call your carrier as soon as you decide to return a connected device.

If you bought through the iPhone Upgrade Program, be careful with AppleCare+: returning the AppleCare+ portion means you lose your Upgrade Option under that program's terms ¹.

Special cases and limits

• Country of purchase: products can be returned only in the country where you bought them ¹.
• Bulk returns: to return ten or more of the same product, you must go back to the Apple Store where you bought them ¹.
• ZEISS prescription inserts are custom third-party products and can't be returned at an Apple Store; Apple accepts returns on ZEISS's behalf within 14 days of receipt through your Order Listing page or by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE ¹.
• ZEISS reader inserts can be returned at an Apple Store, through your Order Listing page or by phone, also within 14 days of receipt ¹.
• Resale purchases: Apple sells to end users only and can refuse or cancel orders it suspects are for resale ¹.

Price drops after you buy

Apple's policy includes a form of price protection. If Apple reduces the price of any Apple-branded product within 14 calendar days of the date you receive it, visit an Apple Store or contact Retail Customer Care within 14 days of the price change to request a refund or credit of the difference ¹.

The protection excludes limited-time price reductions and special sales events such as Black Friday, is limited to 10 units of a product, and Apple may ask you to bring the product or show proof that you still have it ¹. If a store charged you more than the posted price, see a Manager about refunding the overcharge ¹.

How to start an Apple return

Apple's policy directs shoppers to its Returns & Refunds page for complete, step-by-step return instructions ¹; that page loads its details dynamically, so we haven't summarized its steps here. What the policy itself confirms:

• You need the receipt, and the return must happen within 14 days of receiving the product ¹.
• Bulk returns of ten or more units go to the original store ¹.
• For ZEISS inserts, the Order Listing page and 1-800-MY-APPLE are the official routes ¹.

Quick tips

• Mark day 14 after delivery on your calendar – the window is counted from when you receive the product ¹.
• Keep every accessory and the packaging until you've decided ¹.
• Disable any security features you activated before returning a device, or Apple may refuse it ¹.
• Call your carrier separately when returning an iPhone with service ¹.
• Watch Apple's prices for two weeks after delivery; a price cut may earn you a credit ¹.
• More Apple guides are collected on the Apple store page.