Walmart, Costco and Target Return Policies 2026: How Many Days You Have
Walmart and Target give you 90 days for most items, Costco has no set deadline. The short windows: electronics 30 days and phones 14 days at Walmart and Target, electronics 90 days at Costco.
| Store | Most items | Clock starts | Main exception |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | 90 days | Day of purchase, or the day an online order reaches you | Electronics 30 days, most phones 14 days |
| Target | 90 days, unopened | Day of purchase, or the day you receive an online order | Electronics 30 days, Apple and phones 14 days |
| Costco | No set deadline | For electronics, the day you received the item | Electronics 90 days (TVs, computers, phones) |
US rules from each store's own policy page, checked October 13, 2026. Canada rules differ and are further down.
Not sure you will remember the date? Send Tracy a photo of the receipt or a screenshot of the order email. She messages you before the window closes.
Walmart return policy: how many days
Walmart's standard return policy gives you 90 days after purchase or upon receipt to return most items. That covers Walmart stores, Walmart.com and Walmart Business, and also items sold by Marketplace sellers on Walmart.com, which follow a shorter clock.
The shorter windows are listed in Walmart's full return policy, last updated October 9, 2026:
| Window | What it covers at Walmart |
|---|---|
| 2 days | Major appliances such as full-size refrigerators, washers, dryers and ranges (unopened, factory-sealed ones up to 30 days after delivery) |
| 14 days | Most wireless phones; Marketplace collectibles and luxury items |
| 30 days | Consumer electronics, PCs and PC components, vacuums, heaters and air conditioners, e-bikes and scooters, AppleCare+, Walmart Protection Plans, most Marketplace items |
| 60 days | Prescription glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids |
| 90 days | Most items, plus home and garden equipment, tires, photo and personalized items |
| 365 days | Perennials, shrubs and trees (in store only) |
When does the Walmart clock start? On the day you buy in store, or the day an online order reaches you. You do not have to work it out yourself: Walmart says your purchase history on Walmart.com shows the latest eligible return date for each item.
Holiday purchases. Walmart's help page says most items bought in store or online from October 1 through December 31 are returnable until January 31. That matters most for items with a short window, like a TV bought in October. The full policy lists exceptions, including wireless phones, protection plans, major appliances, Dyson products and select seasonal and luxury goods. Marketplace sellers decide for themselves whether they take part.
No receipt. Walmart can try to look up a store purchase from the debit or credit card you paid with, and an online order from your phone number or email. A return with no receipt at all needs a government-issued photo ID, is paid as a Walmart gift card, and Walmart limits how often you can do it.
Get this date as a reminder from Tracy. Send her the receipt photo or the order screenshot, and she messages you a few days before the last day.
Target return policy: how many days
Target's return policy gives you 90 days to return most unopened items in new condition for a refund or exchange. For Target.com orders, the 90 days start when you receive the items: when the order is delivered, delivered by a Shipt shopper or picked up in store.
The exceptions that change the number:
- Electronics and entertainment: 30 days, except Apple and Beats products.
- Apple and Beats products, including iPhones: 14 days.
- Mobile phones: 14 days. Opened phones can carry a restocking charge of up to $35.
- Target Plus partner items: most must come back within 30 days, and you need proof of purchase.
- Target Owned Brands: up to one year with a receipt.
- Opened beauty items: most can be returned within 90 days with a receipt.
- Target Circle Card holders and Target Circle 360 members: 30 extra days on nearly all items bought with the card. The extra 30 days do not apply to Target Owned Brands.
- Final sale: trading cards, opened or defective collectibles, personalized items, digital downloads, opened breast pumps and gift cards cannot be returned.
Holiday purchases. As of October 13, 2026, Target's return page has no 2026 holiday extension. It says holiday and limited-time collections may have their own return rules. If you buy electronics or an iPhone as a gift in November, plan on the standard 30 or 14 days until Target posts something different.
No receipt. Target can look up store and online purchases made with a Target Circle Card or a Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover card. Bring the item and the card to Guest Services. Without any proof of purchase, you may get a merchandise return card instead of a refund.
Costco return policy: how many days
Costco is the odd one out. Its return policy is a satisfaction guarantee on both membership and merchandise: for most products there is no fixed number of days.
The exceptions are where a date appears:
- Electronics: 90 days from the day you received the item. This covers TVs, projectors, major appliances, computers, tablets, smart watches and other wearables, cameras, drones, camcorders and cell phones. For phones, the carrier contract can change the return details.
- Membership: Costco will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are not satisfied.
- Non-refundable: airline and live event items, precious metals, Shop Cards, gift cards and tickets.
- Custom orders: products made to your own specifications cannot be returned, except for warranty repairs.
- Tires and batteries may come with a product-specific limited warranty instead.
