Black Friday vs Memorial Day mattress sales: Is now the best time to buy a bed?

A man in a green shirt lies on a mattress as a woman in a pink top jumps happily onto the bed next to him

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Everybody loves a sale, which is why I'm excited to see what mattress deals Memorial Day brings this year. If you're hoping to save on one of the best mattresses, you might be wondering whether to shop now or wait for Black Friday in November – typically the best time of the year to buy a new mattress online.

This year's Memorial Day mattress sales are already underway and I'm seeing some excellent deals from sleep brands that I rate. While Black Friday typically brings with it the lowest MSRPs, the biggest discounts and the largest free bedding bundles, some brands are already matching their best Black Friday deals for Memorial Day.

Shopping now instead of waiting for November has other advantages too. These include avoiding potential shipping delays – everyone buys a bed during Black Friday, so there are often longer waiting times for orders to be fulfilled.

Memorial Day vs Black Friday: Which mattress sale should you shop?

1. Some Memorial Day sales are Black Friday-worthy

Black Friday might dominate the deals conversation with great Black Friday mattress topper sales and Black Friday mattress deals , but some of this year's Memorial Day sales on mattresses are just as exciting. In fact, I've already seen some deals that compare to the best I saw during Black Friday and we're still a week away from Memorial Day itself.

I track mattress sales year-round for Tom's Guide so I know which sales are worth getting excited about and which ones aren't worth your attention. Some of the very best offers right now include a $400 discount on the best hybrid mattress of the year, the Saatva Classic. My colleagues love this luxury innerspring hybrid and say it's like having a custom hotel mattress at home.

Right now you can save $400 on the Classic and get free old bed removal at Saatva, with a queen reduced to $1,695 (was $2,095). That's brilliant value for a handcrafted bed with a year's sleep trial and lifetime warranty, and it matches the best offer I saw from Saatva during last year's Black Friday sales.

2. Summer is the best time to trial a mattress

A mattress trial gives you a set period of time to test the mattress to see how it performs. As well as experiencing the feel and support of the bed, this is a time to learn about the temperature regulation.

Hot weather is notoriously difficult to sleep in because the body naturally cools as it winds down. Many mattresses promise a breathable build to keep an even temperature overnight – but they don't always deliver. Having the trial period over summer allows you to experience the temperature regulation during what is, for many of us, the hottest part of the year.

A woman lying on her back wearing an eye mask wakes up after a bad night's sleep on an unsupportive mattress — (Image credit: Getty Images)

And when you buy a mattress in the Memorial Day sales, your mattress trial period will fall during the summer. This is important if you're buying one of the best cooling mattresses to combat overheating in bed.

3. You need a bed urgently and want to avoid price hikes

When summer comes, many mattress brands increase the MSRP of their beds, leading to higher prices overall. This doesn't mean that every mattress will get more expensive over the summer – and some brands will increase the MSRP of certain size of a certain mattress and not others (Saatva does this).

As it's something we've seen happen frequently over the years, I fully expect some brands to repeat the pattern this year. If you need a new mattress urgently, I highly recommend buying in the Memorial Day sales and not buying through the summer months as you may end up paying more.

November is a long way away if you're dealing with a mattress covered in yellow stains and riddled with signs of mold, dust mites and more. Plenty of this year's best mattresses in a box are on sale for great prices right now and some, such as Nectar and DreamCloud, ship within two to three days so you don't have to wait long.

The 3 best Memorial Day mattress deals I'd buy now

Ruth is a staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things mattress and sleep. She has a deep interest in the link between sleep and health, and has tried enough mattresses to know the right bed really can make a difference to your wellbeing. At Tom’s Guide she writes to help people sleep better, from how-tos to the latest deals to mattress reviews, and has interviewed an array of specialists who share her passion. Before joining the team at Tom’s Guide, Ruth worked as a sleep and mattress writer for our sister website, TechRadar.

With contributions from