Harrods Return Policy: 14 Days, Free Returns Worldwide and No Online Exchanges

Harrods’ return policy gives you 14 days from the day of delivery to return an online order, using a free returns service that covers orders shipped worldwide. Refunds go back to your original payment method and can take up to 10 business days to show in your bank account. There is one big quirk: Harrods does not offer exchanges on online orders — you return the item for a refund and place a new order.

This guide covers Harrods’ UK policy as published on harrods.com — the 14-day terms below are the UK and international online terms, not a US store policy, because Harrods is a London department store and its online returns run under UK terms. This guide covers the windows, the long non-returnable list, the sale rules, and how the refund timing works.

Return Windows at a Glance

Category	Return window	Good to know
Online orders (change of mind)	14 days from the day of delivery	Raise the return within 14 days from the day after you received the order, then send it back within 14 days after that
Online orders returned in store	14 days of purchase	Return eligible online purchases at Customer Service on the third floor of the Knightsbridge store
In-store purchases during the Sale	14 days of purchase	Refunded onto a gift card only, with proof of purchase; no refunds or exchanges after the last day of the sale
Online purchases during the Sale	14 days of purchase	Full refund to your original payment method
Right of Withdrawal (UK and EU online customers)	14 days from delivery	Full refund including standard inbound shipping costs, if the whole order is returned
Faulty or damaged items	Report as soon as possible	Contact Customer Service with your order number and photos of the fault
Christmas-period purchases	Terms may differ	Harrods’ Terms state Christmas-period purchases may follow different returns policies — see below

How to Return an Item to Harrods

1. Raise the return in the Online Returns Portal. Go to the portal on harrods.com, enter your order identification number and the email address used for the order, select the items and the quantity, and choose your return method. There is no need to contact Harrods first — and a return authorisation (RMA) number and a return label are generated for you.
2. Pack the item as it arrived. Items must be unused and in their original condition, with all tags and stickers attached and the original branded packaging — boxes, dust bags and hangers — included. Shoes go back in their original brand packaging with tags and stickers, inside extra protective packaging. Damage to brand packaging or the item itself can mean delay or deductions from your refund.
3. Send it back free of charge. Choose a DHL drop-off point or arrange a DHL collection through the portal. If you are returning from the UK, seal the parcel first; if you booked a DHL collection from an international location, leave the box unsealed so DHL can check the contents, and include the Returns Invoice inside.
4. Keep your tracking number. Your return label carries a 10-digit DHL Air Waybill number — keep a record of it so you can track the parcel on the DHL website. UK parcels take up to 4 business days to reach the warehouse; international parcels take up to 7.
5. Wait for inspection and the refund email. Every return is inspected on arrival, and some items need a mandatory inspection by the brand, which can add a few days. Harrods sends an email as soon as the refund is processed.

How Long Do You Have to Return Items to Harrods?

The headline window is 14 days from the day of delivery for online orders — and the fine print splits it into two 14-day steps. Under Harrods’ Terms, the return must be raised within 14 days from the day after the date you received the order, and the item must then be returned within 14 days after that. In practice, raise the return in the portal as soon as you decide, and post it promptly — the portal generates your label immediately, so there is no reason to wait. In-store purchases follow the store’s own policy rather than the distance-selling rules: online purchases can be returned at the Knightsbridge store within 14 days, and sale purchases made in store can go back onto a gift card within 14 days of purchase. The 14 days is short by department-store standards — barely two weekends — so do not leave a Harrods return sitting in a drawer.

Can You Return to Harrods Without a Receipt?

For online orders, Harrods works from your order record rather than a paper receipt: the Returns Portal asks for your order identification number and the email address used for the order as proof of purchase. Keep the order confirmation email, because those two details are what unlocks the return. For in-store purchases, the position is stricter — sale items bought in store can be returned onto a gift card with proof of purchase within 14 days, and the store policy and the till receipt set the restrictions. If you paid by card in store and lost the receipt, ask Customer Service whether the transaction can be traced before you travel to Knightsbridge, because the published policy ties in-store sale returns to proof of purchase. Gift recipients should note one hard rule in the Terms: only the buyer is entitled to a refund — a person who received the order as a gift cannot claim the money back.

How Do Online Returns and In-Store Returns Differ?

The routes are genuinely different at Harrods. An online order is returned through the Online Returns Portal with a free DHL label, or by taking it to Customer Service on the third floor of the Knightsbridge store within 14 days of purchase for a refund to your original payment method. An in-store purchase follows the store policy: sale items bought in store can only be refunded onto a gift card, with proof of purchase, within 14 days — and no refunds or exchanges are permitted on in-store sale purchases after the last day of the applicable sale. The biggest difference is exchanges: Harrods does not offer exchanges for online orders at all. If you want a different size or colour, you return the item for a full refund and place a brand-new order. Collect in Store orders can also be returned at any Collect in Store location, and airport-store purchases need a call to Customer Service to arrange the return.

