The Michaels return policy details are worth knowing if you’re into arts and crafts. Having grown up in a “craftsy” home, I know how expensive supplies can be. I also know that it’s common to overbuy in case of emergencies or to save a possible trip later. Thus the need to return stuff arises frequently, at least it did for my Mom when I was a kid. It’s with this in mind that I break down Michaels policy so you can plan accordingly. Here’s everything you need to know.

How Many Return Days Does Michaels Give Me?

60 days.

You get exactly 60 days to make a return to Michaels, down from 180 days that they offered for years.

Their pretty darn generous return policy has gotten a little stricter.

What Happens After 60 Days?

Michaels will give you store credit for the full purchase price once you’ve passed your 60 return days.

PRO TIP: MICHAELS DOESN’T ALLOW EXCHANGES

Since Michaels doesn’t let shoppers do an even exchange, you’ll be stuck having to make a return then rebuy what you need. Keep this in mind when you walk in the store as you’ll want to head straight towards a register and not wander back to the product you want to exchange your item for. By doing this, you’ll save time and reduce potential hassles.

Are There Exceptions to the 60 Days?

Yes, glad you asked. These items have exceptions…

– Cricut Products – Items MUST be unopened, have a valid receipt, and you can only get an exchange.

From commenter Allan, if your Cricut machine stops working you’re going to have to deal with the manufacturer, not Michaels. Even if it’s a brand new item and you just got it home.

– Gift Cards & Prepaid Cards – These are NOT returnable or exchangeable.

– Items Returned Without a Receipt That Are Now Clearance – Unfortunately, if the item in question has moved to “clearance” within Michaels inventory system you’re not eligible for a refund of ANY kind.

– Custom Framing – You have 14 days from the date you pick up your custom framing to have it reworked to your satisfaction. You must bring them back to the same Michaels location where original work was performed.

– Tutorial Classes – Classes are refundable up to the date when the class is set to start. Refunds must be done in-store only.

See Also: Save 15% Off at Michaels If You’re a Teacher – Here’s How

Can Items Be Opened or Used?

For the most part, NO.

Items need to be in their unused original packaging to be returnable.

The only exception to this policy involves items that are defective. They’ll take those back in used or opened condition.

PRO TIP: WHAT’S CONSIDERED DEFECTIVE?

“Defective items” is a bit of subjective term, as some items may not look defective or damaged, unless you’re a painter, DIY craft expert, or art school teacher. Use this to your advantage and if the product does not meet your criteria in ANY way, return it to Michaels and explain the problem. You stand a really good chance of them letting you return it for a full refund.

What If I Don’t Have My Receipt or It’s Past 60 Days?

You’re probably NOT out of luck.

In most cases, Michaels can look up your purchase and refund your money.

They’ll try to use your credit card, debit card, or rewards number to find it.

If they CAN’T find any evidence of your purchase, Michaels will give you store credit for the lowest price in the past 90 days.

If this happens to you, be prepared to show a valid photo I.D. which is used for fraud prevention and refund authorization.

See Also: Etsy Return Policy: Finally…Here’s Exactly How It Works

Can I Return Online Purchases In-Store?

YES, absolutely.

You can return items within 60 days via the mail or at your local Michaels brick & mortar location.

If you want to return items bought online via the mail you’ll need to call them at 1-800-MICHAELS.

A rep will walk you through the process.

Who Pays the Return Shipping Charges?

If the item is NOT defective you’ll be charged for return shipping fees.

Avoid this fate by returning the item to your local Michaels location.

If the item IS defective, then Michaels will pay for the return shipping.

Is There a Separate “Holiday” Return Policy?

No, the Michaels return policy is the same all year-long and does not change in November or December.

See Also: Target Return Policy: Smart Hacks Worth Taking Advantage Of

Can You Return Clearance Items?

No.

Effective November of 2022, all clearance items are considered FINAL SALE and not returnable or exchangeable.

Can I Exchange Items In-Store?

No, oddly enough Michaels does NOT allow exchanges.

The workaround is simply to return the item and re-buy it. This is also a smart idea when the price of an item drops. You might as well get the lower price, especially on significant purchases.

Ask the Reader: Have you ever used the Michaels return policy? Was it a fairly straight-forward process?

By Kyle James

I love a good price match policy and smartphone technology has made it really easy to get some extra savings. With a phone in your pocket it has become a breeze to score a Lowe’s price match. Here’s exactly how their policy works so you can save some money on your next trip to the big-box store.

How Many Days To Score a Lower Price?

You have exactly 30 days from the date of purchase to get a Lowe’s price match.

Keep an eye on those competitor’s ads, especially when making a large purchase like an appliance, BBQ, riding mower, or paint sprayer.

How Do I Make It Happen?

When you find a lower price from a competitor, simply bring in the advertisement on printed paper or via your smartphone.

The Lowe’s website says you can provide this to “any employee” but I like to go the customer service desk as they are usually better versed in their price match policy.

They’ll verify the lower price on the “printout, local ad, photo, or smartphone display” and match the price on the spot.

See Also: Here’s How to Quickly Get a Home Depot Price Match

What Stores Will Lowe’s Price Match?

ANY local competitor or online retail competitor.

This includes your Home Depot, Menard’s, and Ace Hardware’s of the world as well as local “Ma & Pa” stores.

The key to making this happen is Lowe’s must be able to validate the lower price.

So make sure you bring in evidence via a print ad or have the competing website “pulled up” on your smartphone or tablet.

Are There Any Exclusions?

