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How to return a mattress
Don’t get lumbered with a mattress you don't like. Whether it’s unsupportive or uncomfortable, find out how to return your mattress
With over two decades of rigorous product testing experience, Lisa is a veteran consumer advocate. Leading our mattress category since 2020, with a mission to provide transparency in the mattress deals market, so no one has to compromise on sleep or value.
We've analysed mattress return policies to help maximise your chance of a refund.
Mattresses can be expensive, and highly subjective – what may be a dream for one person, could be a nightmare for another. That's why it's a always a good idea to read the fine print.
Read on to find out more about mattress terms and conditions, your consumer rights and what to expect if you want to return a mattress.
See our picks of the best mattresses to reduce the risk of ordering a dud.
Returning a mattress bought online
Unlike buying in-store, buying a mattress online guarantees your right to cancel and get your money back.
Even if your mattress doesn’t come with an official sleep trial, you're entitled to cancel any online order from the moment you place the order until 14 days from the day you receive it under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. You then have a further 14 days to actually send the goods back.
If your order consists of multiple items, you have 14 days from when the last part of the order arrives to make your decision.
You should get a refund within 14 days of either the retailer receiving the goods, or you providing evidence of having returned the goods (for example, a proof of postage receipt from the Post Office), whichever is the sooner.
While you’ll be refunded for the initial delivery, it will only be for the cost of the cheapest delivery option, even if you paid more for faster delivery. You may also need to pay for the return delivery yourself, which may not be cheap for something as big and heavy as a mattress.
When won't I get my money back?
If you've ordered a bespoke mattress. If you've ordered a mattress that is firmer on one side than the other for example, you’ll struggle to get your money back if you don’t like it.
If you’ve unwrapped it. For an online order that doesn't have a specified sleep trial, you can only handle the mattress as much as you would be allowed to in a shop. A deduction from your refund can be made if the value of the mattress has been reduced due to handling. The regulations exclude goods with a seal for hygiene reasons that's been broken. It will be difficult to claim that the mattress is still hygienic if you’ve unwrapped it and slept on it.
Compare all the mattresses we've tested using our mattress reviews
Returning a mattress bought in store
No matter how uncomfortable it is, if a mattress bought in a physical shop isn't faulty or damaged, you can only return it if the retailer has a returns policy – which isn't a legal requirement.
Fortunately, many retailers do provide a ‘goodwill’ returns policy, details of which will be on the retailer’s website and perhaps also on your receipt. But even that doesn’t necessarily make returning a mattress easy.
When won't I get my money back?
In some cases, if your mattress is used or no longer in its packaging. Some high street retailers will only accept returns if the mattress is unused, so it will need to be in perfect condition, undamaged and in its original packaging. In these circumstances, you won't be able to change your mind once you've slept on it (unless it's offered with a sleep trial). If you think you might want to return a mattress that isn't part of a sleep trial, read the terms and conditions carefully before you order. Some stores give as little as 48 hours.
If you can't return your mattress, make sure you get rid of it responsibly. Find out how to dispose of a mattress.
Returning a mattress during a sleep trial
A growing number of mattresses now come with a sleep trial period. During this time you're allowed to sleep on it at home and still send it back for a refund or exchange it for a different mattress, if you decide you don’t like it.
Some of these trial-nights periods can be as long as one year, some 200 nights and some just 30 nights. Retailers may even offer to collect the mattress free of charge if you return it as part of the sleep trial, but most will charge a fee. Check these fees before you click buy, some collection fees can be as much as around £50. Even with a refund, you may be deducted a cost for admin or a collection fee.
These trials were made popular by online-only mattress brands, such as Emma, Eve and Simba, which deliver mattresses vacuum-packed and rolled in a box. You can then unpack the mattress and sleep on it normally, while still being eligible for a full refund. More recently, we've noticed high street retailers starting to offer similar trial-nights offers.
When won't I get my money back?
It depends on the fine print, so it's essential to read sleep trial terms and conditions carefully. For example, some don’t include delivery and some trials are exchange only, so you won't get a refund at all. Many are only applicable if you use a mattress protector, and some state you need to try the mattress for a minimum of 30 days or several weeks. You can also invalidate your sleep trial if you've used your mattress on the wrong bed frame. Many manufacturers stipulate a minimum distance between your bed's slats and some require photo evidence of this as part of the returns process.
While receiving a damaged mattress is annoying, the good news is you’re much more likely to get your money back if it arrived with a fault.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (applies to goods bought any time after 1 October 2015), all products sold in the UK, regardless of whether they were bought in-store or online, must be:
Of satisfactory quality The mattress must not be faulty or damaged when you receive it
Fit for purpose It must be fit for sleeping on, and also suitable for any specific purpose you made known to the retailer before you bought it
As described It must match any description given to you and any samples shown to you at the time of purchase.
