Apple today announced that its annual extended holiday return policy begins today in the United States and several other countries around the world.

apple gift wrap
Under the policy, eligible products purchased between November 14, 2018 and December 25, 2018 can be returned until January 8, 2019 in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and select other regions. You can return something ordered online or purchased in store, and Apple's policy states that the items can be sent back to Apple for free through the mail or dropped off at any Apple Store.

In countries like Japan and Spain, the policy is slightly different and extends from November 14, 2018 to January 6, 2019, with a return deadline of January 20, 2019 in these regions.

In all regions, items excluded from the return policy include Apple or iTunes gift cards. Otherwise, most products can be returned, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and more. The devices can be opened and used prior to being returned, but they must be undamaged and in their original packaging.

As with any holiday purchase, make sure you keep your receipts when buying on Apple.com or in an Apple retail store, to ensure that your purchase falls within the timeframe of the extended holiday return policy. If you bought something from Apple prior to today, it will fall under Apple's typical 14-day return policy.

Top Rated Comments

travis64 Avatar
87 months ago
I bet people just rent macbooks and iphones every year during this time
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimthing Avatar
87 months ago
What if the MacBook is opened? Free or restocking fee?
Free.
[doublepost=1542216584][/doublepost]I just wished they offered interest free credit again, like they used to do. They do it for the iPhone (the "iPhone Payments" plan: 20 months UK / 24 months US), so why not the more expensive Macs/iPads?!

Instead they want to make more money, by offering Barclays or Paypal finance at a whopping 15%, in a market where you can get a personal loan for less than 3.5%. So bleeding obvious they're making money from these loan companies, on top of increased pricing across the board, all to raise their ASP and thus increase shareholder value.

Sure pension funds rejoice, but we're all paying for it through the nose.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pward Avatar
87 months ago
I bet people just rent macbooks and iphones every year during this time
It certainly does seem to provide an opportunity for an extended free trial for those so minded.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
87 months ago
Yikes I only just got my Halloween decorations down yesterday. :eek: And of course I found out I still forgot a couple of things. One bat, one black cat and a Sock monkey wearing a mask and cape. :p

Anyway last year when I returned my iPhone X (due to it giving me migraines) well within the holiday return date and within all of the specified parameters, I still got a real runaround at my local Apple Store when we returned it.

First they tried to say we were past the return deadline. Not true, we had many days to spare.

Then they tried to tell me they could not locate a record of the purchase. They claimed some sort of issue prevented them from finding it in their system. My husband showed it to them on his iPhone. Then they tried to insist my phone was part of some special promotion or something which made absolutely no sense, because no such promotion existed at the time my husband bought the iPhone. I can’t explain it here to you all because they made everything up as they went along. Like if they dragged it out long enough I would give up and go home. It was awful.

Then they tried to deny the terms spelled out on the web site saying it didn’t apply to their store. We had to pull up the web page and show them the fine print of the return terms.

They finally approved the return but said they were doing us a favor in doing so because we really didn’t meet the terms. But they couldn’t explain how we didn’t meet the terms. I’ve never seen such a weird runaround.

It was a process that should have taken ten minutes but was dragged out for about twenty minutes or so. It was just so weird and atypical.

Normally the FEW returns or exchanges that we have done at that store over the years are a breeze. Apparently they are wary of the holiday ones. Or at least some store managers are.

So, buyer beware. Definitely save every bit of documentation both electronic and paper.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seatton Avatar
74 months ago

I’m sure that happens a lot. I’m glad that I can buy gifts now knowing that I can return them if the recipient already has it or doesn’t like it. :)
Thanks for your info today. I went to an Apple store near my office this evening and purchased Apple Pencil 2. My return date is Jan 8.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pipper99 Avatar
74 months ago
Holiday returns started today. I purchased an Apple Leather Loop at the Apple Store, and the return date is 1/8/20. I can’t find a mention on Apple’s website, but it’s noted on my receipt.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
Apple Hornsby

Apple Store Near Sydney Permanently Closing Later This Year

Monday July 14, 2025 6:14 pm PDT by
Apple today said its store at the Westfield Hornsby shopping mall, in Hornsby, Australia, will be permanently closing in October. Apple Hornsby In a statement shared with Australian tech news website EFTM (via Reddit), Apple said that it has decided not to renew its lease at Westfield Hornsby. Apple said all affected retail employees will be given the opportunity to work at Apple's nearby...