Apple's extended holiday return policy started November 6. Eligible products from the Apple Store, apple.com or the Apple Store app that you receive between November 6 and December 25, 2026 can be returned through January 8, 2027, in the US and Canada. Carrier-financed iPhones from T-Mobile and Verizon, and iPads financed through Verizon, keep the standard window.
If you plan to buy a Mac, iPad, iPhone or AirPods from Apple as a gift this year, you can order now without losing the return window. Apple’s extended holiday return policy took effect November 6. Eligible products bought from Apple that you receive between November 6 and December 25, 2026 can be returned through January 8, 2027, according to 9to5Mac and MacRumors, which both quote Apple’s policy. Outside the holidays, Apple gives you 14 days from delivery in the US, per its Sales and Refunds policy.
What’s covered and what isn’t
MacRumors says the policy covers purchases at Apple Stores, on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. The policy text quoted by 9to5Mac counts the date you receive the product, so an order placed on December 23 that arrives December 26 falls under the standard window. Everything bought after December 25 gets the normal return period.
Exclusions, per the policy quoted by 9to5Mac:
- Carrier-financed iPhones bought with T-Mobile or Verizon financing keep the standard return window.
- Carrier-financed iPads bought with Verizon financing keep the standard window too.
- Never returnable: Apple Gift Cards, opened software, software downloads and Apple Developer products such as memberships.
Two standing rules from Apple’s policy also apply. Products can be returned only in the country where you bought them. And Apple products bought from Amazon, Best Buy or another retailer go back to that retailer under its own holiday terms.
Canada gets the same Jan. 8 deadline
MacRumors reports that Canada is on the same schedule: products bought in the November 6 to December 25 window can be returned through January 8, 2027. After the holidays, Canada’s standard window is 15 days instead of 14.
When it pays to buy from Apple directly
Price is usually the reason to skip Apple’s store: Amazon and Best Buy often discount Macs and AirPods, and this week MacRumors reported a $250 Amazon discount on the MacBook Air. Apple rarely discounts. What Apple’s store gives you is a fixed, published return date for the whole season, the same in-store and online, which matters most for gifts and for anything whose fit you can’t judge until it’s on your desk, like a laptop size or a monitor for a MacBook Pro. If you buy from a retailer instead, check its holiday return terms before you order, since they differ by store and product.
Apple’s new OLED iPad mini, M6 iMac and MacBook Pro models went on sale the same day, so they fall inside the window. Our coverage of the M6 iMac pricing and the OLED iPad mini has the details. If you’re choosing an Apple Watch as a gift, start with which Apple Watch to buy.