Petco Return Policy: How to Get Your Money Back

Pets can be pretty particular about the stuff we buy them, whether it’s food, a new toy, beds, or even cat litter. The good news is you can return almost any Petco purchase within 30 days thanks to the Petco return policy. While you can return almost anything (just not prescription medications or pharmacy items, as we’ll explain), there are a few details about the Petco Return Policy you should know before you head to the store.

First, make sure you use our helpful tips to get the best deals at Petco any time you shop. And if you do end up needing to make a return on behalf of your picky pet, we’ve done all the research for you right here. Here’s your easy-to-understand guide to the Petco return policy.

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How to Return Petco Purchases In Store

You can return any eligible online or in-store purchase to a regular Petco location or to an Unleashed by Petco location (their neighborhood store concept). You’ll need either a receipt or an order confirmation email, so bring proof of purchase when you make your Petco return. Orders must be returned within 30 days of purchase, and you’ll need to show a valid photo ID at the time you make the return.

TIP: The PetSmart Return Policy gives you 60 days to make returns — that’s twice as long as Petco’s policy allows.

If you want to return something you ordered online and can’t find the order confirmation email, you can download a store return receipt from your Petco account instead. To find it, log in to the Petco site and select “Order history” under your account. Then select “View details” next to the item you want to return. This also works in the Petco app (iOS / Android).

Orders will get refunded back to your original form of payment per the Petco return policy.

How to Return Petco Orders by Mail

If you don’t live near a Petco location, you can return your online order via mail instead. You’ll receive a packing slip with every online order, and you can find the return address there. If you don’t have a packing slip (or if you threw it away with the packaging), you can mail all returns to this address:

Petco.com
257 Prospect Plains Road, Ste. B
Cranbury, NJ 08512

They won’t refund any shipping charges, so if you paid to ship an order and then decide to return it, you’ll only get a refund for what you paid for the items. You’ll also have to pay to ship the return back to Petco, whatever that costs based on the size and weight of the package. Mailed returns need to be postmarked within 30 days of the original purchase in order to get a refund.

Exceptions to the Petco Return Policy

There are a few things that Petco does not allow you to return:

• Prescription medications like Heartgard, Bravecto, etc.
• Other pharmacy products
• Live fish
• Invertebrates (like hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp, snails, and more)
• Plants in healthy condition

TIP: If you have prescription medications you don’t plan to give your pet, some Petco locations will dispose of them properly for you. Otherwise, your local veterinary clinic should be able to tell you what to do with them.

You can return some prescription food products to Petco — see the next tip.

How to Return Prescription Products to Petco

You can actually return select prescription food to Petco, but you just can’t make the return to a physical store. You’ll have to mail these returns to the Petco distribution center at the address below. (And don’t forget to include your original packing slip in the return package to get credit for it!).

You’ll receive a refund to your original form of payment after they receive your package at the warehouse.

Here is the mailing address for returning prescription food products:

Petco.com Returns
257 Prospect Plains Road, Ste. B
Cranbury, NJ 08512

How to Return Live Fish or Plants to Petco

While you can’t return any live fish or plants that you’ve simply changed your mind about, there are a few exceptions to this part of the Petco return policy.

Petco guarantees all aquatic life will stay alive for seven days, starting on the day they arrive at your home. If your fish doesn’t live for seven days, Petco will refund your money to the original payment method used. Obviously, you don’t have to return the deceased fish to the Petco store, but they will ask you to provide a photo.

The same applies to all freshwater aquatic life (aka freshwater fish or plants), which are guaranteed to stay alive for 30 days from the date of purchase with proper care. If a freshwater fish or plant dies within the 30 days, Petco will refund you, as long as you provide the original payment receipt and a water sample to confirm you took proper care of the fish or plants.