Should you buy a mattress online or in store?

Online or in store: what changes

The biggest difference is what happens if you change your mind. Online, the law usually gives you a cancellation window. In a shop, you've only got whatever returns policy the retailer chooses to offer. Most of the other differences matter less, and the table sets them side by side.

Trying a mattress before you buy

A showroom lets you feel the difference between firmness levels and constructions, which is hard to judge from a description. A few minutes on a mattress in a shop won't tell you how it feels after a full night, though. Treat it as a way to narrow your shortlist rather than the final test.

A good way to use a showroom is to try a few mattresses, note their exact names and sizes, and compare prices online afterwards. Our mattress buying guide covers what to look for when you do.

Your right to cancel an online order

If you buy a mattress online from a UK retailer or brand, you can usually cancel for any reason until 14 days after it's delivered. One exception is a mattress made to your own measurements. Another, for unsealed goods, is covered below. The right comes from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, which say the cancellation period for goods ends 14 days after the day they come into your possession.

You'll usually pay the direct cost of sending the mattress back. The exceptions are if the retailer agreed to cover it, or didn't tell you before you ordered that you'd have to pay. Buying in a shop gives you no equivalent right, as the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman points out. A shop only has to take back a mattress you've changed your mind about if its own returns policy says so.

Does unwrapping a mattress end your right to cancel?

Not necessarily, but UK law hasn't settled it. The regulations remove the right to cancel for sealed goods that aren't suitable for return on health or hygiene grounds once they've been unsealed. Some retailers treat mattresses that way, as the retailer in the ombudsman case below did.

In 2019, the EU's highest court ruled in the Slewo case that removing a mattress's protective film didn't end the buyer's right to cancel. It compared a mattress to clothing, which can be tried on and returned, and said the seller could clean it to sell again.

The UK has since left the EU. Even so, a Financial Ombudsman Service decision on a mattress bought online in July 2024 relied on the ruling, while acknowledging that UK law may now depart from it. The retailer had refused a return on hygiene grounds, and the buyer complained to their credit card provider.

The ombudsman found the buyer could still cancel. Because the buyer had slept on the mattress, though, it applied a 30% deduction for the drop in value.

That deduction comes from the same regulations, which let a retailer recover the drop in value if you handled the goods more than you could have in a shop. Which? also warns that you can lose your refund if a mattress has been unwrapped and slept on. Unless a trial covers you, don't sleep on an online purchase until you're sure you'll keep it. This summary of public sources isn't legal advice.

Trials: whose terms apply

A brand's trial is set by its terms for buying direct, so check whose trial you're getting before you order. Buy the same mattress through a retailer and Which? says you'll arrange any return with that retailer, under its terms.

Trials from brands that sell direct can be long. When we checked in October 2026, buying direct got you 365 nights on the Nectar Classic Memory Foam and DreamCloud Hybrid. The Simba Hybrid, Emma Original and Eve Premium came with 200 nights, and the Otty Hybrid and Tempur Ease with 100.

That's plenty of time to be sure, but there are often conditions. Which? lists using a mattress protector, keeping the mattress for a minimum period first and paying a collection fee. Showroom retailers set their own returns terms, and Which? found some high-street retailers accept returns only if the mattress is unused and in its original packaging. If a trial matters to you, read the returns terms before you order, online or in a shop.

Is it cheaper to buy a mattress online?

Not reliably. On 15 October 2026, we compared the prices showroom chains charge on their websites with other sellers' prices, including brands' own websites, for the same mattress in the same size. Of 234 mattress sizes sold by both, a showroom chain was cheapest for 106 and another seller for 110, with 18 tied. That's close to an even split.

By showroom chains we mean Furniture Village, Dreams, Bensons for Beds, Feather & Black and Archers Sleepcentre.

Buying direct from the brand often cost more than buying from the cheapest retailer. We found 247 mattress sizes sold both on the brand's own website and by at least one retailer. A retailer was cheaper for 181 of them, the price was the same for 47, and the brand's own price was lower for 19. Typically, the brand's price was 10.6% above the cheapest retailer's.

Simba went against the trend. For 30 of the 40 Simba mattress sizes we could compare on 15 October, its own price matched the cheapest retailer's, and for another 7 it was lower.

The Tempur Ease 20cm double shows how wide the spread can be. On 15 October 2026 it was £699 at Mattress Next Day, £748.99 at Bensons for Beds and £749 at Furniture Village. It was £890.10 at Mattress Man, £959 at Mattress Online and £1,199 on Tempur's own website. Tempur's own website was £500 dearer than the cheapest.

A shop's price on the day can differ from its website price, so ask. Buying direct can also be worth paying more for if you want the brand's own trial. Our guide to Black Friday mattress deals explains how to check whether a sale price is really lower.

If the mattress turns out to be faulty

Where you bought it makes no difference. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a mattress must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, whether you bought it online or in a shop.

If you reject a faulty mattress within 30 days, Which? explains that you're entitled to a full refund. After that, a fault found in the first six months is presumed to have been there from the start. The retailer usually gets the chance to repair or replace it first. Normal settling may not count as a fault, so check what the care instructions say to expect.

For the year-round picture, see UK mattress deals and retailers.