- Recreational carts ordered online: 90 days from the day you received the cart.
- Diamonds of 1.00 carat or more need the original certificates and a check by Costco's gemologist.
Online orders. Items bought on Costco.com can go back to any Costco warehouse, or you can start the return online from Orders & Returns.
No receipt. If you have a Costco.com account linked to your membership, you can see your in-warehouse receipts under Orders & Returns, In-Warehouse tab, for up to two years.
Canada: Walmart and Costco are different, Target is not there
The US rules above do not carry over to Canada.
Walmart Canada. The Walmart Canada standard return policy gives you 90 days with a valid proof of purchase. Online purchases count from the day the order arrives, in-store purchases from the purchase date. Consumer electronics (phones, computers, TVs, cameras, headphones, video games and more) and glasses and contact lenses have 30 days, and contract post-paid phones have 14 days. Items Walmart ships to Canada from outside the country have 30 days and cannot go back to a store.
Walmart Canada's holiday return page still shows last season's rule on October 13, 2026: unopened items with a 30-day window bought November 1 to December 25 could come back until January 24, 2026. The 2026 dates have not been posted yet.
Costco Canada. The Costco.ca return policy has the same 90 days for electronics, with one difference: the 90 days count from the date of purchase, not the date you received the item. Countertop microwaves are not part of that electronics list. The membership guarantee is the same, a full refund if you are not satisfied.
Target. Target has no stores in Canada, and its policy says Target stores cannot accept international returns or exchanges, including online orders.
Walmart vs Target vs Costco: every window side by side
| Walmart (US) | Target (US) | Costco (US) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most items | 90 days | 90 days, unopened and in new condition | No set limit (satisfaction guarantee) |
| Consumer electronics | 30 days (most) | 30 days (except Apple and Beats) | 90 days |
| Phones | 14 days (most wireless phones) | 14 days | 90 days (carrier contract terms may differ) |
| Online orders count from | Purchase or receipt of the item | The day you receive it | The day you receive it (electronics) |
| Marketplace or partner sellers | 30 days for most | 30 days for most Target Plus items | Not applicable |
| Store brand | 90 days, unless the package carries its own guarantee | 1 year with receipt | Covered by the general guarantee |
| Holiday rule | Oct 1 to Dec 31 purchases: until Jan 31 | Not posted for 2026 yet | No special rule needed |
| Canada | Walmart.ca: 90 days, 30 for electronics | No Target stores in Canada | Costco.ca: 90 days for electronics, counted from purchase |
Sources: Walmart's standard return policy, Walmart's full return policy, Target's return policy, Costco's return policy and Costco Canada's return policy, all checked October 13, 2026.
How to keep track of a return window
The policy is the easy part. The hard part is remembering, in week 11, that the jacket from the Target run still has tags on. Three habits help:
- Keep proof in one place. A photo of the paper receipt, the order confirmation email, or the store app's purchase history all count.
- Write down the last day, not the window. "Return by February 12" is easier to act on than "90 days".
- Set the reminder a few days early. The last day often lands on a weekend or a busy week.
This is the kind of thing you can hand to dEssence. Send Tracy a photo of the receipt or a screenshot of the order email, say when it arrived, and ask her to remind you before the window closes. Tracy does not read your inbox, so the receipt or screenshot is what you send her.
FAQ
How many days do you have to return something to Walmart?
90 days for most items, counted from the purchase or from when an online order reaches you. Most consumer electronics have 30 days, most wireless phones 14 days, and major appliances 2 days. Most items bought from October 1 through December 31 are returnable until January 31.
What is Costco's return policy on electronics?
90 days. In the US the 90 days count from the day you received the item; in Canada they count from the date of purchase. It covers TVs, computers, tablets, phones, cameras, drones, smart watches and major appliances.
Can you return something to Target without a receipt?
Often, yes. Target can look up purchases made with a Target Circle Card or a major credit card, and online orders have a barcode in your Target account. With no proof of purchase at all, you may get a merchandise return card instead of a refund.
Does Costco have a time limit on returns?
Not for most products. Costco's satisfaction guarantee has no general time limit; the main exception is the 90-day window for electronics. Some items, such as gift cards, tickets and precious metals, cannot be returned at all.
Is Target's return policy 90 days for everything?
No. Electronics and entertainment have 30 days, Apple and Beats products and mobile phones 14 days, and most Target Plus partner items 30 days. Target Owned Brands get up to one year with a receipt, and Target Circle Card holders get 30 extra days on most purchases made with the card.
Is Walmart's return policy the same in Canada?
Close, not the same. Walmart Canada also gives 90 days for most items with proof of purchase, but its exceptions differ: unlocked and prepaid phones fall under the 30-day electronics window (only contract post-paid phones have 14 days), and glasses and contact lenses have 30 days instead of 60.