When is the Best Time to Buy a Mattress?

If you think you might be in the market for a new, high-quality mattress, there’s a lot to consider to get the best price. You might not realize this, but the time of year you’re shopping actually makes a difference. Mattress companies tend to release new models at the same time each year, so they often end up having sales to clear the floor of the older models.

Additionally, like many other retailers, mattress companies will offer sales throughout the year on holiday weekends, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and more. In addition to these larger shopping weekends, there are a number of strategies to employ to help you reach the best price for your mattress.

But before launching into the best time of year to get a good deal on a mattress, it’s important to assess if now is the time for you. Your decision should be based on the shape of the mattress you’re currently sleeping on and how you’re feeling as you wake to face each day.

Is Your Mattress Spent?

Mattresses tend to have a roughly seven-year lifespan. After this amount of time, wear and tear generally begin to become apparent. Some materials, like latex or memory foam, tend to keep their shape longer than a traditional innerspring mattress, but if you find you’re experiencing some of the signs we’ve listed here, it’s time to start shopping.

Sagging in the middle of the bed is the most obvious visual indicator you need a new mattress. Other signs might not be so obvious. Here are a few to consider:

• You wake up in the center of your mattress each morning (an indication of sagging).
• Your muscles or joints feel achy and stiff after a night’s sleep, especially your back, shoulders, or hips (an indication of poor support).
• You feel fatigued throughout the day or unrested in the morning after a full night’s sleep (also an indication of poor support).
• You find lumps, dips, worn seams, or odors on your mattress.
• You’ve started getting new allergies, especially in the morning, like a runny nose, coughing, or wheezing (a possible indicator your mattress has collected allergens like dust or dust mites).
• You notice you sleep better on your couch or in a different bed in your house.

If you’ve found any of these things to be true about your mattress, it’s probably time to start the research process. While a mattress topper could help extend the life of your mattress for a little while longer, it likely won’t help if you have noticed sagging, lumps, or allergy symptoms. These things render the mattress somewhat unfixable. So start considering your options for a new mattress.

SEE ALSO: Best Mattress Under 1000 Dollars

Best Times of the Year to Buy a Mattress

Whether you’re headed to a brick-and-mortar store or an online retailer for your next mattress, the time of year you choose could get you a better price. Holidays are always a good time to shop, even smaller holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, President’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Veteran’s Day.

Even if some employers don’t extend a long weekend to their employees, these holidays generally mean more shopping and bigger sales, including mattress sales. So to get the best mattress for the money, you might consider waiting for the next holiday weekend to make your mattress purchase.

Other manufactured reasons for sales promotions and mattress coupon codes include Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day. These aren’t exactly holidays, but they’re some of the biggest shopping days of the year, which means they’re good days for mattress buying.

We have a number of guides that track the best mattress sales as they roll out in the year:

• Best MLK Day Mattress Sales
• Best Presidents Day Mattress Sales
• Best Sleep Awareness Week Mattress Sales
• Best Memorial Day Mattress Sales
• Best 4th of July Mattress Sales
• Best Labor Day Mattress Sales of 2024
• Best Columbus Day Mattress Sales
• Best Black Friday Mattress Sales
• Best Cyber Monday Mattress Sales

However, we recommend starting the research process before it’s time to buy. Whether this means doing online research or heading to the showroom to test out some mattresses, plan to spend time comparing before you’re ready to make your purchase.

SEE ALSO: Mattress Size and Dimensions Guide

Online or Brick-and-Mortar?

There are more online mattress brands than ever these days, and mattress retailers are no exception. On first consideration, it might seem counterintuitive to consider buying a mattress before you’ve had a chance to lie on it.

But most online retailers offer an in-home sleep trial to give you a chance to sleep on your mattress for 30-100 nights (depending on the company) and return it if it doesn’t work out. Trial periods like these will give you more peace of mind if you’re considering an online seller.

You have pros and cons to both online and brick-and-mortar establishments. Here are a few things to consider when choosing the best place to buy a mattress:

Brick-and-Mortar Pros:

• You can touch and lie on lots of mattresses in one visit to the mattress store.
• You can negotiate a lower price or request additional perks with a salesperson to get a better deal.
• You can take advantage of in-store exclusive sales events.
• You can ask questions directly to a salesperson and get immediate answers.

Brick-and-Mortar Cons:

• You may have to deal with pushy salespeople.
• You only have a few minutes trying out each mattress before you make a decision.
• Return policies vary more widely than online.
• You usually have to pay for delivery.

Online Pros:

• You can see hundreds of honest customer reviews before you buy.
• There’s no pushy salesperson pressuring you to make a decision the first day you begin your research.
• You have the option to compare prices in the comfort of your own home.
• You can research coupons or other online deals easily.
• You can take advantage of online-only deals and the deep discounts associated with Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day.
• You get to experience the bed in your home to try out for an extended period of time (30-100 days).
• Your mattress usually comes with free delivery.

Online Cons:

• You can’t test the mattress before buying.
• There’s a chance you could get overwhelmed with the endless choices available at online mattress stores.
• You can’t negotiate with a human salesperson at checkout.
• You have to rely on descriptions and reviews to determine which is the best mattress for your needs.

Common Questions

In addition to deciding between getting a mattress online or heading to a brick-and-mortar store, it’s a good idea to get the lay of the land as far as timing and sales. It seems there’s always a good excuse for a mattress sale, whether it’s a national holiday or a big annual shopping day. So in the end, regardless of the time of year, your first goal should be to avoid paying full retail price.

Avoiding retail prices for a great quality mattress involves the right timing, good negotiating or coupon finding, and knowing the market rates.

