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Mattress Trials and Returns: What to Check Before You Buy

bed.chat 2026-10-28

A mattress sleep trial lets you sleep on a mattress at home and send it back if it is wrong, but the terms vary a lot. Which? points out that a trial is different from a warranty or guarantee, which cover faults. Before you buy, check the length, the conditions and who pays to collect the mattress.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules depend on the country and on the shop's own terms.

How long trials are

Which? says some sleep trials last as long as one year, some 200 nights and some just 30 nights. In the US, Consumer Reports says direct-to-consumer online brands give you anywhere from 30 days to a year to try a mattress before returning it for a full refund, though some charge a transport or restocking fee.

Not every mattress is covered. Which? advises checking that the mattress you want is returnable under a sleep trial before you buy, because not all are automatically included.

The conditions that catch people out

Minimum nights. Which? says some brands require you to use the mattress for a minimum number of nights, and you may have to keep track of them yourself. For example, Which? reports that Dreams' comfort guarantee requires at least 30 nights on the mattress and a mattress protector during that time.
A mattress protector. Some trials require one, and Which? says some brands make you buy it at the same time as the mattress.
Exchange instead of refund. Which? says some trials are exchange only, so you won't get your money back, and some don't include delivery. It gives Silentnight's Just Sleep range as an example of exchange only, with extra to pay if you exchange for a dearer mattress.
Condition. CHOICE says a mattress that is damaged, soiled or significantly worn during the trial may not qualify for a refund or exchange.
Your bed base. Which? says many manufacturers set rules on the distance between your bed's slats, and some ask for photo evidence of it when you return the mattress.

Who pays to send it back

Which? says collection fees can be as much as around £50, so check them before you buy. In Australia, CHOICE says free collection usually covers major cities but does not always extend to regional areas.

Where you buy matters too. Which? says the trial terms may differ if you buy from a third-party retailer rather than from the brand. Which? also warns that a trial offer shown on an online marketplace or discount warehouse may not apply to all retailers.

In a shop

Buying in a shop is different. Which? says some high street retailers will only take back a mattress that is unused, in perfect condition and in its original packaging. In the US, Consumer Reports says some physical stores refund only a percentage of the price, or give store credit only.

UK online orders: cancellation is not a trial

In the UK, Which? says buying a mattress online gives you a right to cancel and get your money back, unlike buying in a shop. UK law says you may cancel a distance contract during the cancellation period without giving any reason. Under regulation 30, for a simple sales contract the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the goods come into your physical possession.

There are limits. Regulation 28(3) says the cancellation rights stop being available for sealed goods that are not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons, once they are unsealed after delivery. And for an online order without a sleep trial, Which? says you can only handle the mattress as much as you would be allowed to in a shop. It adds that you may have to pay for the return delivery yourself, and that the refund of the original delivery covers only the cheapest delivery option.

If the mattress is faulty

Which? says that if you reject a faulty mattress within the first 30 days after placing the order, you are entitled to a full refund, and that a fault found in the first six months is presumed to have been there when the mattress arrived, unless the retailer can prove otherwise.

Your checklist

How many nights, and is there a minimum before you can return it?
Refund or exchange only?
Who collects it, and what does collection cost where you live?
Is a mattress protector required?
What do the terms say about your bed base?
Do the terms change if you buy through another retailer?

The bed.chat checklist puts the trial, the returns and the UK cancellation rule alongside the other things to check before you pay. For a personal answer on type, firmness and size, Bed Fit, the chooser on the bed.chat home page, asks nine quick questions.

Trial terms differ by brand, shop and country, so the terms that count are the ones in force when you buy.