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Holiday Return Policy 2026: Template and Examples
Gifts are bought in November and opened in late December, so a normal return window runs out before the wrapping paper does. Here is what the big retailers set, the legal floor, and a template you can fill in today.
The short answer
A holiday return policy gives gift purchases a longer window: anything bought between a start date and late December can come back until a fixed date in January. The common pattern for 2026 is purchases from October or November to 31 December, returnable until 31 January 2027, which is what Macy’s has posted. Write it with four things: the dates, what is final sale, refund or exchange, and who pays return shipping. Then show it on the product page, cart and chat.
Every December the same thing happens to a small online shop. A customer buys a jumper on 28 November for a sister who opens it on 25 December. It is the wrong size. By then a standard 30-day window, counted from delivery, has closed or is about to. The sister writes in on 27 December, polite but firm, and the shop has to decide on the spot whether to bend its own rule.
An extended holiday return policy makes that decision in October instead. It is also one of the cheapest things you can do to sell more in November: in the 2025 Retail Returns Landscape from the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns (published 15 October 2025, the latest edition when we checked on 21 October 2026), 82% of shoppers said free returns were a major consideration when buying, and 71% said a poor returns experience made them less likely to shop with that retailer again.
This guide gives you the dates the big retailers are using, the legal minimums in the EU, the UK and the US, a template to copy, and the questions your customers will send in December and January, with answers you can reuse.
What the big retailers set for the holidays
We read each retailer’s own returns page on 21 October 2026. Some had already posted their 2026 holiday dates; others still showed last season’s or only their standard policy. Where a 2026 date was not yet published, the table shows last year’s window and says so.
| Retailer | Holiday window | Season shown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macy's | Bought 5 October to 31 December 2026: returnable until 31 January 2027 | Holiday 2026, posted | Dyson and Mac Duggal keep 30 days; Last Act is final sale; $9.99 return shipping for non-members, store returns free |
| Walmart (Marketplace sellers) | Bought 1 October to 31 December: returnable until 31 January | Standing seller rule | Exceptions include wireless phones, protection plans, major appliances, Dyson, food and drink; sellers must offer at least 30 days |
| Amazon | Bought 1 November to 31 December 2025: returnable until 31 January 2026 | Holiday 2025 (2026 not yet posted) | Apple-branded products had until 15 January 2026 |
| Apple | Bought 12 November to 25 December 2025: returnable until 8 January 2026 | Holiday 2025 (2026 not yet posted) | Standard window is 14 calendar days from receipt; purchases on consumer financing follow the standard policy |
| Best Buy | No holiday extension on its policy page yet | Standard policy | 15 days for most products, 60 days for paid members; 14 days for activatable devices; 15% restocking fee on some categories |
| Target | Holiday collections "may have modified return policies" | Standard policy | Most unopened items in new condition: 90 days |
| Costco | No holiday extension needed | Standard policy | Electronics such as TVs, computers and cameras: 90 days from receipt; most other items under its satisfaction guarantee |
| Nordstrom | No holiday extension needed | Standard policy | "There are no time limits for returns or exchanges"; returns handled case by case |
Sources: Macy’s Holiday 2026 Return Policy, Walmart’s returns policy for marketplace sellers, Amazon’s 2025 holiday return policy, Apple’s returns and refunds page and AppleInsider’s report of Apple’s 2025 holiday window, Best Buy’s return and exchange policy, Target’s returns help page, Costco’s electronics returns answer and Nordstrom’s return policy.
Two camps show up. Stores with short standard windows (Macy’s at 30 days, Apple at 14, Amazon and Walmart’s sellers) publish a fixed calendar deadline, and 31 January is the most common one. Stores whose normal policy is already long (Target’s 90 days, Costco’s 90 days on electronics, Nordstrom with no time limit) do not need an extension, because their usual window already reaches into the new year.
The fine print is worth copying too. Every retailer above carves out exceptions: phones, appliances, a single brand, final-sale clearance. Macy’s keeps its return shipping fee for non-members. An extended window does not have to mean free everything; it has to mean clear dates.
How many holiday purchases come back
The NRF and Happy Returns report surveyed 358 ecommerce professionals at large US merchants and 2,006 consumers in summer 2025. The retailers expected 17% of holiday sales to be returned, in line with earlier years, and 19.3% of online sales across the whole of 2025. Across all sales they estimated returns of $849.9 billion, or 15.8%. To manage the holiday peak, 49% planned to lean on third-party logistics partners, 43% to hire seasonal staff for returns and 37% to extend their return windows. They also estimated that 9% of all returns are fraudulent, which is why most holiday policies still list exclusions.
