How Gift Receipts and Gift Returns Work
A gift receipt lets the recipient return a gift without seeing the price; at Target, Best Buy, Williams Sonoma and Newegg the refund is usually store credit.
By Olivia HarperContributing writer. Policy checked .
On this page
Store policies change. This is a summary in our own words of four stores' official returns pages, read on October 27, 2026. The official pages are the ones that apply; check them before you return a gift.
What a gift receipt is
A gift receipt is a proof of purchase that leaves out the price. It lets the person who got the gift return or exchange it without the giver's full receipt. Because the store cannot send money back to a card the recipient never used, a gift return usually ends as store credit or a gift card rather than cash.
What four stores do with gift returns
| Store | Gift return refund | Notes from the store's page |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Target GiftCard, in store, with a gift receipt or packing slip | No gift receipt: you may get a merchandise return card instead |
| Best Buy | Store credit for gifts returned in a store | Gifts mailed back are credited to the buyer, who gets an email |
| Williams Sonoma | Merchandise Credit for the purchased amount | An original receipt is refunded to the original payment instead |
| Newegg | Store credit for products bought as gifts | Sent as a Newegg Store Credit Gift Card by email |
Target
Target says a gift receipt or packing slip gets you a Target GiftCard in the store. Without either, you may get a merchandise return card, or you can ask the giver to send a gift receipt by text or email. Gift receipt returns cannot be done on the same day the gift was bought. Target.com gifts can also be mailed back with the gift receipt or packing slip; Target lists 1-800-591-3869 to start that.
Registries have longer windows: most new, unopened Baby and Wedding registry items can go back up to one year after the event date, and wish list items up to 90 days after purchase.
Best Buy
For a gift bought from Best Buy and returned in a store, Best Buy gives store credit for the purchase price. If the gift goes back by mail, Best Buy credits the person who bought it and tells them by email. For gifts from Best Buy Marketplace sellers, the buyer is credited and emailed. The normal return window still runs from the day the product was received.
Williams Sonoma
Williams Sonoma refunds gift receipt returns as Merchandise Credit. For its 2026 holiday extension, covering gifts bought from October 15 to December 24, a gift recipient gets an eMerch Card, while the person who bought the gift may get a credit to the original payment. See our Williams Sonoma return policy summary for the deadline question on that page.
Newegg
Newegg refunds products bought as gifts as store credit, in the form of a Newegg Store Credit Gift Card sent by email about 1 to 2 business days after the return is processed.
Tips for gift returns
- At Target, a packing slip from an online order works like a gift receipt for a gift return.
- Keep the gift receipt with the item until the return window closes.
- Check whether the giver will be notified. At Best Buy, a mailed gift return credits and emails the buyer.
- At Williams Sonoma, a return with the original receipt goes back to the original payment, so the buyer may prefer to return it.
Sources
Returns, Target; Return and Exchange Policy, Best Buy; Returns, Williams Sonoma; Return policy, Newegg. Checked October 27, 2026.