I’m not gonna lie, the Best Buy measly 15-day return policy is very confusing and has gotten WAY worse in recent years. Different lengths of time to return stuff, different ways to return items, and ridiculous restocking fees on some products. Because of these factors, I figured it was time to officially figure out their return policy by talking directly to Best Buy employees who actually deal with it, and angry customers, on a daily basis.

You Only Have 15 Days to Return Most Items

“Regular” Best Buy customers get a paltry 15-day return window.

If you’re a My Best Buy Plus, or a My Best Buy Total member, you get a 60 day return policy.

In case you were wondering, and who wasn’t, the My Best Buy Plus membership costs $49.99/year, and the My Best Buy Total runs $179.99/year, and they both also come with free 2-day shipping. Details HERE.

Cell Phones and Devices with a Carrier Contract – 14 days for everyone.

Wedding Registry Items – 60 days from date of purchase.

Litter Boxes – For some reason beyond my knowledge, cat litter boxes sold by Best Buy come with a 90-day return window for everyone.

Also, when it comes to returning refurbished, open-box, and pre-owned products, the regular 15-day return policy applies.

PRO TIP: AFTER 15 DAYS RETURN HACK

If you have your receipt, and it’s only been a few days past 15 (up to 7 days), you stand a good chance of scoring an even exchange if your polite and you have a legitimate issue with the product.

It really comes down to the manager on shift, but often times they’re willing to work with you. If not, then you’ll have to contact the manufacturer and file a warranty claim.

For this reason, I suggest window shopping at Best Buy but make your actual purchase on Amazon where you get a 30 day return policy and they’re pretty lenient if you have issues with a consumer electronic product.

You Can Return Opened and Used Items

While Best Buy is trying hard to not become a “test it at home” store, they will still take back items you’ve opened and used.

Gotta have your receipt and be within 15 days from purchase, of course.

Also, bring back all packaging, accessories, and manuals.

When I verified this with Best Buy, the CSR told me I’d also need a valid I.D. – which of course I questioned. Why would they need to see your I.D. if you have your receipt and are still within the 15-day return window?

There response was “The I.D. is our proof of purchase about your item as we will need the person who bought the item return it to us. This would be our primary basis to proceed with your return.”

So there you go. Can anyone verify this for me? Is Best Buy really making everyone show their I.D. now?

They Give You Several Return Options

Here’s the skinny so you can actually make their return policy work for you.

In-Store Return – You can return an item bought at Best Buy or BestBuy.com directly to any brick & mortar location.

To make the return go smoothly bring in your receipt or packing slip, the credit card used, and a valid photo ID.

Return by Mail:

Do-It-Yourself – You pick the carrier, use the included Return Form on your packing slip, and pay for the shipping yourself.

No packing slip? Print this blank one and fill it out. Refund will be processed with 2-3 business days of receiving your item.

Use the Prepaid Return Label – Print a prepaid return label, pay nothing upfront, and send your item back to Best Buy for a refund via UPS.

Expect the cost of the return shipping to be deducted from your refund unless the return is a result of a Best Buy error.

PRO TIP: ALWAYS OPT FOR IN-STORE RETURN IF POSSIBLE

When returning an item bought from BestBuy.com, always return it to your local store if you can.

Not only will you avoid any return shipping charges, but you can also take advantage of an instant exchange or a much quicker refund to your original form of payment.

See Also: The Best Buy Price Match Policy: Tips To Help You Save BIG

Returning a Gift Is Fairly Straight Forward

If you return a gift bought at Best Buy by walking into a physical store, you’ll get store credit for the purchase price.

For gifts returned via mail, they’ll credit the gift purchaser and notify them via e-mail.

PRO TIP: EXTENDED HOLIDAY RETURNS

Best Buy has extended their return policy for items purchased between November 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.

You now have until January 14, 2025 to return or exchange these items.

Best Buy Doesn’t Allow You to Return Everything

There are some products you flat out can’t return to Best Buy.

They include the following:

Final Sale Items – These are clearance products marked as “Final Sale”. If you’re not sure if item is Final Sale, ask an employee before you purchase it.

Special Orders – You’ll only get 85% of the original price refunded. These are items that are typically ordered directly from the manufacturer and not stocked by Best Buy.

Digital Content – This includes games and software that can be downloaded.

Prepaid Cards – This includes prepaid cards from Nintendo, AT&T, Verizon, eBay, and Disney.

Gift Packaging – Pretty obvious. This would be really hard to return.

Membership Costs – This includes the annual Geek Squad membership. Update: Thanks to employee Kristy who says Geek Squad memberships can be returned within 14 days of purchase. After that they will pro-rate it.

