Alberta Online Shopping and Returns Laws (2026)

Surprise: there's no general right to a refund in Canada just because you changed your mind. The store's posted policy is the policy.

What provincial law gives you for online and distance sales is narrower than most people think, and it pays to be precise about it. These are not unconditional change-of-mind windows. They are cancellation rights that open up when the seller got something wrong — typically by failing to give you the required disclosure, an express chance to accept or decline before you committed, or a copy of the agreement:

• Ontario: 7 days after you receive a copy of the agreement, if the seller didn't disclose the prescribed information or didn't give you that express accept-or-decline opportunity (Consumer Protection Act, 2002, s. 40(1)). If the seller never gave you a copy at all, you get 30 days from the date of the agreement (s. 40(2)). These rules apply to internet agreements where your total payment obligation exceeds $50 (s. 37).
• British Columbia: 7 days after receiving a copy if the contract doesn't meet the required contents, or 30 days from the contract date if the seller never provided a copy (Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, s. 49).
• Quebec: 7 days after receiving your copy if the merchant didn't set out the mandatory information in the prescribed way (Consumer Protection Act, art. 54.8).

Don't confuse these with the 10-day figure often quoted for Ontario. That one covers direct agreements — door-to-door sales — and it genuinely is a no-reason cooling-off period (CPA 2002, s. 43). Buying online does not get you that.

The other useful rule: if delivery is more than 30 days late, you can cancel. And the credit card chargebackA dispute filed with your credit-card issuer to reverse a charge — for example, if goods never arrived or a merchant refuses a legitimate refund. Your card network usually allows about 120 days from the transaction to request one. Separately, the Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days from the statement date to send a written billing-error dispute. is the lever most people forget — typically a 120-day window from the transaction.

One thing to watch: Ontario passed a new Consumer Protection Act, 2023 to replace the 2002 Act, but it only takes effect on a day named by proclamation. The 2002 Act is still the operative law, so confirm current section numbers with Consumer Protection Ontario before you rely on them.