Hi everyone,
Apologies in advance if this has already been discussed, I checked but couldn’t find anything.
My question is regarding the use by date printed on the Dexcom G6 Transmitter, is this the last day I can activate the transmitter by and still get the full 90 days or is it the last day the sensor is going to work once activated ?
Example : use by date 1st Dec
If I activate this transmitter on 20th November is it going to die on 1st Dec or will it continue to work till 20th Feb?
Hi @Zac and welcome to the forum! That is the last date the transmitter is supposed to be good for. I have had them last a little longer though: it’s not like there’s a switch that automatically turns the transmitter off at the stroke of twelve on its expiration date - but the added time is a matter of days, not weeks. I believe every transmitter I’ve gotten was set to expire way beyond 90 days out - more than enough time for me to use it even if I did not start it up for a few weeks.
If you just got one that will expire before its 90 day lifespan call your supplier and ask them to replace it - call right away as there may be a deadline to notify them.
@Zac Welcome Zac to The JDRF TypeOneNation Community Forum!
In my experience, the “expiration date” is an arbitrary date that is not more than two years beyond the manufacture packing date, and not related to quality or operation life; the date is required by a New Jersey law - often without merit.
Personally, I have successfully begun G6 Transmitters beyond the printed expiry date and received full 90+ day service; the transmitter I’m currently using was begun May 29, 2023 [100 + days ago] and the expiry date on the package reads February 11, 2023.
Thank you so much for the information Dennis
Thank you Wadawabbit 
Hi @Zac welcome. I worked for medical product companies as well as for pharma. A thing like a transmitter has a battery and so expiry is based on statistical data on battery life. Typical limits are 1/100 or 1/1000 for something like this. (Think of it as your chance of failure) If you start the transmitter before the date stamped it will last the 3 months, or if it fails, Dexcom will give you another. If you started a transmitter 3 weeks past the expiration date it is very likely to last the full 3 months. The longer you wait, the more likely it will die before 3 months. If you start one past the expiration date then Dexcom will Not give you a new one if it fails early. That’s kind of the only difference. Most of my transmitters lasted over 100 days. Yes I use them until I get a “last session” alarm. Cheers!