Return Windows Compared: Amazon, Walmart, Target, Costco, Best Buy

Five stores, five different clocks. As of October 8, 2026, Amazon gives most items 30 days from delivery, Walmart and Target give 90 days, Best Buy gives 15 days unless you pay for a membership, and Costco sets no general deadline at all but caps electronics and appliances at 90 days. The exceptions are where the money is: phones are 14 days almost everywhere, Amazon and Best Buy charge fees that can reach 100% or $45, and only Walmart has posted its holiday extension so far. This guide puts the five policies side by side from each company’s own page, read on October 8, 2026. If a refund you were promised has not shown up, our refund timing guide covers what the banks and stores each control.

The quick answer

• Amazon: “within 30 days of delivery” for most items; Apple products 15 days; registries 180 or 365 days; late and damage fees can apply
• Walmart: “90 days after purchase or upon receipt” for most items; marketplace sellers 30; “Most Consumer Electronics are returnable within 30 days. Wireless phones are returnable within 14 days.”
• Target: 90 days for most items sold by Target; electronics 30 days; Apple and Beats 14 days; Target brands one year with a receipt; Circle Card holders and Circle 360 members get “an extra 30 days”
• Costco: a satisfaction guarantee with no general deadline, except that electronics, major appliances, computers, phones and similar items must come back “within 90 days”
• Best Buy: “15 days” for most products, “60 days” for My Best Buy Plus and Total members, “14 days” for phones and other activatable devices; restocking fees of “$45” or “15% of item purchase price”
• Holiday windows: Walmart already says purchases “from October 1 through December 31 are returnable until January 31.” Amazon, Target, Costco and Best Buy have not posted 2026 holiday terms on these pages yet

Key facts at a glance

Store	Most items	Electronics	Phones	Longer windows	Fees on the policy page	Holiday terms posted (Oct 8, 2026)
Amazon	30 days from delivery	30 days (Apple 15)	15 days for Apple brand	Baby products and mattresses 90; wedding registry 180; baby registry and Renewed Premium 365	Late fee 20% then 100%; damage fee up to 50%; restocking up to 100% on opened software, games, collectibles	No
Walmart	90 days	30 days	14 days	Marketplace items 30 days (shorter)	None listed on the standard policy page	Yes: Oct 1 to Dec 31 purchases, return by Jan 31
Target	90 days	30 days (excluding Apple and Beats)	14 days (Apple, Beats, in-store or pickup phones)	Target brands 365 days with receipt; Circle Card and Circle 360 add 30 days	Phone restocking charge up to $35	”Items may have modified return policies” for holiday collections
Costco	No general deadline (satisfaction guarantee)	90 days from receipt	90 days, terms vary by carrier contract	Membership fee refundable “at any time”	None listed; some items non-refundable	No
Best Buy	15 days (60 for Plus and Total members)	15 or 60 days	14 days (Verizon 30)	Litter boxes 90; pet training devices and hearing aids 60	$45 on activatable devices; 15% on drones, cameras, projectors, scooters and more	Not yet; decorations 15 days

Windows start at delivery (Amazon, Best Buy, Costco) or at purchase or receipt (Walmart, Target). All read from the linked pages on October 8, 2026.

Amazon: 30 days, then a fee schedule

Amazon’s return policy page states the rule in one line: “Most items can be returned for a refund or replacement/exchange within 30 days of delivery as long as they are in original or unused condition.” The exceptions run both ways. Shorter: “Apple Brand products and Boost Infinite Brand products sold in new condition” get 15 days, and accidental Kindle and digital music purchases 7. Longer: “Most nonperishable Baby products” and mattresses get 90 days, wedding registry gifts 180, and baby registry gifts and Amazon Renewed items in “Premium” condition 365.

The part most people have not read is the fee table. A late fee applies if you miss the return-by date without dropping off or completing a carrier pickup: 20% of the item price for the first 30 days after that date, and 100% of the item price afterwards. A damage fee of “Up to 50% of the item price” applies to items returned damaged, missing parts or with “obvious signs of use.” A restocking fee of “100% of the item price” applies to “Software and video games that are opened, activated, used, or missing parts” and to “Opened collectible cards, board games/table top games, collectible/chase variant figurines.” Heavy or bulky items can carry a variable return shipping fee. On timing, the page says “It can take up to 30 days for us to receive and process your return.” If the money is late after that, our Amazon refund guide has the escalation path.

