Shopping at Apple this holiday season? You should know this

If you splash out on an Apple product during the upcoming holiday season — whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, Mac, smartwatch, earbuds, or some other item — then it’s important to know the terms and conditions in the event that you want to return it.

For most of the year, Apple offers a refund if you return an unwanted item within two weeks of buying it. But during the hectic holiday season when we might be away or busy with friends and family, it usually extends the period to make the returns process more convenient.

It means that any Apple gear bought between November 3, 2023, and December 25, 2023, can be returned up until January 8, 2024.

There are some caveats, though. For example, iPhone purchases that are carrier-financed with T-Mobile are not eligible and are subject to Apple’s standard return policy of 14 days.

Also, only items that have been bought directly from Apple — whether online or at one of its official retail stores — can be returned to Apple. If you bought an Apple product via another retailer, you’ll need to check its own returns and refunds policy.

Apple also points out that some items are not eligible for return, such as software that’s been installed on a computer, electronic software downloads, and Apple Gift Cards.

For full details, check out the Refunds & Returns page on Apple’s website.

And if you do purchase an Apple product and decide to keep it, the company usually offers extended trials of various Apple services, such as three free months of its streaming service, Apple TV+.

iPhone customers, for example, will see a prompt to sign up for any free trials via the handset’s Settings page on their new device once they’ve signed in to their Apple account.

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