Sam’s Club Return Policy for Phones, TVs and Everything Else
The Sam’s Club return policy lets members bring back most items at any time for a refund or replacement.
A few categories run on a clock. Electronics and major appliances get 90 days, commercial heavy equipment and motorsports items get 30, and cell phones get just 14.
Some purchases can’t come back at all. And a lost receipt is usually a smaller problem than a missing box.
| What you bought | Return window |
|---|---|
| Most items | Any time |
| Electronics | 90 days |
| Major appliances | 90 days |
| Commercial heavy equipment | 30 days |
| Motorsports items | 30 days |
| Cell phones | 14 days |
Sam’s Club calls this its 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. It covers current members, whether the item came from a club or from SamsClub.com.
Cell phones get only 14 days
Prepaid, postpaid and no-contract phones all share the same 14-day window, the shortest in the Sam’s Club policy.
Phones are where Sam’s Club and Costco split. Costco’s return policy puts cellular phones in its 90-day electronics group, counted from the day the member received the phone, with details that vary by carrier contract.
That’s six times as long. I’d treat the first two weeks with a phone from Sam’s Club as the trial period, because the guarantee won’t stretch past day 14.
TVs, electronics and appliances
Electronics and major appliances get 90 days, and TVs count as electronics. By my count, a TV bought on Black Friday, November 27, 2026, can go back until February 25, 2027.
Bring everything that came in the box. Sam’s Club’s returns page says a full refund can require the packaging, manuals, parts and accessories, and missing pieces can turn it into a partial refund.
If a TV or laptop came with a promotional gift card, that card has to come back with it for a full refund.
What Sam’s Club won’t take back
The returns page names seven kinds of purchases Sam’s Club won’t accept, plus five more that depend on your club.
Opened items can come back too. The only opened-or-unopened rule in the policy is the ban on trading cards, which covers both.
Truckload orders are their own case. Any order over $10,000 or 20 or more pallets goes through the Wholesale Trading Program and can’t be returned unless it arrives defective or damaged.
For the check-with-your-club list, call before you make the trip. Beer, wine and spirits are on it, so whether a bottle can come back depends on your club, and tires and batteries can carry their own return terms.
Protection plans, subscriptions, travel and online contact lens orders also follow separate terms, so check the paperwork for those before assuming the guarantee applies.
Returns without a receipt
Sam’s Club takes many returns without a receipt. Its returns page says it prefers the original receipt or printed order, but “we’ll do our best to process your return without it.”
Your membership is the backup. Purchases are tied to your membership number, so the Member Services desk can usually find the transaction.
That’s why I’d worry less about the receipt than the box. Missing packaging can cut a refund, while a lost receipt usually ends with a quick lookup.
How refunds are paid
| Return | Where the money goes |
|---|---|
| In a club | Cash or credit to your original payment, or a Sam’s Club shopping card |
| SamsClub.com order | Credit to the account that was charged |
| SNAP items paid with SNAP | Your EBT account within 90 days, or an exchange for the same item |
| Package that never arrived | A full refund to the original payment method |
| Shipping charges | Refunded only for a Sam’s Club error or shipping damage |
The shopping card option disappears where the law rules it out, and SNAP refunds never come back as cash, credit or gift cards.
Returning an item in a club
Any Sam’s Club can take the return, not only the one where you bought the item.
- Pack the item with its box, manuals and accessories, plus any gift card that came with it.
- Bring the receipt, or let the desk look the purchase up on your membership.
- Take everything to the Member Services desk.
- Check that the refund is going back to your original form of payment before you leave.
SamsClub.com orders
Most SamsClub.com orders can go back to any Sam’s Club in the U.S. The product page flags the exceptions, and golf carts and vending machines are two of them.
To ship one back instead, start from the order details in your SamsClub.com account and pack the item with its accessories and packing slip. You can also call 888-746-7726 with the order number.
It doesn’t work the other way around. SamsClub.com can’t process returns of things bought in a club, so those go to a Member Services desk.
Curbside returns in Texas and Arizona
Sam’s Club is testing curbside returns at a handful of clubs, almost all around Dallas and in East Texas, plus one in Tempe, Arizona. You hand the item to the associate who loads your scheduled Curbside Pickup order.
The pilot has limits, spelled out in Sam’s Club’s curbside returns FAQ. Cash and EBT purchases still go to the membership desk, exchanges happen only inside the club, and refunds go to the original payment method when possible or to a Sam’s Club eGift Card.
No receipt is needed as long as the purchase is tied to your membership. Someone else can make the return for you with the receipt or access to your account.
If your membership has lapsed
Sam’s Club writes its satisfaction guarantee for current members. If yours has expired, call 888-746-7726 or ask at the Member Services desk before you bring anything back.
Renewing costs the same as joining, $60 a year for Club or $120 for Plus.
Prices, fees and policies were checked when this guide was last updated and can change without notice. Sam’s Club Tips is an independent site and is not affiliated with Sam’s Club or Walmart Inc.
