Try an M4 Mac Over the Holidays with Apple’s Extended Return Policy
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Apple has just kicked off its annual holiday shopping season, and it’s probably no coincidence that it’s starting the same day its new M4 Mac lineup arrives in stores.
In addition to its usual Holiday Gift Guide to help you decide what to put under the tree, Apple has extended its return window, as it typically does during the holiday season, ensuring that you won’t have to worry about buying someone a gift they don’t like.
Extended Holiday Returns
Apple has always had a reasonably generous return policy, letting you bring back nearly any product within 14 days of purchase (or receipt if you’ve ordered it online) for a full refund, no questions asked. However, during the holiday season, it extends that to nearly 60 days to give you up to two weeks after Christmas Day.
There are some exceptions, such as iPhones subsidized through carriers. Plus, the extended return window technically ends on December 25, although the final date is 14 days after that anyway. Here are the specifics from Apple’s website:
Eligible products at the Apple Store Online that are received between November 8, 2024 and December 25, 2024, may be returned through January 8, 2025. Please note that all other terms and conditions provided in the Apple Store Online Sales and Refunds Policy are still applicable with respect to such products purchased. iPhone purchases that are carrier-financed with T-Mobile or Verizon are not eligible and are subject to standard return policy. All purchases made after December 25, 2024 are subject to the Standard Return Policy.
The extended return policy also doesn’t change Apple’s standard rules for the items that can be returned. The same exceptions still apply, and they’re the typically obvious ones like opened software, electronic software downloads, Apple Gift Cards, Apple Developer products, and Apple Print products. Packaged software can still be returned if it’s unopened (not that many folks buy software that way these days).
The extended policy usually kicks in the first week of November, so it’s a little later than usual this year, but the good news is that it’s still arrived just in time for Apple’s new M4 Macs, which are arriving in stores — and customer’s hands — starting today.
Note that there’s also no need to worry if you’ve already pre-ordered a new Mac mini, iMac, or MacBook Pro, as Apple’s policy explicitly says eligible products ordered from the Apple Store Online that are “received between November 8, 2024 and December 25, 2024, may be returned through January 8, 2025” (emphasis ours). In other words, even if your new MacBook Pro is already paid for and making its way to you from China (as mine is), it’s still be covered and eligible to be returned until January 8.
A Commitment-Free Trial Period
Apple’s no-questions-asked return policy allows customers to try out a new Mac or other product with the comfort of knowing that if it doesn’t work out, they can return it for a full refund.
While the company’s extended holiday return window is primarily intended to ensure that you have time to return gifts that may not be opened until late December, there’s no denying that it’s also an excellent opportunity to try out a new Mac or iPad for yourself.
It’s not strictly a “try before you buy” situation, as you’re paying the full price for the product up front. However, if you put it through its paces and it doesn’t work out, you can return it for a full refund until January 8, 2025.
So, if you’ve been eyeing one of Apple’s new M4 Macs but are not sure it’s worth the investment, you’ll have nearly 60 days to find out. While Apple doesn’t explicitly advertise its extended return policy for this purpose, it knows people will use it this way, and it’s confident enough that most folks will love its products and won’t want to give them up in January. However, Apple also cares about having happy customers rather than just pushing products, so it wants to ensure no one gets stuck with something that isn’t working for them.
