How to Track Warranties and Check if One Is Still Valid

To track warranties, save a photo or PDF of every receipt, note the product, purchase date and warranty length, and set a reminder a few weeks before the warranty ends. To check whether a warranty is still valid, count from the purchase or delivery date, or look up the serial number with the manufacturer, such as checkcoverage.apple.com for Apple devices.

How long do warranties usually last?

A manufacturer's warranty lasts as long as its written terms say, so the warranty booklet or the maker's website is the first place to check. Separately, the law in many countries gives you rights against the seller that can last longer than the warranty.

These are different kinds of protection, so one can still apply after another has ended.

How do I check if my warranty is still valid?

For most products:

1. Find the receipt and note the purchase or delivery date.
2. Find the warranty length in the booklet, on the box or on the manufacturer's website.
3. Add the length to the date. If the result is in the future, you are covered.
4. If the manufacturer offers a serial-number lookup, use it to confirm.

Checking an Apple device

Apple gives three ways to see coverage, as of October 2026:

• On the iPhone itself: open Settings, tap General, tap AppleCare & Warranty, then tap your device.
• Online: go to checkcoverage.apple.com and enter the serial number.
• With your Apple Account: sign in at mysupport.apple.com, choose the device, and select View Proof of Coverage if you need a document.

Apple's dates are based on the purchase date it has on file. If the estimated expiration date looks wrong, Apple needs your original sales receipt to update it. Apple also states that its one-year warranty and AppleCare benefits "are in addition to rights provided by consumer law."

If you want AppleCare, timing matters. Apple says you can add AppleCare+ within 60 days of buying a new device, though some plans (such as AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss) give 30 days and options differ by country or region.

Is a manufacturer warranty the same as my legal rights?

No. A warranty is a promise the manufacturer chooses to make. Legal rights come from consumer law and usually run against the shop that sold you the item.

In the EU

Every EU country gives you a minimum two-year legal guarantee from the moment you receive the goods. If a fault appears within one year of delivery (two years in some countries), you don't have to prove it was there at delivery. The seller must repair or replace the item at no cost, and if that isn't possible within a reasonable time, you can get a full or partial refund.

A manufacturer's warranty in the EU sits on top of this. It "can never exclude or reduce your rights under the minimum 2-year guarantee." Second-hand goods from a business are covered too, though some countries let the seller agree a shorter period with you at purchase, never less than one year.

In the UK

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Citizens Advice summarises the timeline for faulty goods like this:

• Within 30 days: you can get a refund on a faulty product.
• Within 6 months: you are entitled to a repair or replacement, and a refund if that fails.
• After 6 months: you may need to prove you didn't cause the fault, and a refund may be reduced to reflect the use you've had.
• Up to 6 years (5 in Scotland): you have legal rights if there's a fault.

Warranties and guarantees "add to your legal rights." Citizens Advice notes that a warranty claim can be useful after six months, when using your legal rights may mean proving you didn't cause the fault.

In the US

The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act sets rules for written warranties but does not require any business to offer one. What it does require:

• A written warranty is either full or limited. A full warranty meets federal minimum standards; anything less is limited.
• A business that offers a written warranty cannot disclaim implied warranties on that product. A limited warranty can cap their length to match its own.
• A maker generally can't require you to use specific parts or services to keep coverage, unless it provides them free or has an FTC waiver.

State law adds implied warranties that cover almost everything you buy, lasting up to four years in some states.

How should I keep receipts so I can find them later?

The FTC's advice is to "save your product receipt with the warranty", because the receipt proves the date you bought the item and that you are the original owner. Citizens Advice says a claim usually needs proof of purchase, details of the problem and a copy of the warranty.

A system that holds up:

1. Photograph paper receipts on the day you buy. Till receipts printed on thermal paper can fade.
2. Save email receipts as PDFs rather than leaving them in your inbox.
3. Keep one folder in Files, iCloud Drive or another cloud drive, named clearly, such as "Warranties".
4. Name each file with the product and date, for example 2026-10-washing-machine-receipt.pdf.
5. Add the warranty terms and serial number to the same folder: a photo of the booklet and the label is enough.

Should I register my products?

Often, yes, but for two different reasons.

For the warranty. The FTC says that "sometimes you'll have to return a product registration card first to qualify for warranty service". Under federal rules, requiring a registration card is not allowed in a full warranty, but limited warranties can include it. Read the terms.

For safety recalls. In the US, durable infant and toddler products must come with a registration card, and manufacturers may only use that information for safety alerts and recalls, not marketing.

Registration does not replace the receipt. Keep both.

When should I set a reminder before a warranty ends?

Warranties tend to run out unnoticed: nothing prompts you to look until something breaks. A few reminders at the right moments cover most cases:

• Two to four weeks before a warranty ends. Test the product properly, note any faults, find the receipt and contact the maker while you are still covered.
• Before day 30 on a big UK purchase. Check that everything works while the full-refund window is open.
• Before the AppleCare deadline. If you might want AppleCare, decide before the window closes, usually 60 days after purchase.
• Before the one-year mark in the EU. After that, in most countries, you may have to show the fault was present at delivery.

Our guide to reminder lead times explains how far ahead to set reminders for different kinds of dates. Warranties also belong on a household's shared list, alongside passports and insurance; see the family admin dates checklist and the guide to building a second memory.

How Deadlinr helps

Deadlinr is an iPhone and iPad app that remembers things that expire, including warranties. Add each warranty with its end date to the Documents category, or create your own Warranties category. By default it reminds you 7 days, 3 days and 1 day before, and on the day, at 9:00 AM; for warranties, turn on the 14-day reminder in that category so you have time to test the product and book a repair. Keep the receipt itself in your folder; Deadlinr holds the date and tells you when to look. See the document expiry tracker page.

Sources

• Apple Support: About the warranty coverage for your Apple device
• Apple Support: Find information about your warranty or AppleCare plan
• Apple: Check Coverage
• Apple Support: Get AppleCare coverage for your Apple device
• Your Europe (europa.eu): Guarantees and returns
• Citizens Advice: Claim using a warranty or guarantee
• Citizens Advice: Shoppers urged to use their consumer rights
• FTC: Warranties
• FTC: Businessperson's guide to federal warranty law
• CPSC: Registration forms