Those are large-retailer numbers; a small shop selling candles will see fewer returns than one selling shoes. The useful point is the shape. Returns cluster in the weeks after 25 December, and every return brings questions with it. Our holiday shopping 2026 forecasts cover the sales side of the same season.
The legal floor in the EU, the UK and the US
A holiday policy is a promise you add on top of whatever the law already requires. Here is the minimum in the three places most small online stores sell to. This is general information, not legal advice; if you sell across borders at volume, have a lawyer read your final wording.
| Where | Right to cancel | If you do not tell them | Refund timing | Return shipping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | 14 days from delivery, no reason needed | Extends by 12 months if you never told the customer about the right | Within 14 days of being told; you may wait until the goods come back or proof of sending arrives | The customer pays direct return costs only if you told them so beforehand |
| United Kingdom | 14 days after delivery, no reason needed | Customer can cancel within 12 months if not told | Follow the UK refund rules on GOV.UK | Set out in your terms; tell customers before they buy |
| United States | No federal right to return a purchase | State rules vary | The FTC Mail Order Rule covers late shipping: refund unshipped orders promptly (7 working days for most payments) | Your policy decides |
- European Union. The Consumer Rights Directive gives shoppers 14 days to withdraw from an online purchase without giving a reason, counted from delivery for goods. If you did not tell them about this right, the period runs 12 months longer. You refund within 14 days of being told, and you may hold the refund until the goods come back or the customer shows proof of sending. The EU’s Your Europe guide lists the exceptions: personalised or made-to-order goods, perishables, and unsealed audio, video or software, among others.
- United Kingdom. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give the same 14 days after delivery. GOV.UK’s guidance for online sellers says that if you do not tell customers about the right, they can cancel within 12 months.
- United States. There is no federal right to return a purchase that arrived as described; state rules vary, and your posted policy is what customers rely on. The FTC’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule is often confused with a returns rule. It is about shipping: you need a reasonable basis for the delivery time you advertise, and if you cannot ship you must offer the customer a delay or a prompt refund.
The practical upshot: a holiday window can be longer than the legal minimum, never shorter, and an EU or UK customer keeps the 14-day right whatever your holiday policy says.
Pick your dates in four decisions
When the window opens. Match your first holiday promotion. Macy's opened on 5 October, Walmart's marketplace rule on 1 October; Amazon used 1 November last year and Apple 12 November. If your Black Friday sale starts on 20 November, start the window on 1 November so early shoppers are covered too.
When it stops covering new orders. 24 December keeps it simple for gift buyers; 31 December also covers New Year sales. After that date, your standard policy applies again.
The return-by date. 31 January is the date most shoppers have seen. A shop with fragile or seasonal stock might pick 15 January, as Amazon did for Apple products last year.
What stays out. Personalised items, gift cards, hygiene items, clearance marked final sale. Name them, and name them on the product page too.
Extended holiday return policy template
Copy the block below, replace everything in square brackets, and delete the options you do not use. It is written for customers, not lawyers: short lines, dates in full, and the answer to “who pays?” in plain words.
HOLIDAY RETURNS 2026 Bought something from [STORE NAME] between [START DATE, e.g. 1 November 2026] and [LAST PURCHASE DATE, e.g. 24 December 2026]? You can return it until [RETURN DEADLINE, e.g. 31 January 2027]. Orders placed after [LAST PURCHASE DATE] follow our standard [NUMBER]-day return policy, counted from the day your order is delivered. WHAT YOU CAN RETURN • Unused items in their original condition and packaging, with tags attached. • Gifts, with the order number or the gift receipt. FINAL SALE ITEMS (these stay with you) • [LIST, e.g. personalised items, gift cards, pierced earrings, anything marked Final Sale]. REFUND OR EXCHANGE • Refunds go back to the original payment method within [NUMBER] business days of your return reaching us. • Returned gifts get [store credit / a refund to the person who bought them]. • Exchanges for another size or colour: [we send the new item as soon as the return is scanned / we send it when the return arrives]. RETURN SHIPPING • [Returns are free within COUNTRY / A return label costs AMOUNT and comes out of your refund / Exchanges ship free]. • Damaged, faulty or wrong items: we pay the return shipping, whatever the date. HOW TO START A RETURN 1. Go to [RETURNS PAGE ADDRESS] or ask in the chat on our website. 2. Enter your order number and the email you ordered with. 3. [Print the label / show the QR code at DROP-OFF POINT] and send the item within [NUMBER] days of starting the return. CUSTOMERS IN THE EU AND UK You also have the legal right to cancel within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason. This holiday policy adds to that right. Questions? [CHAT / EMAIL / PHONE], [HOURS]. We usually reply within [TIME].
