Here’s the short answer: you may be able to return some items after 90 days, under the standard return policy. But there may be stores that won’t accept late returns. Instead of a refund, you may get store credit equal to the price of the item you want to return. The Walmart return policy after 90 days is strict for a reason that is just to stop people from cheating the store with old items.
There is the Walmart return policy, and then there is the discretion of the Customer Service Manager. And then there’s the attitude of the person seeking returns. If you’re really nice, you might be able to get a return long after the 90-day window.
It also depends on what you’re trying to return. There are stories of customers trying to return year-old items in new boxes, pretending it was bought just yesterday. Walmarts CSMs have seen it all. So your experience with returns beyond the stipulated period will depend a lot on the experiences of the CSM at the store you visit for returns.
Here’s a look at all you need to know about returns after 90 days.
Walmart Return Policy After 90 Days
Walmart has a 90-day window for most items to be returned. You’ll usually need a Walmart.com order number or receipt for a refund in the original form of payment. You can start the return process online here or on the app.
If you don’t have a receipt to show within 90 days, the CSM may be able to look up your credit or debit card details or online order details with your phone number or email address. But what happens after 90 days?
Most returnable items at Walmart have a fixed return window tied to them. Some need receipts. In general, you can return wireless phones within 14 days and consumer electronics and hoverboards within 30 days. Prescription lenses and glasses can be returned in 60 days. Outdoor recreation equipment and oversized furniture can be returned in 90 days. But you have up to a year to return perennials, trees and shrubs in-store.
What items cannot be returned to Walmart?
Was your Walmart return denied? Check whether the item falls within the following categories of items that can’t be returned.
If you’re in an area still under restricted returns due to Covid-19, you won’t be able to return items like laundry soap, medicines, apparel, health and beauty items, home cleaning products, paper goods, and food.
Other items that cannot be returned even in the best of times, for obvious reasons, include:
- Pepper spray
- Firearms and ammunition
- Air guns, BB guns, Airsoft guns, Crossbows
- Gas Powered Mini Bikes, Dirt Bikes, Scooters and other Rec vehicles
- Prescription devices and meds
- Vibrators and other sex toys, ovulation and pregnancy tests, diagnostic test kits
- Tires, mounted or used, as well as snow tires
- Medical equipment like bath seats, bed pans, breast pumps (unsealed) etc.
- RV sewer lines either opened or used
- Trading cards
Note that if you want to return a Medicare Part B-covered item that isn’t up to the mark, you may be able to return it.
You also cannot return Gift Cards, VOD, Prepaid cell phone cards, Sim cards, Express Bill Pay, Walmart Financial Services and Prepaid Gaming Cards.
There are some items that you can only exchange, and not return. These include:
- Mattresses and air beds that are opened or used
- Unlocked wireless phones
- Medical equipment like walkers, crutches, mobility scooters, etc.
- Damaged or defective eDelivery software and funeral products. Note that new items in these categories can’t be returned against the refund.
More About Walmart Return Denied
If you get a Walmart return denied with phone number entry, it’s probably because you didn’t have a receipt and too many returns already. Walmart, like most other retailers, have an internal policy of limiting returns without receipt to three a year. If you get a Walmart return warning when you try to make a return at the store, it may be because you have already made too many returns that year.
The reasons for such a policy is obvious. It’s common for folks to take items bought at one retailer to another and claim a return. Sometimes, clearance items are returned for a profit. There have also been cases of people returning stolen items to Walmart by taking advantage of the receipt-free return allowance. There have been cases of returning stolen items for store credit, to the store’s loss. So it’s understandable why such a policy is in place at all.
You may wonder, does Walmart check returned electronics? The answer is yes. When you return an item, the CSM will scan the barcode to make sure the correct item is returned. Such a step helps to stop people buying new items and trying to return old ones to get an undeserved refund.
The Bottomline
Clearly, there’s a reason for the Walmart return warning with the receipt and the strict Walmart return policy after 90 days. It’s to stop people from cheating the store with old items. The 90-day policy is reasonably generous as far as retailers go today. If you want to make returns and get a full refund, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.