If your new mattress doesn’t meet any one of these criteria, you can make a faulty goods claim against the retailer you bought it from.
As long as you reject the faulty mattress within the first 30 days after placing the order, you're entitled to a full refund.
Do read your mattress's care guide and the T&Cs to understand what's considered normal for the mattress you've bought. For example, some mattresses will experience a natural settling of layers, and this isn't considered a fault or damage. Some manufacturers also require mattresses to be rotated or turned regularly to help even our wear and tear. If a dip appears in your foam mattress, for example, this may not be considered a fault if you've not followed care instructions.
What if more than 30 days have passed?
Don't worry. Unless the retailer can prove otherwise, any fault found with the mattress in the first six months will be presumed to have been there from when it arrived. You'll need to give the retailer a chance to make a repair or replace the product first. If that's unsuccessful, you can then ask for a refund.
When returning a mattress of any kind, the key thing to remember is that you're returning it to the retailer rather than the manufacturer. It can be confusing because many mattress brands also act as retailers.
For instance, if you buy a Silentnight mattress through the Silentnight website, then the details we’ve given below for that brand should be applicable, but if you buy a Silentnight mattress from John Lewis, you'll need to check John Lewis’ own returns policy. Or if you buy a Simba mattress exclusive to Argos, the trial nights and returns will be what's specified by Argos, not Simba.
We’ve summarised the returns policies of some of the biggest mattress retailers below, but it’s always worth reading the full terms and conditions on the retailer’s website to be sure the policy hasn’t changed or doesn’t contain any loopholes.
Before buying in store, check to see if the mattress you want is part of the 40-night comfort guarantee sleep trial or not.
For store orders: Bensons for Beds customer services told us: if you buy a mattress in store you only have seven days, after the point of sale, to let the company know if you want to cancel your order, or exchange the mattress.
If your cancel after seven days the store will charge 20%.
If you want to amend the order to a different item the store charges 10%.
For online orders: you can cancel at any time up to 14 days from having received it, provided it hasn't been used. So you may want to try out a few in store and then order online.
To use the 40-night comfort guarantee it states that you must sleep on the mattress for a minimum of five nights up to a maximum of 40 nights. You need to be able to provide proof of purchase and have used a mattress protector. Customer services also told us the mattress must not be damaged.
Bensons will allow you to exchange the product for another one, but a 10% charge of the original bed’s value applies. If the replacement is more expensive you'll have to pay the difference. You won’t receive any refund if the replacement is cheaper than the original.
While there's no cost to send the mattress back for an exchange you will have to pay for delivery of the new mattress.
Only one exchange per order is permitted.
Fire labels must be attached.
You'll need to get the mattress back into its original packaging, if you still have it. If not, you'll have to package the mattress in a suitable way so it's not damaged in transit on the way back.
Before you buy a new mattress in a Dreams store, check to see if it's covered by the 100-night comfort guarantee. This allows you to exchange it if you find it uncomfortable.
Dreams' 100-night comfort guarantee applies to all mattresses sold at Dreams, including adjustable, made-to-measure and end -of-line clearance mattresses, but does not apply to Blue Cross sale and ex-display mattresses. The comfort guarantee doesn't not apply to bed frames, divans, adjustable beds or ottoman bases.
To make use of the guarantee, you must have slept on the mattress for at least 30 nights and you must use a mattress protector during this time. The mattress must be in good condition and not marked, misused or soiled in any way. A collection and re-delivery charge of £95 will be applied and you must pay the difference if the replacement mattress is more expensive. If the replacement is cheaper, any difference will be provided in the form of Dreams vouchers. Only one exchange per order is permitted. You will have to get the mattress back into a bag, sent to you by Dreams in advance.
If you order online, however, you can cancel at any time up to 14 days from having received it, provided it hasn't been used. There is a charge of £49 for collection.
If your order arrives damaged you must contact customer services within 48 hours of delivery.
For orders placed in store, you can amend your order for free within 48 hours after placing it by contacting the store. After three days you cannot cancel an in-store order and may be charged an admin fee of up to 20%,
For customers in Northern Ireland, see the Dreams website for specific information.
Emma sells its mattresses mainly through its website: we've tested some of it's most popular mattresses, including the Emma Helix Hybrid Deluxe and the Emma Hybrid Thermosync. The sleep trial on offer is 200 nights. It's not applicable to all Emma mattresses though, so always check the terms and conditions before buying. Emma will pick it up free of charge and issue a full refund within 14 days of returning the mattress if you decide you don’t like it for any reason, as long as it's within the 200-night trial.
Emma says mattresses which are returned throughout the 200-night trial period are either cleaned and sold as refurbished mattresses or are donated to charity. Any which are damaged or have defects are properly disposed of.
