A heated mattress pad goes under your fitted sheet and warms the bed from below, which is a different thing from an electric blanket in two ways that matter. The heat is between you and the mattress, so it stays where you are lying instead of escaping upward, and the pad doubles as the mattress cover you probably already own. If you have ever got into a cold bed in January and lain rigid for ten minutes waiting for your own body to warm the sheets, this is the appliance that ends that. It is also, unlike a space heater, cheap to run: the listings below describe controllers in the 100-watt class, warming one sleeper rather than a room.
Every pad on this page was checked live on Amazon on the day of writing, and the price and stock shown under each heading come from Amazon’s own data, refreshed on a schedule, rather than from this text. The figures in each entry (heat settings, auto-off hours, pocket depth, what the top is made of) come from that pad’s own listing and are presented as the maker’s claims. Where two parts of a listing disagree, which happens more than you would expect, the entry says so and tells you which figure to plan on.
Nine pads, in four groups: the one most people buy and the two established-brand pads that compete with it; the budget single-control pick; the pads built for a specific job (a plush top, a waterproof layer, separate heat for your feet); and two that stand out on the spec sheet, one for the fewest settings and a five-year warranty and one for the most settings and the deepest pocket. A buyer’s guide follows, including the question everyone asks, which is whether to buy this or a heated blanket. If what you actually need is to warm the whole room rather than the bed, the large-room heaters on this site are the other answer.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Product links in this guide are affiliate links.
The nine at a glance
Every figure in the table is the one the listing states. “Controls” is for the queen size unless the listing says otherwise, because several makers ship one controller on twin and full and two on queen and up. Where a listing is silent, the cell says so.
| Pick | Best for | Heat settings (listed) | Auto-off (listed) | Fits a mattress up to (listed) | Controls, queen (listed) | Price | Stock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. Bedsure Heated Mattress Pad (quilted) | The one most people buy | 10 | 12-hour timer; 8-hour default | 18 in | Two | $79.99 | In stock |
 | 2. Sunbeam Restful Quilted Heated Mattress Pad | The brand pick with the backlit controller | 12 | 12-hour selectable | 18 in | Two | $59.87 | Available later |
 | 3. Serta Heated Mattress Pad with Dual Controller | The brand pick that doubles as a protector | 10 | 1 to 12 hours | 18 in in the bullets, 17 in in the title | Two | $85.77 | In stock |
 | 4. Sealy Heated Mattress Pad (single control) | The budget single-control pick | 9 in the bullets, 10 in the title | 1 to 9 hours | 15 in pockets | One | $59.99 | In stock |
 | 5. Bedsure Plush Coral Fleece Heated Mattress Pad | The plush one | 10 | 12-hour timer; 8-hour default | 18 in | Two | $89.99 | In stock |
 | 6. Bedsure Waterproof Cotton-Top Heated Mattress Pad | The waterproof one | 10 | 12-hour timer; 8-hour default | 18 in | Two | $119.99 | In stock |
 | 7. Serta Multi-Zone Body and Foot Heated Mattress Pad | Separate heat for your feet | 10 | 1 to 12 hours | 15 in skirt | Two (one on twin, twin XL and full) | $120.37 | In stock |
 | 8. Beautyrest Cotton Blend Heated Mattress Pad | Fewest settings, five-year warranty, cotton top | 5 | 10 hours | 15 in skirt, fits 18 in | Two | $88.99 | Available later |
 | 9. VALUXE 12-Setting Heated Mattress Pad | Most settings, deepest pocket | 12 | 12 hours | 8 to 21 in | Two | $75.98 | In stock |
Prices and availability as of 16:30 EDT — details
The pad most people buy, and the two brand pads that compete with it
1. Bedsure Heated Mattress Pad (quilted)
The Bedsure is the heated mattress pad Amazon shoppers actually buy, by a distance: on the day of writing it carried the largest “bought in past month” figure of the nine here and a Best Seller badge, and it is the listing the other makers are measured against. The listing describes 10 heating levels and 12 time settings, a preheat function, a memory function that restores the last heat level you used, and two controllers on the queen so each side of the bed is set separately. It is ETL and FCC certified, and the listing says its default auto shut-off is 8 hours (the 12 in the title is the timer’s maximum, not the default, so if you want it running longer than 8 you set that yourself).
Two practical details from the listing. The skirt stretches to a mattress 18 inches deep, held by an all-round elastic band, which covers nearly every modern mattress including most with a topper. And the top is a brushed polyester with a heat-retaining fill, offered in a diamond quilt or a wave quilt and in seven sizes from mini twin to California king, so the one listing covers the dorm bed and the master bedroom. It is the pick for anyone who does not have a specific reason to want one of the eight below.