Holiday terms are not on the policy page yet. For last season, Amazon’s own About Amazon post said that “most items purchased between November 1 and December 31 can be returned until January 31, 2026,” with Apple-branded products accepted “through January 15, 2026.” A 2026 version had not been published as of October 8, 2026, so until it is, Amazon purchases run on the 30-day clock.

Walmart: 90 days, and the holiday window is already open

Walmart’s standard return policy gives the longest default of the five for a general retailer: “You have 90 days after purchase or upon receipt to return most items unless noted in our exceptions. Items sold and shipped by a Marketplace seller may be returned within 30 days.” In stores, the same 90 days apply, with two carve-outs: “Most Consumer Electronics are returnable within 30 days. Wireless phones are returnable within 14 days.”

Walmart is also the only one of the five whose page already carries a 2026 holiday extension: “Most items purchased in-store or online from October 1 through December 31 are returnable until January 31” and “Marketplace seller participation varies.” That means a gift bought on October 8 at Walmart can be returned after New Year’s; the same purchase at Amazon would need to be back within 30 days of delivery unless Amazon publishes an extension. Walmart’s one housekeeping line: it recommends “keeping track of all manufacturer packaging and your receipt for a minimum of 90 days after purchase.”

Target: 90 days, a year for its own brands, 30 more with the card

Target’s return policy page lists three windows: 365 days for Target brand items with a receipt, “90 days for most items sold by Target,” and “30 days for most items” sold by Target Plus partners, with “an extra 30 days when you have a membership or pay with” the Target Circle Card. The exceptions article fills in the rest. “Electronics and entertainment items (excluding Apple® & Beats products) must be returned / exchanged within 30 days.” “All Apple® & Beats products (including mobile phones) must be returned / exchanged within 14 days.” “Most items sold by Target Plus Partners must be returned within 30 days.”

The card perk is spelled out: “Target Circle™ debit and credit card holders and Target Circle 360 members will receive an extra 30 days to return nearly all items purchased with their Target Circle Card at Target and Target.com.” Target’s own brands carry the longest promise on any of these pages: “If you’re not satisfied with any Target Owned Brand item, return it within one year with a receipt for an exchange or a refund.”

Two cautions. “Returns and exchanges without a receipt may be limited.” And phones have a fee: “A restocking charge of up to $35 for phones may apply except where prohibited.” For the season, Target says only that “Holiday & limited-time-only collections: Items may have modified return policies,” with no dates.

Costco: no deadline, except for the things that cost the most

Costco’s return policy is built the opposite way from the others. The default is a guarantee, not a window: “On Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price*, with the following exceptions:”. The first exception is the one that matters for big purchases: “Costco will accept returns within 90 days (from the date the member received the merchandise) for Televisions, Projectors, Major Appliances,” and the list continues through “Computers, Touchscreen Tablets, Smart Wearable Devices, Cameras, Aerial Cameras (drones), Camcorders, MP3 players and Cellular Phones (return details will vary by carrier service contract).”

The rest of the exceptions are categories, not days. “Airline and Live Performance Event items are non-refundable.” “Precious metals are non-refundable.” “Shop Cards are non-refundable.” “Gift Card and Ticket items are non-refundable.” Cigarettes and alcohol are not returnable “where prohibited by law,” custom special-order items cannot be returned, and “Products with a limited useful life expectancy, such as tires and batteries, may be sold with a product-specific limited warranty.” The membership itself is covered too: “We will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are dissatisfied.” Our Costco membership cancellation guide covers that path. Online orders can go back to any warehouse, or “you can initiate a return through Costco.com.”

Best Buy: 15 days, 60 if you pay, and fees on the expensive stuff

Best Buy’s return and exchange policy, effective February 23, 2026, has the shortest default window: “15 days” for most products at Standard status and “60 days” for My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members. The clock “begins the day you receive your product and applies to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned products.” Activatable devices, meaning “cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, and cellular wearables,” get 14 days for everyone, except that “Verizon devices capable of being activated have a 30-day return period for all customers.”

