How to keep receipts for returns and warranty claims

Which receipts are worth keeping

• Electronics and appliances: phones, laptops, headphones, kitchen machines. They are expensive, have warranties and are the most common warranty claims.
• Anything you might return: clothes, shoes, gifts, online orders. Keep the receipt or order confirmation at least until the return window closes.
• Furniture and tools: often long warranties, sometimes ten years or more for specific parts.
• Everyday groceries: usually not, unless a product turns out to be faulty.

How long to keep them

Keep a receipt at least until the last relevant deadline for that product. For a return, that’s the end of the return window. For defects, that’s the end of the manufacturer’s warranty or the legal guarantee, whichever is later; in the EU the seller is liable for at least two years. If you might need a receipt for taxes, insurance or expense claims, follow those rules, which can require much longer.

Why paper receipts fade

Most till receipts are printed on thermal paper. The text appears where heat activates a coating, and the same coating reacts to heat, light, friction and some plastics and oils over time. A receipt kept in a wallet, a warm car or a plastic sleeve can become unreadable within months.

If you keep paper originals, store them flat, dark and cool, away from plastic. The safest copy is a digital one made on the day of purchase.

A simple digital system

1. Capture it immediately. Photograph or scan the receipt before you leave the shop or as soon as the parcel arrives. For online orders, save the order confirmation or invoice PDF.
2. Name it by product. “Receipt 0342.jpg” is hard to find in two years; “Dyson V15, Currys, March 2026” is not.
3. Write down the deadlines. Return window end and warranty end, taken from the receipt, the shop’s terms and the warranty card.
4. Keep the warranty card and serial number with the receipt. Some manufacturers ask for both.
5. Back it up. A single copy on one phone isn’t safe from loss or damage.

Doing this with Slipbook

Slipbook was made for exactly this routine. You scan the receipt with the camera, pick a photo or screenshot, or open the PDF invoice, and the app reads the store, date, total and line items on your device. You confirm the return deadline and warranty end, and the receipt stays attached to the product, ready to open when you need it.

Photos you add are copied without location data, nothing is uploaded, and with Premium you can save a password-encrypted backup to Files or turn on automatic backups to your own iCloud Drive.

Sources

• Directive (EU) 2019/771, Article 10 (minimum two-year liability of the seller).
• Your Europe, “Guarantees and returns”, European Commission.