Today’s Amazon’s Prime Day deals include a king cooling mattress for under $300 — but should you buy it?

White Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress with Tom's Guide Prime Day deal tag.
(Image credit: Amazon)

The Amazon Prime Day sale event is live, and we’re seeing huge discounts from top-rated mattresses from recognizable brands, such as Casper, Leesa and Nectar. But we’re also spotting incredibly low prices from lesser-known and budget-friendly brands, such as Amazon’s own Basic Mattress range. Today, you can buy a king size Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress for just $296 at Amazon. That’s an incredible price.

Several of this year’s best mattresses for all sleepers and budgets can be found discounted in today’s Amazon Prime Day mattress deals. However, if it’s sheer value for money you’re after, you can’t go past Amazon’s Basic Mattress range. 

But before we add it to cart, let’s take a look at whether this budget mattress is any good, how this Prime Day deal compares to other cheap mattresses, what are its design features and who it is best suited for.  

Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress: OVERVIEW

Pros

  • Budget friendly
  • Good customer rating
  • Above-average pressure relief

Cons

  • Cheap materials
  • Some say it's too firm
  • Short warranty

With an impressive 4.4 star rating out of 6,130 customer reviews, the Amazon Basics Cooling Mattress is worthy of your consideration this Prime Day. Customers have praised its comfort, value for money and quality. Some are also happy with its ease of set up and others rave about its pain relief quality.  

The layer of cooling gel foam and breathable airflow channels are a selling point of this budget mattress. The gel particles absorb and draw heat away from the body, keeping the mattress cooler while remaining flexible and responsive to movement, which can help with pressure relief – great news for hot side sleepers. 

Like most of our top-rated mattresses in a box, the Amazon Basics Cooling Mattress delivery process is easy, but this can mean some off-gassing, which customers have complained about. 

Amazon Basics Cooling Mattress

Amazon Basics Cooling Mattress: from $167.17 at Amazon
This Prime Day you can save up to $156 on a Amazon Basics Cooling Mattress, bringing the price of a king size down to $296, plus your new mattress will be delivered for free in a box for easy set up.  

Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress: PRICES & TRIAL

The Amazon Basics Cooling Mattress is priced well below the average cost of a top-rated cooling mattress, with its MSRP rivaling the price tags of this year’s best cheap mattresses. Here’s the rundown of the MSRP and discounted rate for each size:

  • Twin: $167.17 (no discount) 
  • Full: $180.39 (was $291.32) 
  • Queen: $215.99 (was $340.72) 
  • King: $296.59 (was $452.94) 

The October Prime Day mattress deal offers up to $156.35 off this already very affordable mattress, making today a great time to bag a bargain on this mattress. A king for less than $300 is an incredible price for a mattress that offers decent cooling features and pressure relief.  

Although the Amazon Basic mattress comes with an 100-day returns policy and free delivery, the mattress has a shorter than usual warranty of just one year (the average mattress warranty is 10-20 years, with some brands offering lifetime warranties).   

Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress: DESIGN & MATERIALS

Considering the Amazon Basic’s low price point, there are certain concessions that need to be made when it comes to materials. You won't find any cashmere blend covers or high-density luxury foam like you see in this year’s best memory foam mattresses. But for one of the most affordable mattress models out there, the Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress does the job. 

The Amazon Basic mattress is a medium-firm mattress with a memory foam top infused with cooling gel, meaning it supports and contours the body to reduce tension in pressure points while keeping you cool. On the topic of cooling, two out of three of the mattress’ hypoallergenic foam layers are focussed on keeping your body at an optimal temperature while you sleep.

These are the cooling gel foam top layer and breathable middle layer with airflow channels which ventilate the mattress to keep you cool through the night. The third layer is a durable firm base to enhance support. 

The mattress comes in two different height profiles including a 10-inch memory foam or 12-inch memory foam. We recommend buying a mattress that’s at least 10 inches tall as this thickness will support most adult sleepers, so the Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress gets kudos here.

Both models also have a quilted cover for added softness, which equals greater pressure relief, making this a good budget mattress for side sleepers. One reviewer said: “I have a bad back and since sleeping on this mattress I have noticed that I awake with less back pain and stiffness.”

With imported materials and a low production cost (reflected in its low price), the Amazon Basics mattress is not likely to offer the durability of more high-end brands. Still, it is a great investment for those shopping on a budget or looking for a guest room mattress that won’t be slept on every night. 

Should you buy the Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress?

 Buy the Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress if… 

You’re on a tight budget: With a queen size costing less than $400 at full price, this is an affordable mattress year-round. The current Prime Day discount takes that a step further offering you incredible valuable for a decent mattress. 

You’re after a guest room mattress: Cheaper mattresses like the Amazon Basic are a good option for guest room or dorm rooms where they are not being slept on every night as materials won’t need to be so durable. 

You sleep hot: The cooling gel foam and airflow channels in this cooling mattress offers good temperature regulation for those who tend to sleep hot. 

Don’t buy the Amazon Basic Cooling Mattress if…

You’re looking for luxury: With a low cost, comes low quality materials. If high quality, CertiPUR-US certified materials are important to you, peruse our best organic mattress guide instead. 

You’re a stomach sleeper: Stomach sleepers generally need a firm surface that can distribute body weight rather than a softer memory foam one to ensure unnatural curves do not strain the spine. 

You’re looking for a long-term mattress: At such a low cost, this mattress will not last years and years, like more expensive, luxury models. If you’re shopping for a long-term mattress, visit our top-rated Prime Day mattress deals instead. 

Eve Davies
Sleep Staff Writer

Eve is a PPA-accredited journalist with an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. She is a Sleep Staff Writer at Tom’s Guide and has four years’ experience writing health features and news. She is particularly interested in the relationship between good sleep and overall health. At Tom’s Guide Eve is responsible for coverage and reviews of sleep tech and is our smart and cooling mattress specialist, focussing on brands such as Eight Sleep and Sleep Number. She also covers general mattress reviews, seeks out the best deals to produce tried-and-tested buyer's guides for sleep accessories and enjoys writing in-depth features about sleep health. She has been involved in rigorous testing procedures for mattress reviews in our Sleep Studio and has interviewed experts including sleep doctors and psychologists. When not covering sleep at Tom's Guide, Eve enjoys writing about health and fitness, food and culture.