Last reviewed: 2 October 2026

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Before you sign: a checklist for getting a warranty's terms in front of you

Before you pay, you should be able to read the actual terms. This checklist covers what a federal FTC rule says about getting a written warranty's text before you buy, and what it does not tell you.

The checklist

1. Know which product you are buying. Part 702 applies to a "consumer product," defined as tangible personal property normally used for personal, family or household purposes; products bought solely for commercial or industrial use are excluded for purposes of this part.¹ Ask the seller whether the document you are being offered is a "written warranty" (the rule's definition is in the box below) or a separate contract you pay for. This source does not say how Part 702 applies to a separately-sold contract, so ask the regulator in your state (see the verification section).
2. Check the price threshold. The pre-sale requirements apply to products "actually costing the consumer more than $15.00."¹ Below that, the rule's availability duties do not apply.
3. In a store: ask to see the text. The seller must either display the warranty close to the product, or furnish it on request before sale and put up signs "reasonably calculated to elicit the prospective buyer's attention" in prominent locations saying warranties are available on request (§ 702.3(a)).¹
4. Online: find where the terms are posted. This is the warrantor's option, not the seller's. A warrantor may comply by posting the terms in an accessible digital format on its website, but then it must tell you in the product manual, on the product or on the packaging the website address and a phone number, postal address or other non-Internet way to request a copy; provide a hard copy "promptly and free of charge" on request; and keep the terms posted and accessible (§ 702.3(b)(2)).¹
5. Check the terms are for your product. The website option also requires information "sufficient to allow the consumer to readily identify" the warranty terms that apply to the specific warranted product (§ 702.3(b)(2)(iv)).¹
6. By catalog or mail order: the seller must disclose, near the product description or in a clearly referenced information section, either the full warranty text, or the warrantor's website address plus a statement that the warranty can be obtained free on request and an address or phone number to ask (§ 702.3(c)).¹
7. At your door: a door-to-door seller must tell you, before the sale is completed, that the representative has copies of the warranties you can inspect during the presentation. That disclosure must be oral and included in any written materials shown to you (§ 702.3(d)).¹
8. Keep a copy. This is our suggestion rather than a requirement from the rule: save or print the terms you were shown, with the date, so you can compare them with what you later receive.

How the rule defines a written warranty

Part 702 defines a "written warranty" as a written affirmation of fact or promise, made in connection with the sale of a consumer product, that the material or workmanship is defect free or will meet a specified level of performance over a specified period of time, or a written undertaking to refund, repair, replace or take other remedial action if the product fails to meet the specifications, that becomes part of the basis of the bargain (§ 702.1(c)).¹

How to verify this yourself

• Read the rule itself on the eCFR: 16 CFR Part 702 (reference 1). The page lists when it was last amended; the text above reflects the version we read on 2 October 2026, whose source note cites 81 FR 63669 (Sept. 15, 2016).¹
• For a home warranty or vehicle service contract, how it is regulated depends on your state. The USAGov directory of state consumer protection offices (reference 2) can help you find the office to ask.²
• Compare any provider's record using the Register, which explains how we check licensing and complaint history for warranty and service contract providers. It is a method for checking, not a recommendation of anyone.

What this page is not

This is general information, not legal advice, and it is not a review of any company's contract. It covers only what the cited rule says about making warranty text available before sale. It does not tell you whether a particular contract is good value, whether its exclusions are reasonable, or how your state treats it. Our home warranty comparison guide, vehicle service contract comparison guide and the existing explainer on reading a warranty before you buy go further, and our standard sets out what we check in a provider's contract terms.