Prime Day mattress deals: should I shop now or wait for Black Friday?
The Prime Day October event is in full swing... here's why you should probably wait for Black Friday to buy mattress
If you're looking to buy a new mattress, it can be tricky to know when to shop to get the best prices. The Prime Day October event is happening right now, but with Black Friday happening in a mere six weeks, should you hold off buying a new bed until then? This article explains exactly when you should shop to get the lowest prices on the best mattresses, based on our knowledge of the market and the Black Friday mattress deals we've seen in previous years.
The TL;DR version is: Amazon isn't a great place to buy mattresses, so unless you want one of a handful of specific models that are discounted in the Prime Sales, you're better off shopping on Black Friday, when absolutely everyone is getting involved and fighting for your custom.
If you're confused as to why we're talking about Prime Day, we don't blame you. A lot of people are aware of the event that usually takes place in the summer, but this is the first time Amazon has decided to run a second event in the fall. Like the regular Prime Day, it lasts for two days – 11 Oct and 12 Oct 2022. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but generally speaking, there are plenty of deals worth checking out. In terms of mattresses specifically, the situation is a little different. While there are decent beds to be found at the online retail giant (here are the best mattresses on Amazon, in our opinion), it's not a great place to go for a bed bargain.
Read on for a closer look at the Black Friday vs Prime Day mattress deals, so you can shop smarter and save as much as possible. (If you end up on this page after the Prime Early Access deals have finished, head to our mattress sales and deals roundup for the best current offers.)
Is Amazon Prime Day good for mattresses?
Not especially, although there are a few offers worth checking out. Amazon's selection of mattresses is limited when it comes to the big players – it's better for super-cheap mattresses from obscure brands than it is for pricier, good quality mattresses that we could confidently recommend. Some major mattress brands do have an Amazon range, but we recommend buying direct from a brand if that option is available (more on that below). Most brands have a decent sale on running parallel to Prime Day, and some even refer to it as their 'Prime Day sale', so there are plenty of ways you can save if you do want to shop today.
Mattress names you'll find at Amazon include Sealy, Serta, Casper, Nectar, Purple, Leesa, Tuft & Needle, and GhostBed. However, the range will often be limited, and in some cases, the Amazon stores are home to cheaper or older models that aren't sold by the brand direct.
If you want a budget mattress, for example for the spare room, you will find good options on Amazon. These will be cheap at MSRP, but can drop even further in the Prime Day sales.
Is Amazon good for mattresses?
If it's an option, we recommend buying from the brand direct, rather than via a larger third party retailer like Amazon. That's to do with customer service than with the product itself. While Amazon will usually honor any sleep trial and warranty offered by the manufacturer, there are hoops to jump through – for instance, at a minimum you need to contact the brand to register your purchase on the manufacturer’s database.
In general, it all gets quite confusing, and we've spotted a number of comments in Amazon’s mattress listings complaining about issues with this. Dealing with a brand's own customer service will typically be more straightforward if you do have any problems with your purchase, too.
Black Friday vs Prime day mattress deals
Amazon is a bit of a wild card when it comes to the deals you'll find there on Black Friday. But as we've already established, its not really the best place to buy a mattress in any case. So what we're really looking at here is whether the deals you'll find on each brand's own site today are better than what we're expecting to see over Black Friday.
Broadly speaking, we expect the deals will be better on Black Friday. This is a major event, with pretty much all brands and retailers running a major sale. Competition is high, and it often attracts the best deals of the year (or at least matches the lowest prices from other shopping events).
We're also expecting the Black Friday offers – although they might be under another name at first – to appear well before Black Friday itself. Perhaps as early as mid-November. So you could only have a month to wait.
That said, if you're in a rush, the Prime Day-adjacent sales are pretty strong, so it's not a bad time to buy. The difference between today's offer and the Black Friday offer might be relatively minor in many cases. In general the mattress market is struggling a bit with inflation and ongoing supply chain issues, which means the Black Friday deals this year might not be as generous as we've seen previously, and we could be looking at offers that are similar to what we see at other points in the year.
For more info and in-depth predictions of what to expect from each brand, head to our Black Friday mattress deals guide and our Cyber Monday mattress deals guide.
Where are the best Prime day mattress deals?
Most of our top-rated mattresses aren't sold through Amazon, but there are still plenty of offers if you head direct to the brand. Amusingly, Nectar is running its own 'Prime Day Sale', with $200 off mattresses and a free big bedding bundle. Saatva, which makes our favorite mattress, is also in the middle of a three-day sale that offers between $200 and $500 off all its mattresses. There are also a handful of decent mattress deals in the Prime Day sale that are worth a look in. You'll find all the details below.
Saatva Classic Mattress: queen $1,795 $1,595 at Saatva
Our favorite mattress - This luxury innerspring hybrid sits right at the top of our best mattress ranking, and with good reason. The design, which includes eco-friendly foams, a plush Euro pillow top and durable steel coils is incredibly comfortable for almost every body or sleep style. In our Saatva Classic mattress review, we said it "delivers premium comfort and support for far less than its high-end rivals". Choose from 3 comfort levels and two heights. This non-Prime deal gets you $200 off most sizes (more on the split options, nothing on the twin).
Nectar memory foam mattress: queen $999 $799 + $499 free bedding at Nectar
Best memory foam – Nectar has decided to run its own 'Prime Day' sale today (although of course, you don't actually have to subscribe to Amazon Prime to save). This all-foam mattress offers excellent pressure relief around your shoulders, hips, and back. In our Nectar mattress review we found it easy to recommend to side and back sleepers in particular – and said it "hit the sweet spot between performance and price". The mattress is never really sold at MSRP, but the deal price is very competitive and you get a bundle of sleep accessories worth $499 included, plus a 365-night trial and a forever guarantee.
Zinus Green Tea memory foam mattress: from $199 $158.40 at Amazon
Best cheap pick - While this isn't the best mattress you'll ever sleep on, it i our favorite cheap and cheerful option, and this Prime Day deal makes it cheaper than it has been all year. In our Zinus Green Tea mattress review we found it delivered good pressure relief and was plenty comfortable enough with its medium-firm to firm sleep feel. There are discounts on the 10" and 12" versions – exactly how much depends on the size, but whatever you buy it'll be a bargain.
Casper Element mattress: from $495 $396 at Amazon
This one isn't available to buy at Casper direct. It has a basic, two-layer design: the upper foam will contour to your body and relieve pressure on your joints (it's perforated to allow air to flow through and stop you from getting too warm) and a more supportive foam base, for stability.
Serta Clarks Hill Firm: from $699 $594.15 at Amazon
We haven't tested this particular model out, but we do rate Serta as a mattress brand. The firm version (which is the one discounted) features three types of layered foam at the top, for balanced support, followed by individually wrapped coils, and base foam. Although the discount is only 15%, that price is very low for a hybrid mattress, and especially from a trusted bed brand.
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Ruth is currently Homes Editor on Tom's Guide's sister site TechRadar, where she reviews and writes about everything from air fryers to vacuum cleaners to coffee machines, as well as the latest smart home gadgets. Prior to making the shift to Homes, Ruth was Tom's Guide's Sleep Editor. A certified Sleep Science Coach, she has tested more mattresses than her small flat can handle and will talk at length about them to anyone who shows even a passing interest.