What Month Should I Buy a Mattress?

Generally speaking, the mattress industry rolls out the latest mattress models at the beginning of the summer. This means most stores will want to clear out their inventory of older models to make room for new ones. This makes the month of May a great time to get some of the best mattress deals.

Back-to-school sales are also good opportunities for savings. Top mattress brands choose the end of summer to try to boost sales before families hunker down for the school year. Shop mattresses at the end of August to get a good sale price.

Can You Negotiate the Price of a Mattress?

The short answer is, yes. This is especially true if you’re planning to work with a salesperson in a retail outlet. In most cases, negotiation is baked into the sticker price. It’s a good thing to remember as you do your research and establish what you’re willing to spend.

Brick-and-Mortar

Even if you’re not the haggling type, it’s a good idea to plan on negotiating with your mattress seller to either reduce the price or throw in some additional perks with the purchase — or both!

Additional costs associated with buying a mattress can add up, so use these to your advantage while you’re negotiating. For example, will your mattress seller be picking up your old mattress? If so, how much do they want to charge you? Can you negotiate that off the price? What about delivery? If you’re upgrading from a queen to a king, you’ll need a new frame and new bedding. Can those be included in your total price at a discounted rate?

These are all questions you should be prepared to ask as you’re buying your new bed in a brick-and-mortar store.

Online Mattress Sellers

If you’re buying online, there’s no one there to negotiate with, so you’ll have to do a bit of research. There are many third-party coupon companies offering deals beyond what a retailer’s website covers. Do a little digging to see if you can find one to take some dollars off the advertised price online.

Many reputable companies are also taking advantage of the booming podcast industry and collaborating with podcasters to offer discounts to listeners. Use a podcaster’s referral code to get additional discounts online. Some online mattress companies offer bundles which include bedding, new pillows, and free shipping with their mattress purchases as well.

In most cases, even if you don’t have a salesperson by your side during an online purchase, there’s a chat option connecting you to a customer service representative who can answer any questions you might have about the mattress(es) you’re considering on their website. It never hurts to ask them if they can offer you an additional discount if you purchase within a certain amount of time.

Both Retailers

Another point of negotiation for both types of retailers is the option of a payment plan. Many mattress companies will offer some sort of financing plan for your mattress purchase. It’s a good idea to ask for free financing or to negotiate a lower rate for financing if you have the choice.

If you can’t get free financing and don’t want to pay the full price at once, you might consider doing a quick search for interest-free credit cards to get a year’s worth of free financing for your mattress before you make your purchase.

What’s a Good Price for a Mattress?

Knowing what you want to spend before you begin the negotiation is key. How you arrive at this number should be based on the research you do before you’re face to face with your seller. Mattress materials range in price, but many people spend $1,000 or more for a new mattress.

Mattresses between $600 and $3,000 tend to be the best quality mattress options. Going below $600 will mean a compromise in quality — fewer, larger springs for an innerspring mattress, thinner foam for memory foam mattress options, shorter warranties, and an overall shorter lifespan.

There are a number of differences in this range of pricing, especially materials and warranty. For example, natural latex is expensive to manufacture, so a new bed made with this material will have a higher baseline cost than one made from synthetic materials.

Modern technology offers a range of special features, including cooling gel foam, pressure point relief, pillow tops, memory foam, and more. These special features, in addition to the quality of materials used, will end up affecting the bottom line. Your budget and personal needs will help you decide where you want to end up in this range. Most people can find a good mattress which works for them around the middle of this range.

When should I buy a mattress on sale?

Many online mattress brands offer discounts on their products year-round, while other brands offer major savings on long weekends like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and President’s Day. Of course, you can also find big savings at the end of the year during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

How do I find the best deal on a mattress?

Research, research, research. Don’t land on the first deal you come across, take some time to research different mattresses and put together a list of 10 or so mattresses you think would be comfortable. Then, compare prices, mattress warranties, and features. If one bed on your list costs $2,000 but another costs $700, there has to be a reason for the difference in price. Look at what you’re getting for your money.

Then, once you’ve landed on some good deals, be sure to reach out to the mattress brands directly to ask when they’re offering discounts on their products. As we mentioned before, many online brands offer deals year-round, so it may be better to ask those brands when or if they’re offering better sales.

With a little time and research, you can find a great deal on your next bed.

So, When Is the Best Time to Buy a Mattress?

The best time to buy a mattress in general is when you need one. If your current mattress is showing signs of wear and tear, it may be time to upgrade. Sagging in the middle, new allergies, and feeling poorly rested in the mornings are among the most glaring indicators your mattress has run its course. But if you can stand to hang on for the next sale, we recommend you do so.

We know major and minor holidays are great times to buy. Mattress companies tend to take advantage of the long weekends and holidays to get the attention of shoppers. Contrived shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are also good opportunities for major savings.

Certain times of year are better than others, particularly when retailers are looking to make room for newer models. This makes the month of May and the August back-to-school season all great times to shop sales. These times of the year are among the best to negotiate in person, as sales representatives are eager to clear out older mattress models.

Negotiation is part of the game, so prepare yourself to ask for a better deal, regardless of what time of year you choose to shop. Do your research so you know the level of quality for each price point, and decide what you want to spend before you talk to a salesperson.

Remember there will be additional costs associated with your mattress purchase, including recycling your old mattress, taxes, delivery or shipping, and sometimes warranties. These are all potential points of negotiation for you as you make your way through the purchase process. Be firm in your negotiation and you’ll end up taking home something you love, though we always recommend thoroughly testing the mattress you end up buying