Yes, here are the most notable exceptions.

– Non-Verifiable Prices – If Lowe’s can’t verify the lower price, for whatever reason, you won’t get the price match.

– Out-of-Stock Items – If the competing retailer does not have the item in-stock you won’t get a price match.

– Discontinued Stuff – If the item is no longer produced and sold by a competing store there will be NO price match for you.

– Refurbished Products – Same goes for items that are refurbished and selling for less at a competing store.

– Senior, Military, and Employee Discounts – Pretty straight forward.

– Pricing Errors – If the price is wrong then you won’t get the price match.

– Prices from Auction Websites – Sorry, you can’t price match items sold on eBay.

– Competitor Coupons – If the lower price is because of a coupon offer you can’t get the same price from Lowe’s.

See Also: Considering Renting Tools from Lowes? Read This First

What About Online Purchases?

Yes, they’ll indeed price match online websites that have a lower price.

Consider downloading the ShopSavvy app so you can scan the barcode of an item and see if it’s cheaper online.

Then use that lower price as evidence and get an easy Lowe’s price match.

Does This Include Amazon.com?

It absolutely includes Amazon.

Because of this I highly recommend using the Amazon app so you can quickly check their price when shopping at Lowe’s.

When you find a lower price just go to the Lowe’s customer service desk and get your savings.

Note: Lowe’s will only price match items sold directly by Amazon and not 3rd party Amazon sellers.

Will Lowe’s Price Match Costco?

Yes, Lowe’s will happily match Costco pricing.

Just make sure the item is identical which can be tricky as Costco products tend to have different quantities than Lowe’s.

They’ll also match other wholesale clubs like Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale.

Also See: Skip the Membership: All The Stores That’ll Price Match Costco

What About Items on Sale or Clearance?

Sale merchandise, YES. Clearance stuff, NO.

So check out those sale ads from Lowe’s competitors and get the lower price when you can.

Doesn’t Lowe’s Beat the Competitor’s Price by 10%?

There was a time when Lowe’s would indeed beat competitor pricing by 10%.

But unfortunately those days are gone.

See Also: 9 Clever Ways to Save at Lowe’s That You’ve Never Heard Of

Does Lowe’s Match Competitor’s Coupons?

No, you can’t use a competitor’s coupon to score a lower price at Lowe’s.

Also, from their website, “Customers can either use a Lowe’s coupon or price match to a lower competitive price but not both.”

Can You Price Match on Black Friday Weekend?

As far as I can tell, YES.

There is nothing on their website that stipulates that you can’t get a price match on Black Friday weekend.

Because of this, check out those Black Friday ads this year and use them to your advantage at Lowe’s.

Ask the Reader: Have you received a Lowe’s price match in the past? Was it an easy process?

By Kyle James

Amazon does a nice job making it hard to cancel your Prime membership, they even got sued by the FTC for making it so difficult. After all, they don’t want to lose your business so they figure why not make the “Cancel Button” a little tricky to find. The good news is that after reading this article it’ll be an absolute piece of cake to end your Prime membership and possibly score a full refund. Here’s everything you need to know…

First, Navigate Through the Amazon Labyrinth

To cancel your Prime membership (from the Amazon homepage) you’ll want to click on Account & Lists on the top right.

From there you’ll get a drop-down menu with a bunch of options, click on Your Prime Membership.

Don’t confuse this page with Memberships & Subscriptions as they are 2 separate sections.

Once you get to your Prime page, you’ll notice your payment and renewal details on the left side of the page.

Towards the bottom of the menu is a link that says End Membership and Benefits, click on it. (See screenshot above)

From the Amazon app, go to Your Account page, then tap Manage Prime Membership. Then scroll down to the bottom and tap End Membership and Benefits.

See Also: 6 Slick Ways to Get Amazon Prime for Free

Second, Click to End Prime Benefits

Once you reach the actual cancellation page, you’ll be told of all the wonderful Prime benefits you’ll be missing out on.

Skip to the bottom and you’ll see the End My Benefits button.

Click on it and viola! your Prime membership has been officially cancelled.

Another Way to End Your Prime Membership

Perhaps an even easier way to end your Prime membership is to simply visit this Help Page on Amazon.

Once you’re logged into your account you’ll see the screenshot above.

Just click on End Membership, follow the prompts, and boom, you’re done.

This page may change as time goes on, but for now IT WORKS.

Can You Cancel a Prime Membership 30-Day Trial?

Yes, you can cancel your free 30-day Prime trial.

It would be smart to do it on day 29 so you take full advantage of all the benefits before your credit card gets charged a cent.

The steps to cancel are the same as detailed above.

See Also: 9 Amazon Prime Benefits You Should Be Using NOW

Will You Get Money Back When You Cancel Prime?

I actually called Amazon to see what their official policy was on issuing a refund if you cancel your annual Prime membership before it’s up for renewal.

What I was told was VERY interesting.

Amazon will actually choose the dollar amount to refund you AFTER analyzing how much you used your Prime benefits.

For example, if you used Prime 2-day shipping on FOUR or more orders, I was told you’ll only get a partial refund. They wouldn’t tell me the exact amount they’d refund.

However, if you only used Prime to place one online order, then a FULL refund is definitely possible.

Your best bet to get a refund on Prime is to call Amazon directly at 1-(888) 280-4331 and explain your specific situation.

Ask the Reader: Is Amazon Prime worth the money or are you cancelling because it’s just too expensive? Let me know in the comments, thanks.

By Kyle James