Restocking fees and return windows: Verizon $50 in 30 days, T-Mobile $25 to $75 in 14 days, AT&T $55 in 14 days

Returning or exchanging a phone you bought from the carrier costs a restocking fee at all three national carriers: $50 plus tax at Verizon (within 30 days, Hawaii excluded), $25, $50 or $75 at T-Mobile depending on the phone's full retail price (within 14 days in a store, 20 days for shipped orders), and $55 at AT&T (within 14 days). AT&T charges no restocking fee on an Apple device returned in unopened packaging, and Verizon lists an intact seal sticker or original shrink wrap among the cases where its fee may be waived. All figures were read on the carriers' own pages on October 17, 2026.

Figures above were read from T-Mobile's bill support page and Return Policy, Verizon's Return Policy and return FAQ page, and AT&T's Mobility Fee Schedule and Return & Exchange Policy on 2026-10-17. See sources.

Restocking fee and return window at each carrier

T-Mobile: $25 to $75, set by the phone's full retail price

T-Mobile's bill support page says: "When returning a device, you may be charged a $25 - $75 restocking fee based on the full retail price of the device." Its Return Policy page sets the tiers as "$75 for devices with a FRP of $600 or more; $50 for devices with a FRP between $300-$599; and $25 for devices with a FRP of less than $300." FRP is the full retail price, not the discounted or monthly installment price.

The window depends on how you bought the phone. A purchase at a T-Mobile store can be returned within 14 days of the purchase or lease date. A phone shipped to you can be returned to a store or shipped back within 20 days of the date it shipped. Purchases made through Costco carry a 90-day window on the same Return Policy page; that paragraph does not state a restocking fee amount.

On billing, the support page says: "This fee is charged in store at the time of return or included on your next bill after T-Mobile has received and processed your return if shipped back to T-Mobile." T-Mobile's return instructions add that refunds may take up to 30 days and exclude rebates, special discounts and restocking fees.

The current "All Other States" policy PDF carries a file creation date of March 19, 2026. Android Police reported the increase from the $20 to $70 range to the $25 to $75 range on March 25, 2026. T-Mobile publishes separate PDFs for Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico PDF lists the same $25, $50 and $75 tiers. The Hawaii PDF, also created March 19, 2026, describes the 14-day and 20-day windows and does not list a restocking fee.

Verizon: $50 plus tax, 30 days, Hawaii excluded

Verizon's Return Policy says devices and accessories bought from Verizon can be returned or exchanged within 30 days of purchase, and: "A restocking fee of $50 (plus any applicable taxes) applies to any return or exchange of a wireless device (excluding Hawaii)." The policy page shows "Last updated 1/12/26". It also says: "You are permitted to make one exchange." The same $50 applies to an exchange, not only a refund.

A pop-up note on the words "restocking fee" in the policy says the fee may be automatically waived during the return or exchange, or not applied when Verizon receives the return, and lists three examples: a device that is defective on arrival when the exchange device is out of stock; a shipped device returned in an unopened FedEx box, or a delivery the customer refused; and a device returned within the 30-day period with the seal sticker intact and no signs of tampering, or still in its original shrink wrap. The note says that last example does not include purchases from Authorized Retailers.

Verizon's policy makes no separate rule for iPhones or other brands; the $50 is stated for any wireless device. A purchase billed to your Verizon account is refunded as a credit to that account, and Verizon's return FAQ page says that credit comes within 2 billing cycles. Separately, the policy says the Activation Fee stays on the account unless service is terminated within 3 days of activation; that fee is covered in our activation and upgrade fee comparison.

AT&T: $55, 14 days, no fee on unopened Apple devices

AT&T's Mobility Fee Schedule lists the Equipment Restocking Fee for postpaid consumers as "$55 for all devices; 10% of the sales price for accessories priced $100 and higher", described as "Charged if you return your device or accessory within AT&T’s 14-day buyer’s remorse period." For business customers the same schedule lists $55 within a 30-day period.

AT&T's Return & Exchange Policy page words the device fee as "up to $55" and says: "You will not be charged a restocking fee for an Apple device returned in unopened packaging." The details panel on that page lists the device restocking fee as excluding Hawaii, and gives the 14 days as counted from the purchase date, or from the shipping date if the item was shipped. Refunds, less any restocking fee, go back through the original payment method and may take up to 2 AT&T bill periods.

AT&T Prepaid uses different amounts in the same fee schedule: $10 for devices with a suggested retail price (SRP) of $150 or less, $20 for devices above $150, and 10% for accessories priced $100 and higher.

What the fee comes to on two example phones

Restocking fees are one-time charges. The fees that recur every month on each line are recorded in our per-line fee comparison, and device protection plans, which have their own claim deductibles, are in our phone insurance cost comparison.

What we could not confirm

• Whether T-Mobile waives its restocking fee for an unopened device. We found no such exception on T-Mobile's Return Policy page, its three state policy PDFs, its bill support page or its return instructions page.
• The restocking fee for Verizon Prepaid devices. The prepaid section of Verizon's return policy page covers agreement acceptance and refill refunds and does not state a device restocking fee.
• Why Hawaii is treated differently. None of the three carriers' pages we read gives a reason or cites a law.
• Whether Verizon's waiver examples apply in every case. The note says exceptions may exist and may include the listed cases; it does not say they always apply.
• The exact date T-Mobile's higher tiers took effect. The March 19, 2026 date is the PDF's file creation date, and the March 25, 2026 date is a news report; T-Mobile's pages state no effective date.

Sources

• T-Mobile restocking fee and billing - T-Mobile Support: Your bill and what's impacting it, read 2026-10-17
• T-Mobile return windows and fee tiers - T-Mobile Legal Center: Return Policy, read 2026-10-17
• T-Mobile current tiers - T-Mobile Return Policy, All Other States (PDF), read 2026-10-17
• T-Mobile Hawaii - T-Mobile Return Policy, Hawaii (PDF), read 2026-10-17
• T-Mobile Puerto Rico - T-Mobile Return Policy, Puerto Rico (PDF), read 2026-10-17
• T-Mobile earlier tiers - T-Mobile earlier Return Policy, ALL other states (PDF), read 2026-10-17
• T-Mobile refunds and return steps - T-Mobile Support: How to return a new device, read 2026-10-17
• Verizon fee, window, waivers and exchanges - Verizon Return Policy, read 2026-10-17
• Verizon return credit timing - Verizon mobile 30-day return and exchange FAQs, read 2026-10-17
• AT&T postpaid, business and prepaid restocking fees - AT&T Mobility Fee Schedule, read 2026-10-17
• AT&T window, Apple exception, Hawaii and refunds - AT&T Return & Exchange Policy, read 2026-10-17
• Report of the T-Mobile increase - Android Police, March 25, 2026, read 2026-10-17

Source links are not affiliate links. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Return rules depend on where and how the device was bought and on the state.