2. Sunbeam Restful Quilted Heated Mattress Pad
Sunbeam is the name most Americans over forty associate with electric bedding, and the Restful line is its current quilted pad. The listing’s distinguishing claim is the controller: a digital unit with an LED screen and a blue backlit display “for easy viewing at night”, which is a small thing until you are fumbling for the dial at 2 a.m. It lists 12 heat settings, tied for the most on this page with the VALUXE, a 12-hour selectable auto shut-off with overheat protection, two digital controllers on the queen, and a vertical quilted top in 100% polyester. The built-in skirt stretches to an 18-inch mattress.
What the listing does not say is as useful as what it does. It names no safety certification in its bullets (most of the others here state ETL, and the Beautyrest states UL), and it does not mention a preheat or memory function. If those matter to you, the Bedsure above states both and the Beautyrest below states a preheat. If a readable controller and a familiar brand matter more, this is the pick, and its rating sat at the middle of the page on the day of writing.
3. Serta Heated Mattress Pad with Dual Controller
Serta’s pad leans on the brand’s safety record: the listing describes it as ETL certified and independently tested, and the first bullet is about trust rather than features. The features are solid rather than unusual: 10 heat settings, an auto shut-off you set in one-hour steps from 1 to 12 hours, and two controllers with independent zones on queen and larger sizes. The listing also calls it a mattress protector, saying the soft microfiber surface protects the bed from spills and pet accidents, which no other pad in this group claims in quite those words (the Bedsure waterproof pad below makes the stronger claim, with a named TPU layer).
Read the fit carefully. The title says it fits a mattress up to 17 inches; the bullets say the 15-inch skirt stretches to fit an 18-inch mattress. Plan on 17. The power cord is listed at 6 feet, and the listing carries a capitalised warning not to leave the controller covered in use, which is sound advice for every pad on this page and is why the buyer’s guide below says to keep the controllers on the nightstand rather than in the bed.
The budget pick
4. Sealy Heated Mattress Pad (single control)
This is the pad for one sleeper, a guest room or a child’s bed, and the only one of the nine whose feature bullets describe a single controller on the queen (the VALUXE’s title says single control while its bullets say dual; see entry 9). It is the simplest spec on the page: the bullets describe 9 temperature settings (the title says 10; plan on 9), an auto power-off you set between 1 and 9 hours, which is the shortest maximum here, a felt-top polyester surface, and 15-inch deep pockets with a strong elastic skirt. It is ETL and FCC certified per the listing and machine washable, with the care note that it must be washed cool, never dry cleaned, bleached or ironed, and never plugged in while damp.
What you give up against the Bedsure is the second controller, one heat step (9 against 10), three hours of timer and three inches of pocket depth. For a twin or full bed that is a fair trade, and the full-size listing linked here had one of the larger buyer counts on the page on the day of writing. For a queen shared by two people it is the wrong pad, because one controller means one temperature for both of you. The Sealy listing also makes some claims about what heat therapy does for the body; this guide does not repeat them, because a mattress pad is bedding, not a medical device, and you should buy it for the warmth.
Pads built for a specific job
5. Bedsure Plush Coral Fleece Heated Mattress Pad
Same maker, same controls, different top. The coral fleece version of the Bedsure lists the same 10 heating levels, 12 time settings, 8-hour default auto-off, preheat and memory functions, two controllers on the queen, ETL and FCC certification and 18-inch stretch as the quilted pad at number one; what changes is a plush coral fleece surface with what the listing calls a cloud-like filling. Fleece under a fitted sheet is a texture you either want or do not, and this is the pick if you do: a softer, warmer-feeling surface before the heat is even on, at the cost of a top that will show wear faster than a quilted polyester.
The listing pitches it for cold bedrooms, apartments and dorms as an alternative to running central heating all night, and offers it in the same seven sizes and two quilt patterns as the standard pad. If you are deciding between this and number one, decide on the fabric: the electronics are the same.
6. Bedsure Waterproof Cotton-Top Heated Mattress Pad
This is the one to buy if the bed belongs to a child who is still having accidents, a pet who sleeps on it, or anyone who drinks tea in bed. It is the only pad on this page whose listing names a waterproof layer, a TPU membrane under a 100% cotton top with a quilted hourglass pattern, so it replaces a separate waterproof protector rather than sitting on top of one. The controls are the Bedsure set: 10 heating levels, 12 time settings, preheat and memory, two controllers, ETL and FCC certification, an 18-inch stretch skirt.
Two cautions. It is offered in four sizes rather than seven (queen, king, twin, full per the listing), so there is no twin XL or California king here. And a waterproof layer changes how a pad breathes; the cotton top is the listing’s answer to that, and it is why this pad costs more than the quilted polyester version. If you do not need the waterproofing, number one does the same job for less.
