Is Memorial Day a good time to buy a mattress?

(Image credit: Getty)

Are the Memorial Day sales a good time to buy a new mattress? The short answer is yes. Memorial Day boasts some of the year's lowest prices on the best mattresses across all price brackets. As for whether it's the best time of year to buy a new mattress, that answer is a little more nuanced, as I'll explain below.

Calling upon my experience as a professional sleep tester and seasoned deal hunter, I'll guide you through what you need to know when browsing this year's Memorial Day mattress sales. However, if you're only interested in learning about the top mattress deals right now, I'll also be sharing five of my favorite offers for beds that have been reviewed and approved by our expert sleep team.

Of course, mattresses aren't the only items worth highlighting – we're covering this year's Memorial Day sales at large for markdowns on televisions, headphones, streaming devices, and small appliances. But if you're merely wondering if Memorial Day is a good time to buy a mattress, keep reading...

Is Memorial Day a good time to buy a mattress?

Generally speaking, major holidays yield great mattress sales. Memorial Day sales in particular offer some of the best prices of the year when it comes to mattresses.

Timing plays a role: sleep brands typically release new products in the spring. Thus, you're most likely to find plenty of discounts on existing or soon-to-be-discontinued models right now as manufacturers attempt to clear stock.

Memorial Day precedes summer, which is when mattresses rise to their highest costs of the year. While July 4th sales may provide a brief reprieve, Memorial Day sales typically deliver better mattress deals overall.

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe with deals graphic overlaid — (Image credit: 3Z Brands for Tom's Guide)

What are the differences between Prime Day and Memorial Day mattress sales?

While there isn't an official date in place for Amazon Prime Day 2023, we predict that it'll once again be held in mid-July. Should that prediction hold true, expect any 4th of July mattress sales to extend to Prime Day – either from Amazon or other retailers hoping to ride the Prime Day wave.

However, remember that mattress prices tend to peak during the summer so anticipate stronger deals during Memorial Day mattress sales compared to July's major shopping events.

The Nectar with a couple in bed — Nectar mattresses are available via Amazon, but we'd always recommend buying direct (Image credit: Nectar)

For a number of reasons, Prime Day isn't an especially good time to shop for a new mattress in particular. Prime Day is Amazon-specific, and only a limited number of bed brands sell through Amazon. The best mattresses on Amazon tend to be cheap models from less well known brands, designed for tight budgets or occasional use. For pricier models, we'd always recommend buying direct from the brand rather than via a third party seller like Amazon, just in terms of customer service and aftercare.

Also, Amazon Prime Day sales typically focus on Amazon devices and other tech items like TVs and laptops, so those deals will take precedence over savings on mattresses and other soft goods.

If you're not ready to buy a new mattress during the Memorial Day sales, we recommend waiting for Labor Day. Better yet, if you're not in a rush, hold out for Black Friday (more on that next).

Will mattresses be cheaper on Black Friday?

Black Friday mattress sales – and by extension, Cyber Monday mattress deals – usually offer the best prices of the year. If you miss your chance to snag a stellar Memorial Day mattress deal, it'll either be matched or beaten come November.

Note that mattress manufacturers adjust their retail prices throughout the year. Lately, we've been seeing costs steadily rise due to inflation, which means you're less likely to come across any all-time price lows. (However, there will always be outliers so keep an eye on our mattress sales hub.)

Couple testing out mattresses in a showroom — (Image credit: Getty)

What are the best Memorial Day mattress deals?

Dozens of Memorial Day mattress sales are live right now but if you're only interested in shopping the best offers, we strongly recommend these five editors' choice deals – all of which we've tried and tested ourselves:

1. Saatva Classic mattress: was $995 now from $770 at Saatva
The top pick in our best mattress guide is the upper-mid-range Saatva Classic, a versatile hybrid innerspring with three firmness levels and two height profiles. Most sleepers should find the 11.5-inch luxury-firm option suitable – that's the version we tried in our Saatva Classic mattress review. Click our exclusive link to shave $375 off orders above $1,000, bringing a queen down to $1,620, and one of the lowest prices we've seen for it this year. If you need a twin, the standard Saatva Memorial Day sale cuts it to $770 (was $995). Either way, you'll enjoy a full-year at-home trial, a lifetime warranty, and free white-glove delivery.

