How much should you pay for a mattress topper? I review them for a living, here's what I think

There's a lot of reasons why I love testing mattress toppers: they boost the comfort of ageing or uncomfortable beds, they have smaller price tags than most mattresses, they're easy to set up, and they come in a wide selection of designs.

However, mattress toppers also come in a variety of prices, and I've started to notice that some luxurious choices cost more than the cheapest option in our guide to the best mattress of the year.

These premium mattress toppers can be too expensive for most budgets, as many see the whole point of a mattress topper as a way to save you from buying a new mattress.

But while there are many luxury bed toppers out there, plenty of the best mattress toppers on the market cost hundreds of dollars less than luxury, mid-range, and even budget mattresses.

So, from my experience testing and tracking prices of mattress topper, here's what type of mattress topper you should expect from each price category in the mattress sales — and the bed toppers you should avoid no matter the price.

How much should you pay for a budget mattress topper?

Budget mattress toppers that are worth buying can vary in price depending on the discount or whether you're purchasing during a major sale event, such as Black Friday or Presidents' Day.

However, most cheap mattress toppers should regularly cost under $100 for a queen size, even if their MSRP is slightly higher (which it might never actually be sold for, due to regular mattress topper sales).

For instance, our best cheap pick in our best memory foam mattress topper guide, the Lucid Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper, comes in three different heights.

The 2" and 3" heights of the topper are both under $100 for a queen at MSRP. The 4" version is $119.99 for a queen at MSRP, but frequent sales and discount codes mean you can often get it for under $100.

After impressing us with its plushness and temperature control in our Lucid Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper review, the budget-friendly Lucid topper set a benchmark for other budget mattress toppers.

So, if you want to pay $100 or less for a queen-size good-quality mattress topper, these features are non-negotiable:

• Foam: All budget mattress toppers needs to have a body made from memory foam, as this material is what alters the feel of your mattress. If there's no foam, there's no comfort or support.
• A height between 2" and 4": Any thinner, it will make no difference to your overall comfort. Any thicker, it will make the mattress too tall and squidgy.
• A high volume of trustworthy positive reviews: Look at customer reviews on both the brand's website and at third-party retailers such as Amazon. Take into account the number of reviews (the more, the better) and the overall star rating (anything over 4.0 is excellent). I also suggest you take a look at our guide on how to spot fake user reviews.

As you can see from the image of the Lucid mattress topper above, a cover isn't always essential. As long as you have one of the best mattress protectors for your bed, a lack of a cover shouldn't matter.

How much should you pay for a mid-range mattress topper?

If you're looking for a mid-range mattress topper, you're basically looking at paying around $100 to $300 depending on material, quality, and frequency of discounts.

Luxury brand Saatva creates some mid-range mattress toppers, including the Saatva High-Density Foam Topper (the brand's cheapest topper) and the hugely popular Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Mattress Topper.

Although never included in the Saatva mattress sales, both mattress toppers are regularly under $300 for queen, with a queen-sized High-Density Foam Mattress Topper permanently frozen at $245.

In our Saatva High-Density Foam Mattress Topper review, we praised the Saatva foam topper for the luxurious comfort it provides despite being under 2" tall. We also loved how the moisture-wicking, breathable organic cotton cover was made from the same material as the covers found on the brand's collection of the best luxury mattresses.

So, with Saatva's mattress toppers setting a gold standard for mid-range mattress toppers, here's what you should expect from mattress topper in this price category:

• High-density foam or foam infused with cooling tech: Memory foam toppers need to provide ample cushioning and support without while avoiding their heat-trapping tendencies, so thick foams infused with cooling substances such as graphite and copper.
• A trial of at least 30 nights and a warranty of at least a year: If you're paying over $100 for a queen size mattress topper, you'll need to be assured that there's a sleep trial to allow you to try the topper before fully committing to your purchase.
• A breathable cover: While a topper with a budget price can get away with no cover, I would expect any decent mid-range mattress topper to come with a cover made from a breathable material. (The cooling topper we reviewed for our Molecule CopperWELL Mattress Topper review is an exception, as the lack of a cover is meant to leave the cooling properties unhindered.)

How much should you pay for a luxury mattress topper?

A luxury mattress topper usually costs over $300 for a queen, with no price limit. However, I advise against ever paying over $500 for a queen-sized mattress topper; if you're willing to pay that much money, you might as well buy one of the best cheap mattresses (all under $500 for a queen) instead.

You can find luxury mattress toppers at Birch, Helix, Tempur-Pedic, and Naturepedic. Helix have an extensive collection of premium mattress toppers which all use advanced-cooling GlacioTex covers and are always $399 or under for a queen.

The qualities that I was impressed with during testing for my Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper review are what makes luxury mattress toppers special: premium and durable materials such as organic natural latex, ample support and comfort for any bed, and generous extras such as a long sleep trial or warranty.

Here are the features that signify that a mattress topper is premium:

• Advanced-cooling and luxury materials: Look out for material such as natural latex foam, state-of-the-art cooling covers, high-density memory foam, anchor straps or non-slip bases, and microcoils.
• Designs similar to a luxury brand's beds: Many luxury brands will use the same materials in their mattress toppers as they use in their premium mattresses (Birch using the same organic cotton and latex in both their mattresses and toppers; Helix uses heat-dissipating GlacioTex covers in both their bed topper and Elite mattress collection), offering a slice of luxury for less.
• Generous extras: Expect trials over 100 nights and warranties of 10 years, plus free shipping and returns.

Can you get a good cheap mattress topper for under $50?

If you've been hunting for mattress toppers at retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, or Target, you've probably comes across mattress toppers for under $50 for a queen.

Just because a mattress topper is under $50, that absolutely doesn't mean it has to be of inferior quality. All you need to do is make sure that the mattress topper is at least 2" thick and is made from foam.

The only other advice I have for buying a budget mattress topper under $50 is this: Stay away from down-alternative toppers. I bought a microfiber bed topper to soften up a firm mattress and it was a huge mistake — they are just too thin to make any difference to the firmness of your mattress.