At times we are compensated for the links you click at no cost to you. Learn more about why you should trust our reviews and view our disclosure page.
No-cost mattresses are available to people in need and to frugal folks alike. Whichever you are, if you want a free mattress, go and get one – all you need to do is know where to look. Sure enough, many charities dedicated to helping families with low income can give you a free bed, but what if you don’t qualify for that kind of help? Today we’re talking about all the different ways you can get a free mattress.
Ways you can get a free mattress
Here are the different ways you can get a mattress for free:
- Craigslist, FB Marketplace, FreeCycle, and Offerup
- Hotels and apartment complexes
- Free mattress giveaways
- Friends and family
- Charities and government programs
- Thrift shops
If you want to go through government programs, NGOs, charities, etc, you may need to qualify. What they’re typically looking for is one of the following:
- victims of fires, floods, tornadoes, or any kind of natural disaster,
- veterans, senior citizens, disabled people,
- low-income families (large, expanding families might also be eligible),
- single parents,
- immigrants and unemployed individuals.
Craigslist, FB Marketplace, FreeCycle, and Offerup
When you’re strapped for cash, you can always go through the most famous online marketplaces to check for free items.
And that includes mattresses. It may not be equally easy to find free beds on each of the websites, but it’s definitely worth a shot and takes only a few minutes to check.
I’ve been able to find most of the free mattresses (and free furniture in general) on Facebook Marketplace, less so on Craigslist and FreeCycle, and the least on Offerup.
Bear in mind that people might put $0 just as a placeholder on some websites, so don’t get discouraged if a few of those zero-dollar mattresses aren’t truly free mattresses.
Also, you’re bound to find lots of mattresses that are not literally free, but that people are just trying to get rid of, so they might cost close to nothing. I’ve seen some expensive high-quality mattresses being offered for less than $100.
Either way, you should keep asking and looking, but don’t settle for just anything, regardless of how badly you need a mattress.
If it seems unsanitary, don’t even think about it (think bed bugs, cockroach eggs, and other pests that the mattress could harbor).
If it’s one of the super cheap memory foam models, maybe it’s better to give it a pass.
Also, make sure the mattress you pick doesn’t contain fiberglass. No need to risk losing all your belongings over a bad mattress. I’d recommend reading up on fiberglass mattress lawsuits if you don’t know what kind of danger they pose.
Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace should be the first two places you check out.
FreeCycle is my personal favorite, just because it’s clear that it’s only about free stuff.
As for Offerup, it seems like its popularity is waning and a lot of users don’t even reply to messages. Still, it might be your lucky day, so check it out!
Hotels and apartment complexes
When hotels or motels replace mattresses, they may get rid of a lot of beds at the same time – either sell dozens for a small price or look to donate them.
You can visit local hotels, explain that you’re looking for a free mattress, and ask them to inform you if they will be getting rid of any mattresses soon.
As for the apartment buildings and complexes, sometimes tenants leave their used mattresses behind.
So, as long as you contact the manager, you can ask him or her to call you up if someone is moving and doesn’t take the bed. Don’t be shy to talk to them.
In essence, you’d be helping the manager get rid of the old bed, so as long as it’s a reasonable person, there’s no reason to deny this. What’s more, if it’s a complex where you’re renting, the whole process will be super easy.
If you know that one of the tenants is moving, you can ask them personally if they will be taking the mattress.
A lot of times, people do remove a mattress from the apartment, but then leave it on the sidewalk or throw it away.
I literally got two TV sets on two different occasions when my neighbors were moving. I don’t even watch TV, but since they wanted me to take them, I did. Then I sold them and made some extra cash. So it’s not like this doesn’t work!
In big cities where tenants often move in and out, you’re very likely to get lots of free furniture from neighbors.
Free mattress giveaways
This is the most “gambly” of all the options, but why not try it if you could win a brand-new mattress?
Search Google, YouTube, and social media like Instagram for mattress giveaways. Include hashtags such as #mattress, #giveaway, #mattressgiveaway, etc.
Some websites have monthly giveaways, and others might have successive giveaways with lots of winners. You just have to be lucky enough to find a giveaway while it’s still open for new entries.
Just don’t get scammed! You can trust legit mattress companies, mattress stores, and mattress review websites. Make sure that these companies really exist, that they have functional websites, and that people commenting on their social media posts are actual people and not bots.
Speaking of scams, don’t respond to any emails claiming that you won anything, especially if the email address looks odd or if there are typos and grammatical mistakes. Remember, if it looks fishy, it could be phishing.
Play it smart and good luck!
Friends and family
Some people might feel embarrassed to ask their closest ones for help of this sort, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to try.
The key is not to expect anything and not to get disappointed if nobody has a free mattress to give away.
Go to chat groups with your friends and family or ask them individually; especially if you know someone’s kids moved away recently or that they are planning to remodel their home.
Sometimes people buy new mattresses but don’t know what to do with the old ones, so they keep them stored away. They might even be grateful if you take the mattress out of their garage and give them some free space.
Charities and Government programs
St. Vincent de Paul has many locations worldwide and they don’t only offer free beds for low-income families, but anything from meals to appliances and personal assistance programs. They are faith-based and have stores in almost any city.
Goodwill is probably one of the most well-known charities, although not all locations accept mattress donations or give mattresses away. Still, considering how widespread they are, it’s worth a try.
Heroes Warehouse is a non-profit organization that helps the elderly and low-income families. You can get free beds and other furniture through them.