2. The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid mattress: was $839, now from $499 at DreamCloud
Looking for one of our favorite mattresses for back pain at the lowest price we've ever tracked? The DreamCloud Memorial Day sale cuts 40% off, reducing the final price of a queen to $799 – $100 less than the usual discount. Our DreamCloud Mattress review highlights this hybrid's breathable cashmere top, gel-infused memory foam, and individually-wrapped springs – which together provide a superb blend of cooling comfort, pressure relief, and a just-right level amount of bounce. What's more, it comes with a 1-year risk-free trial and a lifetime warranty.

3. Nectar Memory Foam mattress: was $599, now from $359 at Nectar
The best memory foam mattress is now 33% off during Nectar's Memorial Day sale. This five-layer medium-firm bed will offer the right blend of softness and support for most people, as we discovered in our Nectar mattress review. Although this deal doesn't include any free bedding, a queen mattress is only $699 – you'll likely have enough for new sheets or pillows if you need them. As always, Nectar throws in a 365-night trial plus a forever warranty.

4. Helix Midnight mattress: was $936.30, now from $702.20 + 2 free pillows at Helix
If you're angling for free stuff with your mattress, Helix is here to deliver. Not only will you get a pair of pillows, but you'll also receive 25% off what we deem the best mattress for side sleepers. Use coupon code MEMORIALDAY25 to bring the cost of a queen to $1,030 – a $70 drop from the previous sale price. In our Helix Midnight mattress review, we said this mid-range hybrid offers dreamy comfort, excellent support, and good temperature regulation. Try it risk-free for 100 nights, with a 10-year warranty to protect your purchase if you keep it.

5. Siena Memory Foam mattress: was $499, now from $199 at Siena
Siena is a sibling brand of Nectar with an emphasis on affordable, quality sleep. However, this budget mattress is built similarly to a mid-range model with five layers of memory foam and polyfoam that yield a medium-firm feel, excellent edge support, and better temperature regulation than we anticipated in our Siena Memory Foam mattress review. Although Siena is running its evergreen $300 off discount for Memorial Day, it's still an amazing offer if you need a reliable cheap mattress. A queen is on sale for $399 (was $699). You'll get a 180-night trial and a 10-year warranty, too.

If the options above don't match your needs, explore more Memorial Day mattress sales below to find your perfect match at a great price:

Amerisleep: $450 off any mattress + free gifts w/ "AS450"
Avocado: up to 30% off organic mattresses
Awara: up to $300 off mattresses + free $499 sleep bundle
Bear: 35% off sitewide + $400 in free accessories
Big Fig: save $400 off all mattresses via code "MEMDAY"
Brooklyn Bedding: 25% off sitewide via code "MEMORIAL25"
Casper: 20% off all mattresses
Cocoon by Sealy: 35% off Chill mattress + free sleep bundle
Nolah: 30% off mattresses + 2 free pillows
Purple: up to $800 off mattress sets
Sleep Number: up to 50% off smart/adjustable beds
Tempur-Pedic: up to $500 off select mattress sets
Vaya: $300 off any mattress via "VAYA300"

Looking for more deals? You can find the best deals year round with our mattress coupon codes where you'll find offers for everything from bedding to pillows and mattresses to give your bed the refresh it deserves.

Freelance writer and editor Alison is an expert mattress tester for Tom's Guide, and hails from Philadelphia, USA. Alison has reviewed a wide range of mattresses, pillows and other sleep accessories for Tom's Guide, putting the latest hybrid, memory foam and cooling mattresses from Casper, Nectar, Awara, Brooklinen and other leading brands through their paces. Alison has been sharing buying advice and retail news for over a decade. When she isn't reviewing mattresses, other home products or hunting for great deals to save you money, Alison can be found teaching/training in martial arts, fawning over skincare, and indulging in her quarantine-borne hobby: cooking.