The Sam’s Club return policy is pretty darn solid. But is it as good as Costco’s? Not only will we explore that question, but we’ll answer all your other concerns about Sam’s policy. Here’s everything you need to know so you can shop smart and carry on.

How Many Return Days Do I Have?

Unlimited.

Similar to the Costco return policy, Sam’s allows you to return items ANY TIME after your purchase on most items.

See Also: 7 Ways to Shop at Sam’s Club Without a Membership

Any Exceptions to the Unlimited Return Days?

Yes, there are quite a few note-worthy exceptions.

– Tires and Batteries: Depends on the manufacturer’s warranty. Check it out first.

– Cell Phones: 14 days from date of purchase.

– Televisions: 90 days.

– Computers and Tablets: 90 days.

– Contact Lenses: 30 days.

– Electronics: 90 days. Before you return an item you might want to call 1-877-758-4346 for free technical support from tech experts.

– Games and Software: 90 days.

– Movies and Music: 90 days. If you open it, they’ll only take it back if the CD or DVD is defective.

Can Items Be Opened or Used?

Yes, items can be opened and used and still be returned.

What If I Lost My Receipt?

They prefer that you hold on to your receipt to make your return a breeze.

But…if you don’t have your receipt, they’ll do their best to locate it within their computer system.

Apparently it is not a given that they’ll be able to locate your purchase history.

In any case, be prepared to show your driver’s license so they can track your return history.

This is NOT as a good as Costco as they’ll always be able to look up your purchase when sans receipt.

UPDATE: Thanks to Dirk for letting me know that you can login to your Sam’s account online and access all your old receipts.

You can simply view and print copies of them and make your return at Sam’s a piece of cake. 

Can I Return Items Bought Online to a Sam’s Warehouse?

You can return 99.5% of items bought online to any Sam’s location.

A few of the notable exceptions include golf carts, vending machines, and auction purchases.

I have NO idea what a Sam’s Club “auction purchase” is. If you know, let me know in the comments, thanks.

See Also: Cabela’s Return Policy: Can You Return Firearms and Ammo?

Are Any Items Non-Returnable?

Yes, glad you asked.

You’ll have a hard time trying to bring back any of these items…

– Alcohol: This one varies by state, ask at your local Sam’s if you’re not sure about your state law.

– Cigarettes and Tobacco: This is not 100% true. Some Sam’s locations do allow you to return cancer sticks.

– Personalized Items: Think about items like a personalized birthday cake.

– Contact Lenses: This is only true if you open the box they came in.

– Eyeglasses: 14 days from date of purchase.

– Gift Cards: BTW, Sam’s is a great place to buy discounted gift cards for local restaurants and retailers.

– Hearing Aids: Make sure they work before you leave Sam’s.

– Ticket Sales.

– Prescriptions: There are some exceptions, ask the pharmacist about it when you get your free consult.

– Car Tires and Batteries: This one depends on the manufacturer’s warranty.

What’s the Return Policy on Mattresses?

I started a live chat session with Sam’s Club as I couldn’t find their return policy on mattresses anywhere.

At first they told me they need to contact the vendor as they give them return instructions.

I then said, “It’s a Serta, will you take it back? It’s very uncomfortable and hurts my back.”

They immediately said, “Yes, definitely we can take it back.”

If you bought it in-store, take it back to Sam’s.

If you bought it online, call them at 1 (888) 746-7726 for specific instructions.

Who Pays Return Shipping Charges for Online Returns?

If you decide you simply don’t want the item then you’ll have to pay return shipping charges.

If the reason for the return is an error by Sam’s, or a defective product, then they’ll pay the return shipping fees.

Can Items Bought in a Club Be Returned Online?

Nope, bummer.

You’ll have to return them via their online return system.

Can I Return Items to a Different Club?

Yes, you can with these 3 important exceptions:

– Alcohol: If you live in a state that allows you to return alcohol you have to bring it back to the Sam’s Club that you bought it from.

– Cigarettes and Tobacco Products: Same as above.

– Contact Lenses: Unopened contacts must be returned within 30 days to the Sam’s where you bought them.

Can Their Return Policy be Abused?

Because their return policy is quite generous, Sam’s inevitably gets shoppers bringing back some pretty crazy items.

Many of which border on “policy abuse”.

Keep in mind that like any generous return policy, it will eventually go away if abused.

Can I Be Banned From Returning Items?

Yes, you’ll be banned if you regularly return items like brown bananas or an invisible watermelon.

Return smart and carry on.

Which Return Policy is Better: Costco or Sam’s Club?

Tough question, but I’d go with Costco for ONE reason.

Costco is better in terms of tracking your purchases so you don’t need a receipt.

If you lose your receipt with Sam’s, it appears to be a 50/50 chance that you can make the return.

Ask the Reader: What has been your experience with the Sam’s Club return policy?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to JJBers.

The next time you leave Walmart DON’T toss your receipt in the nearest garbage bin. Instead whip out your smartphone and use these highly clever apps to earn some free cash from your receipt just for shopping at Walmart. Here’s everything you need to know to make it happen.

First, Scan Your Receipt With Fetch

Similar to Ibotta, the Fetch app only requires you to scan your Walmart receipt and they do the rest of the dirty work.

In a short few months I’ve already earned over $35 in free Amazon gift cards with Fetch.

From their website, “All you need to do is snap a picture of your receipt and points will be put into your account. It is that easy.”

