As it always does, in the run up to the holidays Apple has extended its return window. With some exceptions, buyers now have until early January 2027 to change their minds.
Apple does this every year, and each time the broad strokes are the same. From now until Christmas Day, most items can be returned until a date in early January.
For this year, Apple has announced that the return date is January 8, 2027. It has also, though, detailed what is excluded from that:
- Apple Gift Cards
- Apple developer membership and other products
- Installed software or upgrades from the App Store
Most importantly, though, is what happens with the return of an iPhone or a cellular iPad, if it were bought locked to a particular carrier.
"Wireless carriers have different service-cancellation policies," notes Apple. "Returning your iPhone or iPad may not automatically cancel or reset your wireless account."
Consequently Apple says that you "are responsible for your wireless service agreement."
Note, too, that Apple's returns policy only applies to items bought from either a retail Apple Store or its online one. In the case of an online order, the date the product is received is used to determine eligibility, not the order day.
All of this is the same as before, except that Apple has added back in its rejection of gift cards which it omitted in 2025. For completeness, the terms and conditions still include references to opened software, decades since Apple sold any apps in boxes.
These are the terms as apply to US customers, although there are very similar ones for international buyers. There is also a series of additional returns steps for customers in Puerto Rico, which Apple details on its returns page.
