Costco vs Best Buy Price Adjustments on Electronics

Quick answer: Costco gives members a 30-day window to request a price adjustment on most electronics if the item drops in price, according to Costco's publicly posted return and adjustment policy. Best Buy's price match guarantee covers a price drop within 15 days of purchase for most products, but only 7 days for major appliances, per Best Buy's published Price Match Guarantee terms. Costco's window is longer and its refund process is simpler for in-warehouse members; Best Buy's program is shorter but also covers matching a live competitor price at the time of purchase, which Costco generally does not.

Key takeaways

• Costco's adjustment window on electronics runs 30 days from the purchase date, the same window Costco applies to most other merchandise, per Costco's return policy.
• Best Buy's price match window is 15 days after purchase for most electronics, but shrinks to 7 days for major appliances, according to Best Buy's Price Match Guarantee page.
• Best Buy will match a qualifying competitor's price at checkout; Costco's adjustment program is about Costco's own price dropping, not matching another retailer.
• Both retailers exclude clearance, open-box, and limited-time doorbuster pricing from adjustments — always check the fine print on the specific deal tag.

How does Costco's price adjustment work for TVs and laptops?

Costco will refund the difference if an electronics item you bought drops in price within 30 days, as long as you still have the receipt and the item hasn't been marked as a clearance or one-time special. This applies in warehouse and online, though the online process differs — we cover that separately in Costco Online Price Adjustment: How It Works.

For electronics specifically, a few things matter more than they do for, say, a case of paper towels:

• Model number has to match exactly. A TV that gets replaced by a new model number — common when a manufacturer refreshes a line — doesn't count as "the same item," even if it looks identical on the shelf.
• Bundle changes break the match. If Costco starts selling the same laptop with a different accessory bundle (extra RAM, a different mouse, a warranty add-on), that's technically a different SKU.
• Warehouse-only clearance tags don't qualify. A yellow "manager's special" sticker on a floor-model TV usually signals one-time clearance pricing, which Costco excludes from adjustments.

We've gone deeper on exactly what counts as a match in Costco Price Adjustment: What Counts as the Same Item? — worth a read before you request an adjustment on anything with a model number.

For the in-store process, you bring your receipt to Member Services and they process the refund to your original payment method. No forms, no waiting period — assuming the price drop is confirmed and within the window.

How does Best Buy's price match work for electronics?

Best Buy will match a lower price from select competitors at the time of purchase, and will also price-adjust if its own price drops after you buy — but the clock is shorter than Costco's. According to Best Buy's published Price Match Guarantee, most products are covered for 15 days after purchase; major appliances get only 7 days.

A few details that trip people up:

• Best Buy's policy requires the lower price to be for an identical item — same brand, model number, color, and condition — publicly available and in stock.
• Marketplace sellers, auction sites, and membership-only warehouse prices (like Costco's own member pricing) are generally excluded from what Best Buy will match, per its published terms.
• Open-box, clearance, and refurbished items typically aren't eligible for either the match or the later adjustment.
• Members of Best Buy's paid membership tiers may have extended windows on certain purchases — check the specific terms tied to that membership rather than assuming the standard window applies.

Because Best Buy's price match happens at checkout as well as after purchase, it's arguably more flexible in the moment — you can use it to get a better price right when you're buying. Costco members don't get that same day-of-purchase matching against other stores; the adjustment only looks at Costco's own price over the following 30 days.

Costco vs Best Buy: side-by-side on electronics

Our take: if you shop at Costco anyway and electronics there fit your budget, Costco's 30-day window gives you more breathing room to catch a post-purchase drop without having to act fast. If you're comparison shopping before you buy and want the lowest price the moment you check out, Best Buy's at-purchase price match is the stronger tool — but you need to use it quickly, since the after-purchase window closes in 15 days or less. Neither program helps if you miss the deadline, so whichever store you choose, mark your calendar the day you buy.