What Can’t Be Returned to Harrods?

Harrods’ Terms (section 11) carry one of the longest non-returnable lists in luxury retail. Unless the item is faulty, these cannot be cancelled, withdrawn or returned:

• Personalised, bespoke or altered products, or anything made to your specification
• Perishable goods, including food and beverages, and some hampers — Harrods states hampers, food and perishable goods are non-returnable except where faulty
• Beauty products, fragrances and pharmaceutical products
• Certain accessories — hosiery and pierced earrings
• Underwear, nightwear and swimwear, unless the protective adhesive strip is still in place and the item is in a saleable condition
• Mattresses, divans, duvets, mattress toppers and protectors, and pillows
• Any product designated non-refundable at the time of purchase

Extra rules apply to purchases made in store at Knightsbridge or an airport store: fur items and exotic skins, limited-edition items, eveningwear, millinery, scarves and hair accessories, and certain homewares (beds, bedding and purchases from the Halcyon Gallery) cannot be returned. Harrods also monitors how often customers return — the Terms state that continued or high numbers of returns within a short period may be treated as a breach of the Terms. And remember the condition rule: every return is subject to strict quality-control inspection, and if your handling has reduced the item’s value, Harrods may refuse the refund or deduct the loss from it.

How Are Refunds Issued and How Long Do They Take?

Refunds are issued automatically to the original payment method used for the order — the same means of payment, unless expressly agreed otherwise. The timing has three stages:

Stage	How the refund timing works
Parcel back to the warehouse	Up to 4 business days for UK orders, up to 7 business days for international orders
Processing and inspection	It can take up to 7 days to process your return; some items need a mandatory brand inspection, which adds a few more days
Money in your account	Refunds can take up to 10 business days to show in your bank account, depending on your payment provider

If you paid with a gift card, the refund goes back to the original gift card first, before any other payment method used — and if you used several gift cards, the refund is split across them without exceeding what you paid on each. Rewards points go back to your Harrods Rewards card. Two costs are never refunded on a change-of-mind return: the original delivery charges are excluded from the refund, and duties or taxes paid at your delivery destination are not refunded by Harrods — you would claim those back from your local Customs office. Duties paid at checkout, however, are returned as part of the total refund.

What Is the Right of Withdrawal?

UK and EU customers have a legal right that sits alongside Harrods’ own policy. The Right of Withdrawal gives customers based in the EU and the UK the right to withdraw from — cancel and return — eligible online purchases (exceptions apply) within 14 days of delivery and receive a full refund, including standard inbound shipping costs, without giving any reason. To use it, start the return in the portal and select the “Right of Withdrawal” option — but note the condition: to get the standard inbound shipping costs back, you must return the whole order. If only part of the order goes back, the inbound shipping costs are not refunded. The exclusions in section 11 of the Terms apply here too, so the non-returnable list above still governs what can be withdrawn.

Does Harrods Extend Returns for the Holidays?

Not in any specific published form — and this is where Harrods differs from most department stores. As of 8 November 2026, Harrods’ returns FAQ publishes no extended Christmas return deadline for 2026: no January date for December purchases. What the Terms do say is that purchases made during Harrods’ Christmas period may be subject to different returns policies — a reservation, not a promise of extra time. Treat the standard 14 days as the rule that applies to anything you buy now, and ask Customer Service about the Christmas terms before you buy a gift in December. With a 14-day window, a present bought in early December is already outside its return period by Christmas Day, so time luxury gift purchases carefully.

Harrods Contact Options

Option	Details
Customer Service (phone)	+44 (0)20 7730 1234 — Monday to Saturday 10am–9pm, Sunday 12pm–6pm (UK time)
Customer Service (email)	customer.service@harrods.com
Online Returns Portal	Raise returns, generate labels and arrange DHL drop-off or collection on harrods.com
In store	Customer Service team on the third floor of the Knightsbridge store, 87–135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL
Personal Shopper / remote shopping	Contact your Personal Shopper or Customer Services to arrange a return

Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

Harrods’ return policy is short, free and strict in equal measure: 14 days from delivery, free returns anywhere in the world, refunds to your original payment method — but no exchanges on online orders, no refund of the original delivery charge, and one of the longest non-returnable lists in luxury retail. The 14 days rewards fast decisions and punishes slow ones, and the absence of a published Christmas extension makes December gift timing a real calculation. Raise the return in the portal the moment you decide, keep every tag, sticker and box, and keep the DHL tracking number until the refund lands.

Disclaimer: Policy Return is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Harrods. Return policies can change at any time; always confirm the current policy on Harrods’ official website before making a return.

Checked against Harrods’ published policy on 8 November 2026. Policies change; the retailer’s official page is the final word.