When Is the Best Time of Year to Buy a New Mattress? A 2026 UK Buying Guide
Mattress prices move with the retail calendar, and knowing when promotional periods tend to fall helps you plan a purchase around them. That said, timing sits alongside a few other factors: how urgently you need the mattress, whether you qualify for a discount code, and whether spreading the cost suits you better than waiting. This guide covers the points in the year worth knowing about and how to make the most of whichever one you land on.
The Main Sale Periods In The UK Calendar
Four periods account for most mattress promotions across UK retail:
- January. The new year sales run through the first few weeks and are traditionally one of the strongest periods for home and bedroom purchases.
- Spring bank holidays. Easter and the two May bank holidays often carry promotions, and this period coincides with a lot of house moves.
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Late November brings the biggest concentration of promotional activity in the year.
- Boxing Day. The post-Christmas period rolls straight into the January sales.
Bank holiday weekends more generally are worth watching, since they're natural points for retailers to run offers. These periods are well established, so if you're planning several months ahead, you can work backwards from whichever one falls closest to when you'll need the mattress.
How Our Promotions Work
During promotional periods at Simba, you often won't need a code at all, because the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
If you're verified through GoCertify as a key worker, student, young person, education or charity worker, or as a carer, you receive a higher discount during promotional periods. You apply it to your basket by entering your code at checkout in the same way you would at any other time of year.
Outside promotional periods, verified customers can save up to 26% on everything, which means a discount code is available year round for anyone in those groups.
Delivery Timing During Sales
One practical point that catches people out is delivery speed during busy periods. Our standard next day service runs throughout the year, and during sale periods you should allow three to five working days.
If you need the mattress by a specific date, factor that in. Premium bed orders take up to ten working days at any time of year, and non mainland UK and Highlands addresses should allow up to 14 days, or three weeks for made to order products.
When Your Own Timing Matters More
Waiting for a sale makes sense when the mattress you have is still doing its job. Most manufacturers suggest replacing a mattress every eight to ten years on average, though the actual timing depends on its condition.
The signs that it's time tend to be practical ones. The surface no longer springs back where you sleep, you're waking up less rested than you used to, or the mattress has picked up damp or staining. When any of those apply, the cost of waiting several months for a promotion is usually higher than the saving.
There's also a subscriber route to keep in mind. Our newsletter carries advance notice of promotional periods, and subscribers who order their first mattress online are entered into a monthly draw to win back the entire cost. You can sign up to our newsletter here.
Buying Around A House Move
Moving house is the other timing question that comes up. Ordering before you move risks the delivery arriving at the wrong address, and ordering after means a night or two on the old mattress in a new bedroom.
Our checkout calendar handles this. You can choose a delivery date from as early as the next day up to three months ahead, so you can place the order during a sale and take delivery once you've moved. If you need to delay by more than three months, get in touch immediately after placing the order.
Adding old mattress removal at the same time for a £50 fee means the outgoing mattress leaves on the same day the new one arrives, which is worth arranging if the old one isn't coming with you.
If You'd Rather Not Wait
Spreading the cost is an alternative to waiting for a price to drop. Finance is available on orders over £150, with 0% APR over 3, 6 and 12 months, and over 24 months on orders of at least £2,000. That puts a better specification within reach now, at the same total you'd pay in one go.
Our refurbished range is another route, with mattresses that came back during their 200 night trial, were inspected and restored to a certified standard, and are sold at a lower price with a 30 night trial and a 1-year guarantee.
Planning A Full Bedroom Purchase
If you're replacing the frame as well as the mattress, the timing question changes slightly. Bed frames and mattresses are both covered by the same promotions and the same discount codes, so buying them together in one order maximises whatever saving is running.
It also simplifies delivery, since everything in your order is usually delivered at the same time. Choosing VIP Delivery at £50 gets the bed installed, your old mattress removed and the packaging removed on the day, which is worth considering when a whole bedroom is changing at once.
Making The Most Of Whenever You Buy
Whichever point in the year you choose, a few things apply consistently. Every new Simba mattress comes with a 200 night trial and a 10-year guarantee. Standard delivery is free to most UK postcodes. Discount codes can't be combined with other promotions, so check which gives you more before applying one.
Build your full basket before you commit, since bedding, pillows and a frame bought in the same order all benefit from the same promotion or code. Splitting the same items across two orders in different months usually costs more overall.
FAQs
January and the Black Friday period in late November typically carry the strongest promotions, with Easter, the May bank holidays and Boxing Day also worth watching.
Waiting makes sense if your current mattress is still comfortable and supportive. If it's sagging where you sleep or you're not resting well, replacing it sooner is usually the better decision.
Discount codes can't be used in conjunction with another Simba promotion. Customers verified through GoCertify do receive a higher discount during promotional periods, applied to the basket at checkout.
Please allow three to five working days for standard delivery during sale periods. Outside those periods, next day delivery is available to most UK postcodes.
Yes. The checkout calendar lets you select any delivery date from next day up to three months ahead, which is useful if you're moving house or redecorating.
