Lost Your Receipt? What Counts as Proof of Purchase in the UK
Updated
What to do now
- No receipt? Search your email and the retailer's website for the order confirmation. Details for step 1
- Find the payment on your bank or card statement. Details for step 2
- Claiming on a manufacturer's guarantee? Check what proof its terms ask for. Details for step 3
- Photograph whatever you find and keep it with the product. Details for step 4
The toaster's dead, it's probably still covered, and the receipt is nowhere to be found. Don't give up: in the UK, a lost receipt doesn't mean lost rights. But some kinds of proof are much easier to use than others, and some can quietly disappear.
Do you legally need a receipt?
No. Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 don't depend on keeping the receipt. What you do need is to show the retailer that you bought the item from them, when you bought it and what you paid. A receipt is simply the easiest way to do that. It's reasonable for a retailer to ask for some proof.
What counts as proof of purchase
- The original receipt, or a gift receipt.
- A bank or credit card statement showing the payment to that retailer.
- An order confirmation or dispatch email.
- Your order history in the retailer's website or app.
- A delivery note or invoice.
- A clear photo or scan of any of these.
A card statement shows when and where you paid and how much, but not always what for, so it works best alongside something that names the product, such as the box, the order email or a matching price.
Manufacturer's guarantees can be stricter
A manufacturer's guarantee is a promise on the manufacturer's own terms, and those terms often require proof of the purchase date, sometimes an invoice or receipt specifically. Some also need the product to be registered within a set time. Check the terms that came with the product, and register it straight away if it asks you to.
Changing your mind is different
Returning something that isn't faulty because you've changed your mind isn't a legal right when you bought it in a shop. It's the shop's goodwill policy, so it can insist on a receipt and set its own time limit. Buying online is different: see the 14-day cancellation rule.
Gifts
Strictly, the legal rights belong to whoever bought the item, because they made the contract with the retailer. If you were given something that turns out to be faulty, the easiest route is often a gift receipt, which many retailers accept, or asking the person who bought it to help with the claim.
Why paper receipts let you down
Most till receipts are printed on thermal paper, which fades. Heat, sunlight and time can leave one blank well before a two-year guarantee ends, let alone the six years you have to make a legal claim. Email receipts get buried, and order histories disappear when you close an account.
How to keep proof that lasts
- Photograph the receipt the day you buy, before it fades.
- Note the purchase or delivery date and where you bought it. The 30-day and 6-month clocks run from delivery.
- Record the serial number and model, usually on a label on the back or underneath.
- Keep the guarantee terms and any registration confirmation.
- Keep it all in one place, with the product it belongs to, so you can find it in a minute when something breaks.
This guide is general information about the law in the United Kingdom, not legal advice for your situation. For help with a particular problem, contact Citizens Advice (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland or Consumerline (Northern Ireland).