Furniture Banks make up an entire network across the United States. They are not available in every single state, though, but let’s just say that the entire Eastern half of the US and the West Coast are well covered. They take unwanted furniture from donors and give it to needy families.
Other places you can look for a new bed include:
- local charities
- Salvation Army
- Furnishing Hope
- Ashley Furniture’s free bed assistance program
- Habitat for Humanity
- American Red Cross
- Samaritan house
- Love INC
- Furniture for Families
- United Way
Thrift shops
Used mattresses are sometimes available at thrift shops. You can call up your nearest local thrift store (or a few of them) and ask if they have mattresses and if they are giving them away for free.
I recommend going to Google Maps and looking searching “thrift stores near me”. Then click on each store and you’ll see the phone number in their contact details.
If they say that they don’t have mattresses, don’t forget to ask them to recommend a place they think could help you. Sometimes word of mouth is much more useful than all the internet searches combined.
Are there free mattress programs for low-income families?
Yes, pretty much all of the above-mentioned organizations have programs specifically designed to help (and provide free beds to) low-income families. Some of them prioritize families with small children and newborn babies.
Families can apply for free furniture vouchers and then work with the volunteers and staff to choose the most appropriate free mattresses or free bed frames (or both).
Are there ways for seniors to get a free mattress and bed?
Yes.
It’s not uncommon for senior citizens to need material help. Free beds and other furniture mean a lot to them and that’s why senior citizens are usually at the top of the list of those who are eligible to receive free furniture.
All you have to do if you are a senior citizen is to contact one of the charities and ask if they have free beds and mattresses. Also, ask them how to apply for a voucher and let them do the biggest portion of work for you.
Can you get a free mattress from Amazon?
You can end up with a free mattress from Amazon, but there are some conditions you must meet.
Amazon and Amazon Prime
If you’re an Amazon Prime member and your order is late, which means that it’s arriving after the guaranteed delivery date, you can request a refund and you get to keep the item.
But you do have to reach out to Amazon support, report the problem, and they have to be able to verify this information.
For example, if your order was supposed to arrive on Monday but it’s Tuesday already and it hasn’t arrived, you can talk to support and after they check out the tracking info, they will issue a refund.
So, this option isn’t really for those who are trying to make ends meet, because Amazon Prime and low income should be mutually exclusive. Also, you can never know whether your mattress will arrive on time or not.
But!
Even if you’re not paying for Amazon Prime, you may get a small portion of your money back. There are some items that have a guaranteed delivery time – you can only see this info at the checkout. If your order is late, you may be eligible for delivery fee reimbursement.
Amazon Vine Voices
Amazon Vine is a program in which Amazon users can get free items in exchange for a review.
You’ve probably seen some reviews with a “Vine Voice” tag or a description “Vine Customer Review of Free Product”.
Apparently, you can’t apply for this program because it’s invitation-only, and the invited people are among those who regularly post useful reviews on Amazon.
One catch here (as far as I was able to find) is that you still have to pay the taxes to the value of the item you received, so everything you get “for free” is actually more like heavily discounted than actually free of charge.
Finally, Vine Voice shoppers can only choose among the select brands that have decided to take part in this program.
FAQs
Learn to recognize the signs of bed bugs, make sure there’s no mold or yellow stains on the mattress, and when you bring it home, sanitize and dry it completely before using it. Be very observant for a few weeks after you obtain your free mattress – if your skin develops a strange rash, you get allergies, or bugs suddenly appear in your bedroom, the mattress is very likely the one whodunnit.
Almost all mattresses are covered by Medicare. The mattress must be prescribed by your doctor after he determines that you need a specific type of mattress as a part of the treatment of your particular medical condition. Medicare Part B covers mattresses and beds.
The easiest way to do this is to go to a mattress store and try out mattresses. Most online mattress companies today offer free trial periods that usually last 90-120 nights, but in reality, you have to pay the full price first, and then if you don’t like it, you can return the mattress for a refund. So, if you don’t have the money, the “free” in the free trial means nothing to you.
Conclusion
There are many ways to get free beds – mattresses and frames included.
In fact, you can find one within a couple of minutes on places like Facebook and FreeCycle.
Alternatively, if you’re eligible, you can go through charities and other programs that provide free beds for families, senior citizens, and veterans.
But you may not need to use any of that if you have a friend or a family member who’s looking to get rid of their old bed.
In any case, you should check out the mattress before you accept it because a bed bug infestation or cleaning up a fiberglass contamination can be much more costly to deal with than buying a new mattress.
Save yourself the trouble and choose wisely, regardless of how much you need a mattress.
Next step: Read our guide to the best cheap mattress brands. If you can’t get your hands on a no-cost mattress, the next best thing is to get a low-cost one instead. We ranked the best budget brands on different factors including comfort, support, and price so you can decide for yourself which one is right for you.
With over 5 years experience writing about sleep and mattresses, she's considered one of the go-to experts on the topic.
She likes cycling, nature, art, and languages. She pays special attention to providing you with accurate and useful information when it comes to your sleep quality.
After solving her personal sleep and tiredness problems, she is on to help others by sharing this invaluable information.
- Where to buy Saatva mattress (online and offline) - April 26, 2025
- Latex vs memory foam mattress (which is better?) - March 12, 2025
- Bed in a box vs traditional mattress (which is better?) - February 17, 2025
Psst… the sleep review industry is full of liars, sharks, and thieves. It’s a modern-day version of getting ripped off at your local mattress store. So, why should you trust us?