A bike can be a pretty big investment piece unless you get a deal on a second-hand item at a yard sale or through an online marketplace.
And if it’s for a child? You want as much insurance as possible to ensure that thing is never defunct when you want to go for a bike ride.
A great way to protect your investment – and your sanity, parents – is to get a good price at Walmart and back it up with the store’s bike warranty.
What’s a Walmart bike warranty? Here’s everything you need to know!
Walmart Bike Warranty
Walmart’s bike warranties fall under the protection plans for sporting goods, which themselves fall under the general protection plan umbrella on many of Walmart’s items.
These protection plans are covered by Allstate, a trusted and recognizable brand in the insurance industry.
(In fact, when you go to file a claim, you will be redirected to an Allstate website from Walmart.)
Per Walmart’s protection plan page, bikes fall under the category of general merchandise.
Some of the conditions – like mechanical and electrical failures, won’t power on, and power surges or supply failure – don’t really pertain to bikes.
The one condition of value to a new Walmart bike owner is the failure from normal wear and tear.
This is how buyers know that if their bike breaks or malfunctions in any way, from regular, normal use (not from, say, doing tricks or showing off) they can get it repaired or replaced.
How Much Is A Walmart Bike Warranty?
Walmart’s bike warranties vary in price based on the cost of the actual bike and how long the warranty is good for.
An example includes the Kent 24” Northpoint Girl’s Mountain Bike. It retails for $148, and buyers can choose from a 2-year plan for $18 or a 3-year plan for $22
These warranties are also displayed on the Walmart.com website: a 2-year protection plan for sporting goods costs between $60 and $79.99, is $7.
The best way to find out how much you can expect to pay for a warranty is to locate the bike (or bikes) you’re interested in and check out the product description.
A box says “Add-on services” right under the quantity and “Add to cart” button, and it lists the protection plans offered.
There you can choose from a two-year or three-year plan, based on which best suits your needs.
How Do You File A Walmart Bike Warranty Claim?
Walmart has made filing warranty claims as easy and pain-free as possible.
You make your claim on Walmart’s protection plan page. Scroll down and find the heading “How do I file a claim?” Under the list of steps, you will find a “File a Claim” button. Click on it.
Make sure you have your receipt and the item you want fixed or replaced right by you, as the claim will require you to fill in information.
(If you don’t have your receipt, you can go into your local Walmart and ask if they can look it up. It’s a bit of a process, especially for them, but worth it to get your bike fixed.)
As the Walmart protection plan page says, there is a good possibility your claim will get approved very quickly.
If not, a representative will get in contact with you and walk you through the rest of the process.
How Long Are Walmart Bike Warranties Good For?
Walmart bike warranties are good for the duration of the plan (in general, two or three years), starting from the date of warranty purchase.
That means if you decide to purchase a warranty up to 30 days after the purchase of the bike, the warranty’s coverage begins when you buy the warranty, not when you bought the bike.
What Kind Of Damage Doesn’t A Walmart Bike Warranty Cover?
As long as you didn’t purposely damage the bike, and it’s still within the warranty period, you should be covered.
That said, all of Walmart’s protection plans do not cover intentional damage, theft or loss (losing it somewhere and not being able to find it again).
Can You Just Return A Walmart Bike For A Refund?
You can return a bike to Walmart for up to 90 days from purchase.
This can be the more convenient option for people who don’t want to go through a claims process.
You don’t need your receipt, although it makes the return much smoother (and you can get your money back the way you paid) if you have it.
Can You Cancel Your Walmart Bike Warranty?
All of Walmart’s protection plans through Allstate can be canceled for a full refund up to 30 days from the date of purchase.
After that, you can still cancel the warranty and get some money back; it will simply be a pro-rated rate, deducting value based on how long after the purchase date it is.
If you want to know more about shopping at Walmart, you can also read our related posts on whether or not Walmart repairs bikes, changes bike tires, and learn all about Walmart’s bicycle return policy.
Conclusion
Walmart’s bike warranty is a generous protection plan that covers damage due to normal wear and tear, but not theft, intentional damage or loss.
These modestly priced plans offer serious piece of mind to people who want to protect their new investment, and are especially wise for parents or serious bikers.
In both cases, after all, the users of the purchased bikes tend to be pretty hard on their sporting equipment!