Use those points for free gift cards to hundreds of places like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, American Eagle, Bed Bath & Beyond, or even a Visa Cash Card.

Also keep in mind that Fetch works on all store receipts, not just Walmart.

FETCH SIGN-UP BONUS

Enter our exclusive referral code RATHER when you sign-up for Fetch and get 1,000 free points after you snap your first receipt.

See Also: Fetch FULL Review: Here’s Exactly How it Works

Next, Scan Your Receipt With ibotta

Once you have your Walmart receipt in-hand, be sure to download the Ibotta app and scan the barcode at the bottom.

The app will automatically examine your receipt, what you bought, and match any qualifying offers.

If it finds any offers it’ll pay you for them and add the money to your Ibotta account. You’ll be surprised how many offers Ibotta will find and your balance will start to build up.

You’ll get the cash added to your Ibotta account within 48 hours which you can redeem via PayPal as soon as your balance reaches $20.

I’ve been using Ibotta for a few years and have earned well over $350 just on my Walmart purchases.

It’s also worth noting that Ibotta is NOT exclusive to Walmart and you can use it at pretty much ALL the stores you shop at, even Costco and Sam’s Club.

Love myself some Ibotta. Go check it out for yourself.

See Also: Ibotta Review: Insider Tips on Using the App to Save on Groceries

Last, Snap a Receipt Pic With Checkout 51

Just download the free Checkout51 app, pick the grocery rebates you like and save them to your list of rebates.

Then head out to do your grocery shopping just like you normally would at Walmart.

Once you buy the items on your rebate list you simply snap a pic of your Walmart receipt using the app.

Once verified, your account gets credited automatically.

As soon as your account reaches $20 you can cash out and they’ll mail you a check.

Ask the Reader: Besides using these free apps, how do you make money off your Walmart receipts?

By Kyle James

Who doesn’t love a good return policy? Not I said the fly. The return policy at Sephora is quite strict in some ways and pretty awesome in other ways. But like any store policy it comes with some fine print that needs further explanation. Here’s exactly how the policy at Sephora works so you can buy beauty products with piece-of-mind knowing what (and how) you can return.

How Many Return Days at Sephora?

30 days.

In recent years, Sephora has made their return policy more strict by going from a 60-day return window down to 30 days.

What Happens After 30 Days?

If you try to return something between 31-60 days after purchase, you’re NOT completely out of luck.

You’ll simply have to settle for a Sephora merchandise credit which can be used online and in-store.

Their merchandise credit does NOT expire which is cool, but be aware that it can’t be replaced if you lose it.

Okay, So What Happens After 60 Days?

After 60 days you CANNOT make the return which makes their policy a bit strict.

You’re only option is to try and make the return without your receipt and hope you get a lenient manager who might give you store credit.

For this “trick” to potentially work, the item needs to be unused, unopened, and be in the original packaging.

Can Items Be Opened or Used?

Yes.

But if items are opened they must be in “gently used” condition.

What they mean by “gently used” is hard to say.

Because of this I called and chatted with a Sephora rep and was told that you can take home beauty items and give them a gentle test drive.

If you don’t like the item for ANY reason you can return it for a full refund.

See Also: The 8 Best Return Policies in the Known Universe

Any Stuff That Can’t Be Returned?

Nope.

Everything is returnable as long as the item isn’t well used and abused.

Can I Return a Gift for Cash?

No, but they’ll give you store credit if you ask for it.

Otherwise they’ll put the money back on the credit card that was used to make the purchase.

Can I Return Stuff to Kohl’s?

Back in 2021, Sephora started opening mini-stores inside of many Kohl’s locations.

Unfortunately, only Sephora products purchased at Kohl’s can be returned to Kohl’s.

Stuff bought at a standalone Sephora store must be returned to a Sephora store.

Can Their Return Policy Be Abused?

Yes, you can definitely abuse the Sephora return policy and they’re not a big fan of it.

If you return too many used items in a certain amount of time you could be banned from further returns.

It’s not public knowledge how many returns raise a red flag.

Just be smart and don’t take advantage of their liberal policy.

See Also: Making an ULTA Return? Here’s Everything You NEED to Know

Do I Need My Receipt to Return Stuff?

No, not in every case.

For example, if you made your original purchase with a credit card or Beauty Insider account they can look up the purchase and process your return.

The only time that you can’t make a return without a receipt is when you pay with cash.

Have People Actually Been Banned?

Yes, Sephora has banned people (temporarily) from further returns.

They’re using a company called The Retail Equation to track all returns and take action if necessary.

This is why they ask for a photo ID when you make a return.

So if you regularly buy 5 lipsticks, take them home, try them, then return 4 of them you might get flagged.

In case you’re curious, here are the 6 most returned items to Sephora.

Makes sense as Sephora can’t resell those lipsticks.

They’ll typically email you a warning first and take action if you keep abusing their policy.

What About Returning Stuff from Sephora.com?

This is where the policy gets kinda awesome.

When returning something you bought from the Sephora website, they’ll pay the ENTIRE cost of return shipping.

No questions asked. Just use the prepaid FedEx return shipping label that comes with every order.

To speed up the return process you can also return items to any brick & mortar Sephora location.

Do I Get More Time to Return Stuff After Christmas?

Yes.

Sephora offers an extended holiday return policy for purchases made between October 27th – December 1st, 2023, you have until January 31st, 2024 to make your return.

Ask the Reader: What has been your experience with the return policy at Sephora? Good, bad, or indifferent?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Mike Mozart.