Refunds & Returns: When You Have a Legal Right and When You Don't

GOV.UK says a seller must offer a full refund if an item is faulty, not as described or does not do what it is supposed to. This right:

• ✓Yes: Cannot be taken away by a no refunds sign or policy: it is illegal to restrict or take away customers' rights, or to mislead them about their rights
• ✓Yes: Is the same for sale items: customers have exactly the same rights to refunds when they buy items in a sale as when they buy them at full price
• ✓Yes: Includes the short-term right to reject, which lasts 30 days beginning with the first day after ownership has transferred, the goods have been delivered and, where the contract requires the trader to install the goods or take other action, the trader has notified you that it has been done
• ✓Yes: Means a refund without undue delay, and in any event within 14 days beginning with the day the seller agrees you are entitled to one
• ✓Yes: Can mean a repair or replacement instead: GOV.UK says a seller must repair or replace an item returned within 6 months, unless it can prove the item was not faulty when it was bought
• ✓Yes: Lasts for up to 6 years to make a claim for an item (5 years in Scotland)
• ✓Yes: Allows the seller to ask for proof that you bought the item from them, which could be a sales receipt or other evidence such as a bank statement or packaging

GOV.UK says a seller does not have to refund a customer who:

• ✗No: Knew the item was faulty when they bought it
• ✗No: Damaged the item by trying to repair it themselves or getting someone else to do it, though they may still have the right to a repair, replacement or partial refund

GOV.UK says a seller does not have to refund a customer who no longer wants an item bought in person, for example because it is the wrong size or colour, unless they bought it without seeing it. Check the shop's own returns policy before you buy.

• ✗No: No legal right to a refund for an item bought in person that you no longer want, such as the wrong size or colour
• ✗No: A seller only has to accept returns from the person who bought the item

GOV.UK says online, mail and telephone order customers have the right to cancel their order for a limited time even if the item is not faulty. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you can cancel a distance or off-premises contract at any time in the cancellation period without giving any reason. See our online shopping guide for more.

• ✓Yes: The cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the goods come into your physical possession, or the physical possession of a person you named, other than the carrier
• ✓Yes: You must tell the seller you are cancelling, using the model cancellation form or any other clear statement
• ✓Yes: If you send that notice before the end of the cancellation period, you are treated as having cancelled in time
• ✓Yes: You must send the goods back, or hand them over, without undue delay and in any event within 14 days of telling the seller
• ✓Yes: The seller must refund all payments, including the cost of standard delivery, without undue delay and within 14 days of getting the goods back, or of your evidence that you sent them back if that is earlier, where the seller has not offered to collect them
• ✓Yes: The refund must use the same means of payment you used, unless you expressly agree otherwise, and the seller cannot charge a fee for it
• ✓Yes: You can handle the goods in the same way you would in a shop, for example trying an item on or taking it out of the box
• ✓Yes: You pay the direct cost of returning the goods, unless the seller agreed to pay it or did not tell you that you would bear it

The right to cancel does not apply, or is lost, for:

• ✗No: Goods made to your specification or clearly personalised
• ✗No: Goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly
• ✗No: Newspapers, periodicals and magazines, other than subscriptions
• ✗No: Sealed goods not suitable for return for health or hygiene reasons, once they are unsealed after delivery
• ✗No: Sealed audio or video recordings and sealed computer software, once they are unsealed after delivery
• ✗No: Goods that become mixed inseparably with other items after delivery
• ✗No: Digital content not on a tangible medium, once supply has begun after you gave your consent and acknowledged you would lose the right to cancel

The Financial Ombudsman Service says your bank or lender may be able to help with a refund, repair or replacement if you paid by credit or debit card, a fixed sum loan or certain catalogue shopping accounts, by raising a chargeback or considering a Section 75 claim. See our chargeback guide.

• ✓Yes: Credit card: ask your card provider about a Section 75 claim, which can apply where the cash price is more than £100 but not more than £30,000
• ✓Yes: Debit card or charge card: Section 75 does not apply, but your card provider may still be able to help through the chargeback process
• ✓Yes: A chargeback usually has to be raised within around 120 days, though time limits might be longer or shorter, so follow problems up promptly
• ✓Yes: Goods that never turned up, or a service the supplier never provided, are often valid reasons for a chargeback
• ✓Yes: If a travel company has stopped trading, you can still speak to your bank or lender about a Section 75 or chargeback claim, especially if there is no ATOL or ABTA cover

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 gives you a like claim against the creditor for a misrepresentation or breach of contract by the supplier, and the creditor and supplier are then jointly and severally liable to you. The Financial Ombudsman Service says it applies if you paid some or all of the cost by credit card, point-of-sale loan or certain catalogue shopping accounts and the cash price is more than £100 but not more than £30,000. See our Section 75 guide.

• ✓Yes: You can raise a claim against your bank or lender for a breach of contract or misrepresentation by the supplier of goods or services
• ✓Yes: It is the cash price that matters, not what you paid on your credit card: Section 75 applies even if you only made part of the payment using credit
• ✓Yes: Where the cash price is over £30,000, a lender might still be responsible under Section 75A
• ✓Yes: Buy Now Pay Later: the FCA started regulating deferred payment credit on 15 July 2026, and where the lender and supplier are different businesses you may be able to get a refund from the lender if something goes wrong, because Section 75 is available

The Financial Ombudsman Service says Section 75 does not apply if:

• ✗No: You paid with a debit card or a charge card, although your card provider may still be able to help through the chargeback process
• ✗No: The credit was given under an overdraft or general-purpose bank loan
• ✗No: You paid using cash, credit card cheque or a bank transfer