Don't skip this: Best Buy's major appliance window is only 7 days — less than a quarter of Costco's 30-day electronics window. If you bought a washer, dryer, or refrigerator at Best Buy, that clock runs out fast, so check prices again within the first week rather than waiting.

What electronics are excluded from each policy?

Both retailers carve out similar categories, but the details differ enough to matter. Costco's electronics return policy already treats some categories differently from general merchandise — we cover the return side in Costco Price Adjustment on Electronics and Appliances — and the same logic largely carries over to adjustments.

Typically excluded at Costco:

• Items sold as a one-time "manager's special" or warehouse clearance
• Costco.com-only flash deals with a stated end date that has passed
• Items where the model number or bundle configuration has changed since your purchase

Typically excluded at Best Buy, per its published terms:

• Marketplace and third-party seller listings
• Open-box, clearance, and refurbished electronics
• Prices from membership-based retailers, deal-of-the-day sites, or auction platforms
• Bundled offers that include a gift card, trade-in credit, or other promotion not matched by the competitor's price

If you're unsure whether a specific TV or laptop deal counts, the safest move with either retailer is to ask the price-match or member services desk directly rather than assume. Policies get updated, and a staff member can confirm the current rule on the item in front of you.

Does either store adjust prices during Black Friday or holiday sales?

Generally, no — holiday doorbusters and one-day sales are commonly excluded from both Costco's and Best Buy's standard adjustment and price-match programs. Retailers typically label these as limited-time or while-supplies-last pricing, which falls outside the normal 30-day or 15-day rules.

This matters most in November and December, when electronics prices swing the hardest. A TV that's $649 in early November might drop to $499 for a 48-hour doorbuster, then settle at $549 for the rest of the season. If you bought at $649 under the standard price, you may still have a case for an adjustment against the $549 settled price — but not necessarily against the $499 doorbuster price, since that's often flagged as excluded.

The only way to know for sure is to check the specific terms printed on that sale's signage or webpage, since "doorbuster" exclusions aren't always worded the same way twice.

Is tracking the price drop yourself worth the hassle?

For a single TV purchase, maybe — but electronics prices move often enough that most people miss the window without realizing it. A 65-inch TV can drop in price two or three times in a month during a sales cycle, and if you're not checking Costco's listing or Best Buy's site daily, you'll likely catch the first drop and miss the better one a week later.

This is exactly the gap CostRefund was built to close. Upload your Costco receipt and CostRefund watches that purchase through the 30-day adjustment window, showing you the purchase price, the current price, the potential saving, and how many days you have left — then alerts you the moment a real drop happens, while there's still time to go ask. For the deeper mechanics of how Costco tracks this on its end, see our breakdown of Costco's price adjustment policy.

CostRefund covers Costco in both the US and Canada, and flags country-specific differences when they exist. It doesn't track Best Buy's price match program — that one happens at checkout, so there's no after-the-fact window to monitor the same way.

Ready to stop checking prices manually? Start tracking your Costco receipts with CostRefund and let the app watch your electronics purchases for you.

Checklist: catching a price drop on electronics after you buy

• Save your receipt — digital or paper — the day you make the purchase.
• Note the exact model number of the TV, laptop, or appliance you bought.
• Mark your calendar for the end of the adjustment window: 30 days for Costco, 15 days (or 7 for major appliances) for Best Buy.
• Check the item's current price weekly, not just once, since prices can drop more than once in a sales cycle.
• Confirm the lower price is for the identical model, bundle, and condition — not a refreshed version or open-box unit.
• Screenshot the lower price with the date visible, in case you need proof.
• Bring your receipt to Member Services (Costco) or submit a price match request (Best Buy) before the window closes.
• Upload your Costco receipt to CostRefund so alerts catch the drop for you automatically.

Related articles

• Costco Price Adjustment on Electronics and Appliances
• Costco vs Sam's Club: Price Adjustment Compared
• Costco Online Price Adjustment: How It Works