Best Buy Return Policy: 15 Days, Holiday Returns to Jan. 15, 2027 & Fees

Best Buy's return rules depend on three things: when you bought the item, whether you have a paid membership, and what kind of product it is. Here's how each one works, based on Best Buy's official Return & Exchange Policy (effective October 30, 2026) ¹. If you're watching for a price drop instead, see the Best Buy price match policy.

Holiday 2026 return deadlines

Best Buy's holiday extension covers purchases made Oct. 30 through Dec. 31, which can be returned through Jan. 15, 2027 ¹. Here's how the holiday table breaks down ¹:

Day 1 is the date you get the product ¹. The extension doesn't apply to items bought with a third-party contract, such as cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, cellular wearables and AppleCare+ plans, or to holiday decorations like artificial trees and lights ¹. Restocking fees and nonreturnable-item rules still apply during the holidays ¹.

Standard return windows

For purchases before Oct. 30, 2026 and after Dec. 31, 2026, the regular periods apply ¹:

The clock starts the day you receive the product, and it applies the same way to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned items ¹. Activatable devices include cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots and cellular wearables; Verizon devices have a 30-day return period for everyone ¹.

A few product types have their own windows for all customers, including members ¹:

• Litter boxes: 90 days ¹
• Pet training devices and hearing aids: 60 days ¹
• Microsoft Office: 30 days ¹
• Halloween and Christmas decorations: 15 days ¹
• Hearing amplifiers: the standard 15-day policy ¹

Restocking fees

Some items carry a fee when you return them ¹:

• $45 on activatable devices, excluding prepaid phones ¹
• 15% of the purchase price on drones, digital cameras, camera lenses, camcorders (including action cameras), golf launch monitors, premium, super and mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs, leg and body recovery systems, projectors and projector screens, premium cold tubs and saunas, and special-order products ¹

There's no restocking fee if the product is unopened, or if you bought it in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma or South Carolina, or anywhere a fee is prohibited by law ¹. In some states the fee is taxed ¹.

What you can't return

Some items are final as soon as you buy them ¹:

• Custom or personalized orders and items marked Final Sale
• Non-subscription digital content (including digital games, but not Microsoft Office), codes and prepaid cards, including third-party gift cards
• Memberships, trading cards (including Pokémon cards) and vehicle replacement key fobs
• Products with 300 or greater watt hour capacity, golf carts, utility terrain vehicles, electric bikes, electric mopeds and plumbing items

Other items can't be returned once opened ¹:

• Products that interact with bodily fluids, SIM kits and LEGO products
• Completed services and delivered home standby generators or whole home backup
• Consumables such as batteries, filters, ink, cleaning agents, health supplements, health test kits and 3D printer filament
• Entertainment products (software, movies, music, games, books) bought from Marketplace sellers

Opened software, movies, music, video games and books bought from Best Buy itself can only be exchanged for an identical item ¹.

Condition and what to include

Items need to come back in like-new condition. Best Buy may refuse items that are damaged, unsanitary, dented, scratched or missing major contents, and clothing must be unworn, unwashed and still tagged ¹. Bring all accessories and packaging: if something is missing, Best Buy can deny the return or take a nonrefundable deduction from your refund ¹. If the item has a rechargeable battery, the original battery must be included ¹.

Bought several items together for a discount or a free item? Returning only some of them means you lose that benefit ¹. For phones, tablets and other connected devices, erase your data and unlink the device from any cloud account first ¹. If a phone has a carrier contract, cancelling it and paying any carrier charges is up to you ¹.

How to return to Best Buy

• In a store: any in-store or online Best Buy purchase can go back to any Best Buy store ¹. Bring your packing slip or receipt and the credit card you paid with to speed things up ¹.
• By mail: log in to your Best Buy account, find the order and print a free prepaid shipping label, then drop the package at an authorized location within your return period ¹.
• Phones by mail: call Best Buy Mobile at 1-877-702-2211 for instructions ¹.

Major appliances, TVs over 50 inches, kegerators and SodaStream makers can't be returned by shipping, and Best Buy won't accept returns shipped from outside the country ¹. For major appliances and other truck-delivered items, inspect them at delivery; afterward, call 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289) about defects or returns instead of contacting the store ¹. Purchases picked up at a non-Best Buy location, such as a FedEx Office store, can only be returned to Best Buy ¹.

If an item arrives damaged, defective or wrong, return it during your return period and Best Buy will arrange a replacement ¹.

Refunds: how and when

With a few exceptions, refunds go back to the payment method you used, and on Best Buy purchases you can exchange for the same item instead ¹. Mail returns are processed within 7–10 business days after Best Buy receives them, and your bank may take up to 10 days more to post the credit ¹.

Two exceptions to keep in mind ¹:

• If you paid more than $800 in cash, or more than $250 by check or a debit card without a major credit card logo, you'll get a check within 10 business days ¹.
• Any part paid with a Best Buy Gift Card comes back on a new Best Buy Gift Card or e-Gift Card.

Returns without a receipt

Without proof of purchase, Best Buy may ask for an email address, will only give store credit, may deny or limit the return, and won't refund state sales taxes and fees ¹.

Returning a gift

For a gift bought from Best Buy, an in-store return gets you store credit for the purchase price ¹. If you mail a gift back, Best Buy credits the original buyer and lets them know by email ¹. Gifts from Marketplace sellers are always credited to the buyer ¹.

Marketplace seller items

Items shipped or sold by third-party Marketplace sellers on BestBuy.com follow the same standard return policy, but the longer member windows don't apply to them ¹. You can return many shipped Marketplace items at a Best Buy store, which inspects the product, refunds you and sends the item to the seller ¹. Or print a free prepaid label from your account and ship it to the seller ¹.

Quick tips

• Check your purchase date: Oct. 30 – Dec. 31 buys have until Jan. 15, 2027 ¹.
• Phones and other activatable devices are the big exception, with only 14 days, or 30 days for Verizon devices ¹.
• Keep the box sealed until you're sure: unopened items avoid restocking fees ¹.
• Keep your receipt or packing slip, since no-receipt returns get store credit at best ¹.
• Compare other retailers in our return policy guides or see the Best Buy store page.