The fees are explicit. “Activatable devices (excluding prepaid phones)” carry a “$45” restocking fee. Drones, digital cameras, camera lenses, camcorders, projectors, premium scooters and special-order products carry “15% of item purchase price.” The escape hatch: “There is no restocking fee if the product is unopened, or if the purchase occurs in: AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK, SC and where prohibited by law.” Opened software, movies, music and games “can only be exchanged for an identical item.” A few categories run longer: litter boxes 90 days, pet training devices and hearing aids 60. For the season, the only line so far is that Halloween and Christmas decorations “can be returned within 15 days for all customers.”

Where the documents disagree or leave gaps

Day one is not the same day. Amazon and Best Buy count from delivery; Costco from “the date the member received the merchandise”; Walmart from “purchase or upon receipt”; Target’s pages do not state the start date for online orders. For a slow shipment the difference can be a week.

Phones are the common 14-day rule, with three exceptions. Walmart, Target and Best Buy all say 14 days for phones. Amazon says 15 for Apple brand products, Best Buy says 30 for Verizon devices, and Costco says 90 with terms that “vary by carrier service contract.”

Only one holiday window is live. Walmart’s October 1 to January 31 window is on its page. Target says holiday collections “may have modified return policies.” Amazon, Costco and Best Buy say nothing yet about 2026 holiday purchases.

Fees live in different places. Amazon and Best Buy publish fee tables; Target publishes one fee (phones, up to $35); Walmart’s standard page and Costco’s page list no fees, only exclusions.

Receipts. Target warns that returns without a receipt “may be limited”; Walmart recommends keeping the receipt 90 days; Best Buy asks for the packing slip or receipt and the card used; Amazon and Costco work from the account or membership.

Before you return

This is a sequence of checks, not a recommendation:

1. Find the clock on your order, not in your memory. Amazon’s Order History and Walmart’s purchase history show the return-by date for each item
2. Treat phones and electronics as 14 or 30 days everywhere. The 90-day defaults at Walmart and Target do not reach them
3. Open the box only if you are keeping it. Amazon’s 100% restocking fee, Best Buy’s $45 and 15% fees and Target’s $35 phone charge all drop to zero on unopened items
4. Check the membership or card you paid with. Target Circle Card adds 30 days; My Best Buy Plus and Total turn 15 days into 60
5. If you are buying gifts now, Walmart’s window already runs to January 31. The other four have not posted theirs for 2026
6. Keep the receipt 90 days. It is Walmart’s recommendation and Target’s condition for the one-year brand return

Quick answers to what people search

What is Amazon’s return window? “within 30 days of delivery” for most items, 15 days for Apple brand products, up to 365 days for some registry gifts and Renewed Premium items.

How many days do you have to return something at Walmart? “90 days after purchase or upon receipt” for most items; 30 days for electronics and marketplace items; 14 days for phones.

What is Target’s return policy on electronics? 30 days, except Apple and Beats products, which are 14 days; Circle Card holders get 30 more on nearly everything.

Does Costco have a return time limit? Not a general one. Electronics, computers, major appliances, phones and similar items must be returned within 90 days of receipt; airline tickets, gift cards, shop cards and precious metals are non-refundable.

What is Best Buy’s return policy? 15 days for most products, 60 days for My Best Buy Plus and Total members, 14 days for phones and other activatable devices, with restocking fees of $45 or 15% on some opened items.

Which stores have extended holiday returns in 2026? As of October 8, 2026, Walmart: purchases from October 1 through December 31 are returnable until January 31. The other four had not posted 2026 holiday terms.

Is there a restocking fee at Amazon? Yes, for some categories: 100% of the price on opened software, video games and collectible cards, plus a late fee of 20% rising to 100% if you miss the return-by date.

Bottom line

As of October 8, 2026, the default windows are 30 days at Amazon, 90 at Walmart and Target, 15 at Best Buy (60 with a membership), and no fixed limit at Costco outside its 90-day electronics list. Phones are 14 days nearly everywhere, opened electronics can cost you a fee at Amazon, Best Buy and Target, and only Walmart has turned on its holiday window. Read the return-by date on the order itself, keep the box sealed until you are sure, and keep the receipt. Walmart’s full exception list, refund timing by payment method and no-receipt rule are in our Walmart return policy guide. Costco’s full exception list, the online and freight return routes and the specialist counters are in our Costco return policy guide.

Return windows, exceptions and fees quoted from the Amazon, Walmart, Target, Costco and Best Buy policy pages linked above, US versions, read on October 8, 2026. Policies change, especially before the holidays, so the store’s own page is the authority. This is general information, not financial advice.