Best Buy Return Policy: Return Windows, Fees and Exceptions

This guide explains Best Buy's return policy in plain English: how many days you get, what a membership changes, when you pay a restocking fee, and what you can't return. Every detail comes from Best Buy's official pages, linked in Sources. Policies change, so check the official page before you rely on it.

Last checked: Oct 21, 2026. Every Item is an independent guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Best Buy.

How many days do you have to return to Best Buy?

According to Best Buy's Return & Exchange Policy, the return period begins the day you receive your product, not the day you ordered it. The same windows apply to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned products.

Product	Standard (free My Best Buy or no account)	My Best Buy Plus and Total members
Most products	15 days	60 days
Activatable devices (cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, cellular wearables)	14 days	14 days
Verizon activatable devices	30 days	30 days
Halloween and Christmas decorations	15 days	15 days
Litter boxes	90 days	90 days
Hearing aids and pet training devices	60 days	60 days
Hearing amplifiers	15 days	15 days (Best Buy says they follow the standard 15-day policy)
Microsoft Office	30 days	30 days
Marketplace items (sold by third-party sellers)	15 days	15 days (member extension doesn't apply)

A few things to notice:

• The 60-day window is only for paid members. Best Buy's membership page lists three levels: a free My Best Buy account, My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total. The 60-day return window is a Plus and Total benefit. A free account gets the standard 15 days.
• Membership doesn't help with phones. Activatable devices stay at 14 days for members too.
• Marketplace items don't get the member extension. Products shipped from or sold by third-party Marketplace Sellers follow the standard return policy unless the listing says otherwise.

Is there a holiday return window?

As of Oct 21, 2026, Best Buy's official policy page does not list an extended holiday return window for 2026 purchases. The only holiday rule on the page actually shortens a window: Halloween and Christmas decorations can be returned within 15 days for all customers, members included.

Best Buy has announced seasonal extensions in past years, so this could change. If you're buying gifts early, check the official page again before counting on extra time.

Restocking fees

Best Buy charges a restocking fee on some returned items:

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

When there's no restocking fee: Best Buy says there's no fee if the product is unopened, or if you bought it in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma or South Carolina, or where the law prohibits it. In some states the restocking fee is taxed.

Can you return opened items?

Yes, most opened items can be returned within the window, but they need to be in like-new condition with all accessories and packaging. Best Buy may deny a return for items that are damaged, unsanitary, dented, scratched or missing major contents. If accessories or packaging are missing, Best Buy may refuse the return or take a nonrefundable deduction from your refund. Apparel must be unworn, unwashed and still have its tags.

Some items can't be returned once opened:

• Products that interact with bodily fluids
• SIM kits
• LEGO products
• Consumables, including batteries, cleaning agents, filters, health supplements, health test kits, ink and 3D printer filament
• Completed services, and delivered home standby generators or whole-home backup systems

Opened physical copies of software, movies, music, video games and books bought from Best Buy can only be exchanged for the identical item. From Marketplace Sellers, they're nonreturnable once opened.

Items you can't return at all

Best Buy lists these as nonreturnable once purchased:

• Custom or personalized orders and items marked Final Sale
• Non-subscription digital content, including digital games (Microsoft Office is the exception)
• Codes and prepaid cards, including third-party gift cards and prepaid phone cards
• Memberships, trading cards (including Pokémon cards) and vehicle replacement key fobs
• Products with a capacity of 300 watt-hours or more, golf carts, utility terrain vehicles, electric bikes, electric mopeds and plumbing items

For services and subscriptions (such as antivirus software and Microsoft 365), Best Buy points to the terms at BestBuy.com/PlanTerms.

Returning without a receipt

Best Buy's policy says returns without proof of purchase may require an email address, will be refunded as store credit, may be denied or limited, and won't include sales tax and fees. So a receipt (or the order in your Best Buy account) makes a big difference.

How to return something to Best Buy

1. Gather everything: the item, all original accessories and the packaging.
2. Wipe connected devices. Remove your data and unlink the device from any cloud account or other device, or Best Buy may not accept it.
3. Choose a return method: - In store: return any in-store or online Best Buy purchase at any Best Buy store. Bring your receipt or packing slip and the card you paid with for faster processing. - By mail: log in to your Best Buy account, find the order, print the free prepaid label and drop it off during your return window. Major appliances, TVs over 50 inches, kegerators and SodaStream makers can't be shipped back.
4. Major appliances and truck deliveries: call 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289) instead of going to a store.
5. Phones with a carrier contract: you're responsible for canceling service with the carrier and any carrier charges. Tell the store associate you want to cancel, or call Best Buy Mobile at 1-877-702-2211.

Refunds usually go back to your original payment method. Mail returns are processed within 7 to 10 business days of arriving, and your bank may take up to 10 more days. If you paid more than $800 in cash, or more than $250 by check or by debit card without a major credit card logo, Best Buy refunds by check within 10 business days. Gift card payments come back as a Best Buy gift card.

How to never miss the Best Buy return window

Fifteen days goes fast. A few habits help:

• Keep the receipt or packing slip until the window has closed, and keep the original box and accessories with it.
• Take a photo of the receipt the day you buy. Paper receipts get lost and fade.
• Write down the real deadline. Count from the day you received the item, and use the right window: 15, 60, 14 or 30 days.
• Set a reminder a few days early, so you have time to test the item and get to a store.

Every Item, our upcoming iPhone app (coming soon to the App Store), is built for this: it saves your receipts and reminds you before the return deadline.

Sources

All checked on Oct 21, 2026:

• Best Buy Return & Exchange Policy: return windows, restocking fees, nonreturnable items, receipts, refunds and how to return.
• My Best Buy Memberships: membership levels and the 60-day return benefit for Plus and Total.
• My Best Buy Plus terms (PDF): the 60-day period excludes Marketplace Products and keeps the 14-day period for activatable devices.

This guide is not affiliated with Best Buy. Best Buy says it may amend its policy at any time and may test changes in select locations.