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guide · best buy returns

best buy return policy,
in plain english.

Best Buy gives most customers 15 days to return or exchange an item. My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members get 60 days on the same products. Anything that can be activated, meaning phones, tablets with cellular, smartwatches with cellular and mobile hotspots, drops to 14 days for everyone regardless of membership, and Verizon devices are the one exception at 30 days. The clock starts on the day you receive the item, not the day you ordered it.

Those three numbers cover most of what people need. The rest of this page is the detail that catches people out: the categories with their own windows, the restocking fees that apply to a short list of products, and the states where those fees are not charged at all.

Policy checked on 15 September 2026 against Best Buy's own policy page.

the return windows.

Windows run from the date you receive the item. Marketplace products sold by third party sellers are excluded from the member extension.

What you bought Standard Plus and Total members
Most products 15 days 60 days
Activatable devices, any carrier except Verizon 14 days 14 days
Activatable devices on Verizon 30 days 30 days
Holiday decorations, Halloween and Christmas 15 days 15 days
Microsoft Office 30 days 30 days
Pet training devices and hearing aids 60 days 60 days
Litter boxes 90 days 90 days

The membership extension is the single biggest lever here. If you are buying something expensive and you are unsure about it, the difference between 15 days and 60 days is worth more than most people realise, because it also lengthens the window in which Best Buy will match its own price drop.

restocking fees, and who never pays them.

Most returns carry no fee at all. Two groups are the exception. Activatable devices other than prepaid phones carry a flat 45 dollar restocking fee. Drones, cameras, lenses, camcorders, projectors, premium cold tubs, premium saunas and special order products carry 15 percent of the purchase price.

There is a real carve out worth knowing. Best Buy does not charge restocking fees in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina, or anywhere else the fee is prohibited by law. If you live in one of those eight states, a camera return costs you nothing.

what the window does not cover.

Opened physical media, downloadable content and completed services are generally not returnable. Items returned without their original packaging, accessories or manuals can be refused or reduced. Marketplace products sold by third party sellers on bestbuy.com run on the seller's own policy, not this one, which is the most common reason a return people expected to be simple turns out not to be.

common questions.

How long do I have to return something to Best Buy?

15 days for most items if you are not a paying member, and 60 days if you have My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total. Activatable devices are 14 days for everyone, except Verizon devices which get 30. The window starts the day the item reaches you.

Does Best Buy charge a restocking fee?

Not on most products. Activatable devices other than prepaid phones cost 45 dollars, and drones, cameras, lenses, camcorders, projectors, premium cold tubs, premium saunas and special order items cost 15 percent of what you paid. Nothing is charged in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma or South Carolina.

Can I return something to Best Buy without a receipt?

Purchases tied to a My Best Buy account or the card you paid with can usually be looked up in store. Without any record, you are relying on store discretion, so bring the order confirmation email or the card you used.

Does the return window change over the holidays?

Best Buy has historically extended the window for gifts bought in November and December into January. It is announced each year rather than being a standing rule, so check the policy page before you count on it. Halloween and Christmas decorations are fixed at 15 days for everyone.

Can I return an open box item?

Yes. Open box purchases are covered by the same Return and Exchange Promise as new stock, on the same windows.

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biggest price drops right now

The twelve largest live cuts across everything we track at Best Buy, ranked by dollars off.

every brand we track in depth

These are the brands with enough tracked products to be worth a price history page of their own.

Sony 614 · Samsung 563 · Canon 441 · Garmin 402 · LG 398 · Nikon 384 · JBL 382 · HP 191 · ASUS 175 · Acer 141 · Junsun 137 · Google 131 · Dell 129 · GE 123 · Fujifilm 119 · MSI 114 · Bose 112 · Logitech 112 · TCL 109 · Hisense 108 · Whirlpool 106 · Sigma 105 · Panasonic 100 · Insignia™ 96 · Frigidaire 93 · ViewSonic 81 · Bowers & Wilkins 72 · DJI 68 · JLab 67 · PRIMEPLUS 67 · Lenovo 63 · Soundcore 62 · Tamron 62 · MPC 61 · Klipsch 59 · Nintendo 58 · BenQ 56 · Neewer 56 · AOSU 55 · Beats 55 · Forno Appliances 55 · GoPro 55 · Edifier 53 · Marshall 53 · QPower 53