Treadmills are one of the most predictably discounted big-ticket items in the home, which means the best time to buy a treadmill isn't a matter of luck — it's a calendar. Prices swing by hundreds of dollars depending on the month, the model-year cycle, and which brand you're watching. Here's exactly when treadmills go on sale, how deep the discounts get, and when you should wait.
Treadmill sale calendar: month by month
This is the pattern we see repeat year after year across major retailers and manufacturer sites. Use it as a planning tool — actual discounts vary by brand and model, and the percentages below are typical ranges, not guarantees.
| Month | Key sale events | Typical discount | Buy or wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | New Year / "New You" sales | 20–35% | Buy |
| February | Presidents' Day (mild) | 10–20% | Wait |
| March | Few promotions | 0–10% | Wait |
| April | Spring clearance begins | 10–15% | Wait |
| May | Memorial Day weekend | 20–30% | Buy |
| June | Father's Day | 10–20% | Maybe |
| July | Prime Day / 4th of July | 10–20% | Maybe |
| August | Back-to-school / end of summer | 10–15% | Wait |
| September | New models launch | 15–25% (old gen) | Maybe |
| October | Pre-holiday teasers | 15–25% | Maybe |
| November | Black Friday / Cyber Monday | 30–40% | Best |
| December | Year-end + gift sales | 20–35% | Buy |
Ranges are historical patterns across Amazon, brand-direct stores, and big-box retailers. Individual deals vary.
The 3 best buying windows
1. Black Friday & Cyber Monday — biggest selection
If you can wait for one window, make it this one. Late November is when brands and retailers compete hardest, so you get both the deepest discounts (30–40%) and the widest range of models on sale at once. Premium interactive treadmills that rarely move on price finally do, and budget folding models hit their annual lows. Cyber Monday often mirrors Black Friday pricing online, sometimes with an extra coupon on brand-direct sites.
2. January — deep discounts, but they sell out
New Year's resolution season is the one time retailers reliably discount treadmills outside the holidays. Expect 20–35% off. The catch: the best-value machines — the ones with a strong motor, roomy deck, and a real warranty around $800–$1,200 — sell out quickly as demand spikes. If you shop in January, decide fast and have your model picked before the sale starts.
3. Memorial Day — last year's models get cleared
Late May is a clearance moment. Retailers move out inventory to make room for summer stock, and it lines up with brands preparing for the fall model refresh. Memorial Day is the sweet spot for grabbing the previous model year at 20–30% off — often a near-identical machine to the current one, minus a screen tweak or a new app feature.
The one-tier rule
When NOT to buy a treadmill
Honest "wait" advice matters as much as the deals. Two windows are consistently the worst times to buy:
- February through April. Prices rebound after resolution season. The January discounts disappear, demand is still healthy, and there's no major sale event to force markdowns. You'll pay closest to list price here.
- Late summer, right before new models drop. New treadmills launch in September–October. Buying a current model in August means you might pay near-full price for something that gets a successor — and a discount — weeks later.
Brand-by-brand price patterns
Discount behavior varies a lot by manufacturer. Knowing each brand's habits tells you whether a "sale" is actually a deal.
NordicTrack & ProForm — never pay list price
Both brands (owned by iFIT) run near-constant promotions and frequently bundle an iFIT membership. Their "list" prices are effectively aspirational — there is almost always a live discount or a Black Friday event on the horizon, so waiting for one costs you nothing. Compare the machine spec-for-spec and ignore the crossed-out MSRP.
Compare NordicTrack treadmill prices
Sole — steady, site-wide sales
Sole (the F63, F80, and F85 are the popular runners) tends to run consistent site-wide percentage-off sales rather than dramatic one-day drops. Because the baseline discount is usually decent year-round, the extra savings on Black Friday are smaller in percentage terms — but Sole's value proposition (strong motors, generous warranties) means a mid-sale price is often still a genuinely good deal. Check the current Sole treadmill pricing against its typical sale level.
Peloton — rarely cuts hardware, so buy refurbished
Peloton protects its hardware pricing and seldom discounts the Tread outright. The smart move is the manufacturer-refurbished / certified pre-owned route, which can save 20–40% with a limited warranty, or waiting for the occasional accessory-bundle or financing promo. Don't expect a 40% Black Friday price cut on Peloton hardware — it almost never happens.
Pro tip
The new-model release cycle
Treadmill manufacturers refresh their lineups on a roughly annual cadence, with most new models landing in September and October ahead of the holiday shopping season. That timing creates a reliable ripple effect: as soon as the new generation is announced, the outgoing model becomes "last year's" inventory and gets discounted to clear.
For most buyers, the previous generation is the smart pick. Year-over-year hardware changes are usually incremental — a slightly bigger touchscreen, a new app tier, a cosmetic update — while the core motor, deck, and frame carry over. You capture most of the value at a meaningfully lower price.
Where to buy: Amazon vs. brand-direct vs. Dick's
Where you buy changes both the price and the experience. Each channel has a sweet spot:
- Amazon — best for budget and folding treadmills, fast shipping, and easy returns. Compare current treadmill deals on Amazon against brand sites, especially during Prime Day and Black Friday. Watch third-party sellers on heavy items.
- Brand-direct (NordicTrack, Sole, ProForm) — best for premium models, financing, membership bundles, and access to the full lineup. Brand sites run the biggest percentage-off events and often include white-glove delivery.
- Dick's Sporting Goods & big-box — best for seeing a machine in person and for open-box, floor-model, and warehouse deals. Display units and returned-but-perfect treadmills can be marked down 20–40%, and staff can sometimes discount older display stock further.
Ask about open-box
The verdict
The best time of year to buy a treadmill is Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when discounts (30–40%) and selection both peak — with January and Memorial Day as strong backups if you can't wait. Skip February through April and the pre-launch weeks of late summer. Pick your model first, know the brand's normal discount, and let the calendar do the negotiating.
Planning to buy this year? Read our Black Friday treadmill deals 2026 predictions for model-by-model price targets, and if you're outfitting a full setup, don't miss the Labor Day fitness equipment sales guide.