Completed Services – This refers to services that Geek Squad has completed for you.

Opened consumable items – This includes batteries, ink and 3D printer filament, and items returned that are damaged, unsanitary or missing major parts.

PRO TIP: SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE…SORT OF

A buddy of mine recently splurged on a high-end gaming laptop from Best Buy during a Black Friday sale. He set it up immediately and started doing his thing but noticed within a couple weeks that the laptop started overheating and shutting down randomly. Convinced it was defective, he decided to try and return it.

Here’s where his trouble began as he had missed the deadline by just two days. To make matters worse, he had discarded the box and all the extra packaging, thinking he wouldn’t need it again.

He visited the store, laptop in hand, hoping for leniency. The employee at the return counter explained the return policy, and my friend politely argued that a malfunctioning product should qualify for an exception. The employee suggested using the manufacturer’s warranty but the thought of dealing with the manufacturer and waiting weeks for a fix seemed like a nightmare.

Thinking he had nothing to lose, my friend decided to escalate the issue to the store manager and he managed to negotiate a solution: rather than a return, Best Buy offered an exchange for the same model. However, they insisted on charging a 15% restocking fee due to the missing packaging.

While he was relieved to walk away with a working laptop, the experience serves as a great reminder to know the return policy, especially on electronics. I know for a fact that he’ll never buy a computer from Best Buy again.

See Also: Newegg Return Policy: A Very Complicated Policy That We Make Sense Of

Best Buy is Notorious for Re-Stocking Fee

Unfortunately you’ll have to pay a re-stocking fee on these items.

DSLR Cameras and Lenses – 15% re-stocking fee.

Smartphones – $45 flat re-stocking fee.

Drones – 15% re-stocking fee.

Projectors – 15% re-stocking fee.

Rideables – 15% re-stocking fee.

Special Order Products – 15% re-stocking fee.

Sans Receipt? Be Prepared to Show Your ID

If you don’t have a receipt, be prepared to show a valid ID when returning something to Best Buy.

They do this to try and cut down on return fraud in their stores.

They reserve the right to refuse any return without a receipt if they feel it’s fraudulent.

See Also: 7 Insider Tips to Save Money at Best Buy

It’s Okay If You Opened the Item

No worries, just pack everything back up as well as you can and get a full refund as long as your still within the 15 day return window.

Make sure you don’t forget any manuals or instructions that can with the item.

PRO TIP: DID BEST BUY MAKE AN ERROR?

If you’re returning something to Best Buy via mail, and the reason for the return is an error on Best Buy’s part, they’re on the hook for the return shipping charges.

Do not let them charge you for return shipping as they sometimes will try and slip those charges in if you’re not paying attention.

Still Make the Return If You’re Missing Parts

Don’t let missing parts or accessories stop you from returning something to Best Buy.

From their site, “If you do not have all the original packaging or accessories, that’s okay too. We can process a return with a nonrefundable deduction on your refund for what is missing.”

Consider NOT Using Cash On Big Purchases

Keep in mind that if you pay with cash, and your order is over $800, you’ll have to settle for a corporate check as a refund.

You’ll get the check in the mail within 7-10 days which is a pain in the butt.

Stores don’t keep a lot of cash on hand and so they won’t be able to refund you with cash.

The same applies when you spend $250 by check or by a debit card without a major credit card logo.

Be Careful Returning an Item That You Got a Price Match On

Interestingly, I got a comment on this issue from J.Cole stating that he had to settle for store credit on an item that he got a price match on because a competitor had a lower price.

I personally asked a Best Buy manager about this the last time I was shopping and she said that’s only the case when doing an online return and selecting “Found a better price” as the reason for your return.

She said when returning in-store, you’ll get a full refund for what you paid, to your original form of payment, and it doesn’t matter if you got a price match on the item or not.

You CAN Return Unopened Video Games

I had someone in the comments ask if they could return an unopened video game they bought 2 months ago.

I wasn’t sure of the answer so I hit up Best Buy Live Chat and was told YES, it’s returnable for store credit since it is unopened.

I then asked if the original purchase of 2 months ago would be a problem and was surprisingly told…NOT a problem.

Gift Card Purchases Get Refunded Back to the Same Card

If you bought the item with a Best Buy gift card, you’ll get a full refund back to that same gift card.

If you don’t have the gift card anymore, no worries, just call Best Buy at 1-888-237-8289 with your order number and they’ll re-issue you a new gift card.

Ask the Reader: Have you had success taking advantage of Best Buy’s return policy? Any issues I need to add to this post that I may have overlooked?

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)