You don't need to keep hold of the original box, to return the mattress as part of the 200-night trial, but it states it would prefer to receive products back in their boxes. If you don't have the box the mattress needs to be returned wrapped in plastic to protect it.
All Eve mattresses ordered from the Eve website come with a 200-night sleep trial, so you’re free to unwrap and sleep on the mattress as normal for up to 40 nights and still get your money back if you decide it’s not for you.
You need to try the mattress for at least 30 days, to allow your body to adjust. After that time, simply fill in the form on the eve website Eve to let it know you want to return the mattress. The mattress will be picked up from your home free of charge and a refund issued.
If you've tried the mattress for more than 40 nights, but within the 200 night trial period, then you'll need to pay a fee to return the mattress.
Any free products obtained at the time of the trial will also need to be returned, or you'll be charged for them.
The option of an exchange is not currently offered.
Eve states it will take the mattress back without you having to get it back into the box.
What happens to the returned mattresses? Eve told us 'we either refurbish it for our eBay store, donate it locally or recycle it. If your mattress is recycled, 94% of it will be made into things like dog beds, carpet underlay and car insulation. The other 6% will be used for energy. We want to make sure all mattresses get a new lease of life and nothing gets wasted.'
Newly purchased Ikea mattresses come with a 'Sleep on it' IKEA 365-night trial scheme. If you decide you don’t like the mattress you can exchange it once for another Ikea mattress.
Return your mattress with a receipt to any IKEA store, or you can arrange to have your mattress collected for £25 fee. A delivery fee may also be charged for the mattress you decided to exchange it for.
The mattress must be clean, unmarked and not damaged. And IKEA recommend trying the mattress out for at least a month (as it can take this long to get used to it).
If you exchange it for a more expensive mattress, you pay the difference. If the replacement mattress is cheaper, Ikea will give you the difference in store credit.
Only one exchange per order is permitted.
You can return your mattress for a refund but only with the original proof of purchase and the mattress must be in a new and unused condition with the original packaging.
Online orders can be cancelled up until 14 days after the delivery date for a full refund (including basic delivery charge). See the Ikea website for full T&Cs.
John Lewis mattresses can't be returned. The only exceptions to this are if the mattress is damaged or faulty. However, John Lewis does offer a 60-night trial period on selected John Lewis mattresses. You'll need to buy a mattress protector at the same time as your mattress and use it, and you'll need to sleep on your new mattress for at least 30 nights.
If you want to exchange your mattress, it will cost £19.95 for collection and £39.95 for recycling.
If you exchange for a cheaper mattress, you'll be refunded the difference. If it's more expensive, you'll need to pay the difference. John Lewis states the mattress must be in perfect condition when collected, but doesn't state if you need to get it back into the original packaging.
The 60-night sleep trial is not available on Anyday mattresses, Open Spring and divan bases, reduce to clear mattresses, ex-shop floor display models and outlet models. If there is a specific supplier promotion when the mattress was bought, you may be able to return it. For instance, if you order a Simba mattress through John Lewis, its 100-night sleep trial may still be on offer and it may be possible to return it, but you must coordinate the return through John Lewis, rather than Simba. See the John Lewis website and check T&Cs before you buy.
As with any online purchase, if you order a mattress though Silentnight's website you can cancel within 14 days of receiving it and will get a full refund.
If more than 14 days have passed, you can exchange it under Silentnight's 60-night comfort guarantee, which applies to all mattresses and divans ordered through its online store, excluding the Just Sleep range (this has a separate sleep trial). You won't get a refund, but you can exchange it for another one
This guarantee only applies to the comfort of the product and not the height, length, width or colour of the mattress. Silentnight asks that you try your new bed for at least 28 nights before making use of the guarantee and it won't accept mattresses that are marked or damaged in any way or have not been used in accordance with the care instructions. You also need to activate the guarantee before the 60 nights is up.
Silentnight doesn't state if you need to get the mattress back into the original packaging.
You’ll be required to pay the difference if the replacement mattress is more expensive than the original, but you won't receive a refund if the replacement is cheaper.
Additional administration charges may also be applicable and only one exchange per order is permitted.
Any Simba mattress ordered through the Simba website is eligible for its 200-night sleep trial. Simba recommends that you try it for at least 30 nights before deciding one way or the other. If you decide to return it, Simba will collect it from your home and you don't need to get it back into its original packaging. Once it's been collected, Simba will issue a full refund.
If you’ve bought a mattress from a Simba retail partner, such as John Lewis, you still get 200 nights to try it out, but you'll need to contact the retailer, rather than Simba if you want to return it. Please check the retailer T&Cs at the time of purchase.
Simba told us that mattresses returned as part of a sleep trial receive a second lease of life. They are either recycled, or refurbished and redistributed through Simba's Ebay outlet.
Need a new mattress quickly? Head to our best mattress deals to see what bargains we've found.