What every holiday policy needs to say
- The three dates, written out. “1 November 2026 to 24 December 2026, returnable until 31 January 2027.” Not “extended returns over the holidays”.
- What happens after. Say which policy applies to orders placed after the window, and whether days are counted from purchase or delivery.
- Gift returns. Whether the recipient gets store credit or the buyer gets the refund, and whether the buyer is told. Best Buy, for example, gives store credit for gifts returned in store and credits the buyer when a gift comes back by mail.
- Exchanges versus refunds. If you would rather keep the sale, make exchanges the easy option: free shipping on the swap, or sending the new size before the old one arrives.
- Who pays return shipping. Free, a flat fee taken from the refund, or free for exchanges only. Always free for damaged or wrong items.
- Final-sale items. A list, not a phrase like “some exclusions apply”.
- Refund timing. How many business days after the parcel reaches you, and that the bank may take a few more.
- How to start. One link, one place. If returns can be started in chat, say so.
Where to show it so customers actually see it
A policy only people who go looking for it can find does half its job. The holiday window sells when it is visible before the purchase, and it saves support time when it is visible after.
- Product pages: one line under the price. “Gift it now: returns accepted until 31 January 2027.”
- Cart and checkout: the same line, plus a link to the full policy.
- Order confirmation email and packing slip: the return-by date and the returns link, so the recipient has it too.
- A gift receipt option at checkout, if your platform has one, so the recipient can return without the price.
- The returns page in your footer: the full template above, dated.
- Your website chat: most return questions arrive here, after hours, in the week after Christmas. Whatever answers there has to give the same dates as the page.
The questions customers ask in December and January
These are the messages a small gift shop can expect, with sample answers written against the template above (dates and amounts are placeholders for this example). The first five are fully answered by a clear written policy. The last three need someone to look at the order.
“I bought this on Black Friday. Can I still return it in January?”
Yes. Anything bought between 1 November and 24 December 2026 can come back until 31 January 2027. You can start the return here: [link].
Handled by: Answered from the policy
“It was a gift. Can I return it without the person who bought it finding out?”
Yes. With the gift receipt or the order number, you get store credit in your own name and we do not contact the buyer.
Handled by: Answered from the policy
“Can I swap it for a bigger size instead?”
Yes. Choose "exchange" when you start the return and we send the new size as soon as your parcel is scanned. Exchanges ship free.
Handled by: Answered from the policy
“Who pays for the return label?”
Returns are free within [country]. For returns from elsewhere, the label costs [amount] and comes out of your refund. If the item arrived damaged, we pay.
Handled by: Answered from the policy
“I ordered on 27 December. Does the holiday window apply to me?”
Orders from 25 December onwards follow our standard 30-day policy, counted from delivery. So an order delivered on 30 December can come back until 29 January.
Handled by: Answered from the policy
“I sent it back two weeks ago. Where is my refund?”
Refunds go out within 5 business days of the parcel reaching us, then your bank can take a few more days. I am passing this to the team now so they can check your return.
Handled by: A person, with the order details
“It arrived broken.”
Sorry about that. We pay the return shipping on damaged items whatever the date. A photo of the damage helps; I am connecting you with the team to sort the replacement or refund.
Handled by: A person
“It is 3 February. Can I still return it?”
The holiday window closed on 31 January. I am passing your message to the team, who look at late returns case by case.
Handled by: A person decides
The pattern matters more than the wording. Questions about dates, gift returns, exchanges and label costs have one right answer each, and that answer is in your policy. Questions about a specific parcel, a damaged item or a date that has passed need a person who can see the order and make a call. Our guide to AI chatbots for returns and refunds looks at that split in more detail.
