ContractLifeWarranty tracker app: scan the receipt and manage your warranties
The receipt for that expensive washing machine? Faded, misplaced or in the recycling. And that is exactly when the appliance breaks. ContractLife stores your receipts digitally and tracks every warranty with its expiry date – so you have proof of purchase the moment you need it.
Free · no credit card · data held in Germany
The receipt problem
Receipts on thermal paper often fade within months – precisely when you need them for a warranty claim. And even if the receipt is still legible: who knows off the top of their head whether the warranty on a laptop is still running? An app for warranties and receipts solves both.
How to keep receipts and warranties under control
- Receipt scanner – capture receipts with the camera, stored cleanly with text recognition.
- Warranty calendar – every warranty with purchase and expiry date, with a reminder in good time.
- Receipt attached – the scanned proof of purchase sits with the warranty, ready the moment you need it.
- Monthly view – receipts sorted by month, for tax and for an overview.
Not just warranties
Receipts and warranties are part of a bigger picture: ContractLife also manages your contracts, insurance policies and subscriptions – everything around purchases, contracts and deadlines in one place instead of shoeboxes and email inboxes.
A warranty and a statutory guarantee are not the same thing
In Germany the statutory guarantee (Gewährleistung) is a legal right against the seller, while a warranty (Garantie) is a voluntary promise from the manufacturer. That is not hair-splitting: it decides who you turn to and what you have to prove. The statutory guarantee covers defects that were already present at the time of purchase and runs for two years from handover (§ 438 (1) no. 3 BGB). For the first twelve months the defect is presumed to have existed from the start — the seller would have to prove otherwise (§ 477 BGB). After that the burden reverses and you would have to show the fault was already there at purchase. A manufacturer warranty, by contrast, applies exactly as far as its own terms describe (§ 443 BGB) — it can be more generous than the law, but it never replaces the statutory guarantee. Both routes require one and the same thing: a legible proof of purchase.
| Statutory guarantee | Manufacturer warranty | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Required by law | Voluntary, from the manufacturer |
| Who to contact | The seller | Usually the manufacturer |
| Duration | Two years on new goods | As long as the manufacturer promises |
| Burden of proof | First twelve months on the seller | According to the warranty terms |
| Requirement | Proof of purchase | Proof of purchase, often plus registration |
General orientation, not legal advice — what governs is your purchase contract and the warranty terms.
Why the receipt is the real problem
In practice both claims rarely fail on the legal position — they fail on the paper. Receipts are mostly printed on thermal paper, which reacts to heat, so sunlight, warmth and friction make the print fade. Keep the receipt in a kitchen drawer for two years and you may hold a blank slip by the time the statutory guarantee runs out. A scan, by contrast, lasts indefinitely. What matters is that retailer, date, item and amount stay recognisable — which is exactly what the text recognition targets when the receipt is captured, making it searchable as well.
Which receipts are actually worth keeping
Scanning every bakery receipt would be effort without benefit. It pays off wherever a defect gets expensive or a claim runs for a long time. Large household appliances — washing machine, fridge, dishwasher — lead the list, because a repair quickly runs into three figures. Electronics follow: laptop, smartphone, television, headphones. Then furniture and mattresses, where manufacturers sometimes give long warranties, plus tools and garden equipment. As a rule of thumb: anything above roughly a hundred euros, and anything you would take back rather than throw away. With larger purchases, file the manual alongside it.
Which smartphone app works well for warranties?
A good warranty app does four things: it scans the receipt before the thermal paper fades, stores the purchase date and warranty period, works out the expiry date from them and reminds you in good time beforehand. The receipt should also sit right with the warranty, so you do not have to hunt for it when you make a claim. ContractLife does exactly that on iPhone and manages contracts, insurance and subscriptions as well — free for one person.
How do I track warranties with ContractLife?
You scan the receipt and add the purchase date and warranty period. ContractLife files the warranty in the calendar with its expiry date and reminds you before it ends.
How do I keep track of all my warranties?
You add each warranty once with its purchase date and warranty period. ContractLife works out the expiry date from that and sorts every warranty by remaining time — so you can see at a glance what is still covered and what runs out soon. The app gets in touch before it does.
How do I store electronics warranties digitally?
Photograph the receipt, enter the purchase date and the warranty period — that is it. With a laptop, smartphone or television it is worth storing the serial number and the manual as well: manufacturers often ask for both when you make a claim.
What is the difference between a warranty and a statutory guarantee?
The statutory guarantee is a legal right against the seller and runs for two years on new goods. A warranty is a voluntary promise from the manufacturer and applies as far as its terms describe. Both require proof of purchase.
Is a photo of the receipt enough as proof?
In practice many retailers accept a clearly legible copy, though there is not always an entitlement to that. For expensive purchases it is therefore worth keeping the original as well — the scan makes sure you can find it at all.
Does the receipt stay legible?
Yes. Thermal paper receipts fade – scanned digitally, proof of purchase stays legible permanently and is ready the moment you make a claim.
Can I also file invoices and delivery notes?
Yes. Besides receipts you can file invoices, order confirmations and delivery notes as a photo or PDF and assign them to the relevant item.
Is the app free?
For a single person ContractLife is completely free and ad-free. A premium plan only comes in for family mode, that is for sharing with several people.