Amazon holiday return policy 2026: likely until Jan 31
Amazon has not announced 2026 yet. In 2023–2025, most items bought November 1–December 31 could go back until January 31, Apple products until January 15. If 2026 follows them, an item bought on Black Friday can be returned until January 31, 2027.
Updated · BasketPrice editorial
What the longer window changes
Only the deadline. Amazon told sellers in 2023 that the window is extended for most orders while “returns eligibility for all orders remains the same”: an item that cannot be returned in March cannot be returned in December either. It covered orders sold by Amazon and by other sellers, whether they ship it themselves or Amazon ships it for them.
Outside it, most items go back within 30 days of delivery and new Apple-brand products within 15. The product page and your order history say which rule an item falls under.
Buying early without losing a lower price
Amazon does not refund the difference when a price falls after you order. What the holiday window does is keep the usual remedy open for longer: if something bought in early November is cheaper on Black Friday or after Christmas, order it again at the lower price and return the first one, unused and in its original condition, before the deadline.
So the window rewards buying early for anything that has to arrive before a date, and it costs nothing to keep watching the price after you have bought.
Amazon’s holiday return window, year by year
As Amazon announced it each year. Most items qualify; the product page says if one does not.
| Year | Bought | Return by | Apple products |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 November – 31 December | 31 January 2026 | 15 January 2026 |
| 2024 | 1 November – 31 December | 31 January 2025 | 15 January 2025 |
| 2023 | 1 November – 31 December | 31 January 2024 | 15 January 2024 |
How often it got cheaper after the day you bought
| Within | Products | Lower later | Median fall, when lower |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 7,284 | 25% of 97,079 days | 15% ($11.98) |
| 14 days | 7,277 | 41% of 46,104 days | 15% ($12.00) |
Questions people ask
- What is Amazon’s holiday return policy for 2026?
- Amazon has not announced it yet. In 2023, 2024 and 2025 most items bought between November 1 and December 31 could be returned until January 31 of the next year, and Apple products until January 15.
- When does Amazon’s extended holiday return window start?
- On November 1, in each of the last three years. Items bought from then through December 31 could be returned until January 31; anything bought before November 1 keeps the usual 30-day window.
- Does the holiday return window cover third-party sellers?
- Yes, in the years Amazon announced it to sellers: the 2023 window applied to orders sold by Amazon and by other sellers, whether they shipped the order themselves or Amazon shipped it for them.