Worked example: one shop’s January returns
Worked example, with a knitwear shop we made up for this article. It takes 2,400 orders between 1 November and 24 December, offers returns until 31 January, and wants to know what January will look like before it decides how to staff it.
| Line | Figure |
|---|---|
| Holiday orders, 1 November to 24 December | 2,400 |
| Assumed return rate | 12%, below NRF's 17% holiday figure for large retailers |
| Returns expected | 288 |
| Conversations per return (start it, then "where is my refund?") | 2, so 576 conversations |
| Policy questions from people who then keep the item | 300 |
| Return conversations, 26 December to 10 February | 876 |
| Answerable from the written policy (dates, how to start, gift returns, label cost) | 60%, about 526 |
| Need a person (damage, late returns, refund not arrived, exceptions) | 40%, about 350 |
| Time on the policy questions at 5 minutes each | About 44 hours |
Around 876 conversations over six and a half weeks is nearly 20 a day, peaking in the week after Christmas. More than half of them ask something the policy page already answers, and they take about 44 hours of someone’s January to answer by hand. The other 350 are the ones where a person makes a real difference: a damaged parcel, a refund that has not appeared, a customer three days past the deadline. The aim is to keep those 44 hours for those 350 conversations.
For the wider plan for the season, from staffing to the week-by-week calendar, see our holiday season support plan for Black Friday 2026.
Where EzyConn fits
EzyConn’s AI agent answers customers in the chat on your website from your own content, in multiple languages. Give it your returns page (it reads your site from its address) and it answers “can I still return this?” with your dates, at 11pm on Boxing Day as well as at noon.
- Exact answers for the lines that matter. Write the policy’s key lines as exact questions and answers (“exact wording, used first”): the return-by date, the gift return rule, who pays the label. The agent uses that wording before anything else.
- A person for the specific cases. When a customer needs someone, the agent offers a person and hands over the whole conversation to your team in the inbox or in Slack, so nobody asks the customer to repeat the order number.
- When it does not know, it says so and offers a person. When a teammate answers a question the AI could not, that reply waits as a draft answer for you to approve.
- Refund actions happen through an AI Action connected to your own system, within the rule you set, from the Starter plan.
The Free plan includes the AI agent, needs no card and does not expire, and the website chat goes live in about 3 minutes. You can put a free AI chatbot on your website before the holiday rush, read how it works for online stores, or compare plans on the pricing page. The fastest test is to start free, add your returns page, and ask it the eight questions above.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Holiday return policy: common questions
What is a holiday return policy?
It is a temporary, longer return window for purchases made during the gift season. Instead of the usual 14 or 30 days from delivery, anything bought between a start date (often 1 November) and late December can come back until a fixed date in January. It exists because gifts are bought weeks before they are opened.
How long should a holiday return window be?
For a small store, a purchase window from your first holiday promotion to 24 or 31 December, with returns accepted until 31 January, matches what Macy's and Walmart's marketplace rules set and what Amazon used last year (checked 21 October 2026). If your standard window is already 60 or 90 days, you may not need an extension at all.
When do the 2026 holiday return windows start?
Macy's posted its 2026 policy first: purchases from 5 October to 31 December 2026, returnable until 31 January 2027. Walmart's marketplace rule covers purchases from 1 October. Amazon and Apple had not posted their 2026 dates on 21 October 2026; last year Amazon started on 1 November and Apple on 12 November.
Do I have to offer returns at all?
In the EU and the UK, online shoppers have a legal right to cancel within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason, with some exceptions such as personalised or perishable goods. In the United States there is no federal right to return a purchase and state rules vary. This is general information, not legal advice.
Should gift returns get a refund or store credit?
Most stores give store credit to the gift recipient, because the money came from someone else. Best Buy, for example, gives store credit for gifts returned in store and credits the buyer for gifts returned by mail. Say which you do in the policy, and say whether the buyer is told.
Who should pay for holiday return shipping?
It is your choice in most places, but customers notice. In NRF and Happy Returns' 2025 survey, 82% of shoppers called free returns a major consideration when buying. A common middle path: free exchanges, a flat label fee on refunds, and always free for damaged or wrong items.
Does a holiday return policy replace the EU 14-day right?
It adds to it. An EU customer keeps the 14-day right of withdrawal from delivery whatever your holiday policy says, and if you never told them about that right, it runs for 12 months longer. Your holiday window can be longer than the legal minimum, never shorter.