7. Serta Multi-Zone Body and Foot Heated Mattress Pad
Most dual-control pads split the bed left and right. This one also splits it top and bottom: the listing describes independent body and foot temperature zones, so you can run the foot of the bed hotter than your torso, which is how a lot of cold sleepers actually want it. It lists 10 heat settings, a 1-to-12-hour auto shut-off, and a controller arrangement that depends on size: one controller on twin, twin XL and full, two on queen, king and California king. The construction is spelled out more than most: 85 GSM microfiber top, 150 GSM fill, 40 GSM non-woven backing, a 15-inch skirt with an all-round elastic edge, ETL certified, shipped compressed in a gift box.
It had the smallest review count of the nine on the day of writing, which is the honest caveat: the foot-zone idea is good, and the brand is established, but fewer people have lived with this specific pad through a winter. Its 15-inch skirt is also the shallowest stated fit on the page alongside the Sealy’s 15-inch pockets (the Beautyrest’s 15-inch skirt is listed as stretching to an 18-inch mattress), so measure a thick mattress before ordering.
Two that stand out on the spec sheet
8. Beautyrest Cotton Blend Heated Mattress Pad
The Beautyrest is the outlier in both directions. It has the fewest heat settings of the nine, five, and the shortest auto-off after the Sealy, 10 hours, with a one-hour preheat. It is also one of two pads here whose listing states a five-year warranty (the VALUXE is the other), the only one to state UL certification rather than ETL, and the only one with a cotton-blend top that is not also waterproof: 60% cotton, 40% polyester over a 100% polyester fill. The listing adds that it has a low-EMF flexible wire, two controllers with independent zones on queen and larger, a 12-foot controller cord (only the VALUXE states a longer one) and a 6-foot power cord, and it had the largest review count of the nine on the day of writing.
One listing claim needs a flag. The bullets say the pad is compatible with smart home outlets and automatic timers. That may be true of this specific model, but it runs against the general rule for heated bedding, which is that the makers want the pad switched on and off at its own controller; read the manual that comes with it before you put it on a smart plug, and do not assume the claim transfers to any other pad here. Five settings is few, but if your experience of heated bedding is that you only ever use “low” and “a bit more than low”, five is enough, and a stated five-year warranty is a real argument.
9. VALUXE 12-Setting Heated Mattress Pad
The VALUXE is the lesser-known brand on the page and had the highest star rating of the nine on the day of writing, which is why it is here. On the spec sheet it ties the Sunbeam for the most heat settings, 12, and lists the deepest pocket range, 8 to 21 inches, which makes it the pad to buy for a very thick mattress that the 15- and 18-inch skirts above will not grip. The listing describes a quilted top padded enough that you do not feel the wires, a 12-hour auto shut-off, ETL and FCC certification, a 6-foot power cord and a 12.8-foot controller cord, machine washing with the usual no-dry-clean, no-bleach, no-iron rules, and a five-year warranty with free replacement for non-user damage in the first two years.
One discrepancy to know about before you order. The listing title for the queen says “single control”; the bullets describe a dual controller with two independently adjustable zones for the queen. The bullets are more specific and more recent in form, but if a second controller is the reason you are buying, confirm it on the listing’s current images before you add it to the cart. Fabric options listed include quilted, coral fleece and an air-fabric variant.
What goes with a heated mattress pad
A heated pad replaces your plain mattress pad, not your sheets, and it sits under the fitted sheet. Two things make it work better. If you want a waterproof barrier and did not buy the Bedsure cotton-top above, a thin waterproof protector goes over the heated pad (never under it, where it would trap the heat against the mattress). And because the pad adds an inch or so to the stack, a deep-pocket fitted sheet stops the corners pinging off at night. None of these is a pick; they are the parts people order a week later.
| Pick | Best for | What the listing says | Price | Stock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SafeRest waterproof mattress protector | The protector most people buy | Fitted, stretchable pockets, cotton-blend top, machine washable | $39.99 | In stock |
 | PlushDeluxe bamboo waterproof mattress protector | The quieter protector | Viscose-from-bamboo top, noiseless, fits up to 18 in deep | $33.99 | In stock |
 | CGK extra-deep fitted sheet | The extra-deep fitted sheet | Fits an 18 to 24 in mattress, sold as a single fitted sheet | $19.99 | In stock |
Prices and availability as of 16:30 EDT — details
Buyer’s guide: how to choose a heated mattress pad
Heated mattress pad or electric blanket?
A pad heats from below and stays put; a blanket heats from above and moves with you. The pad is the better buy if the problem is a cold bed at bedtime, if you share the bed with someone who runs hot (dual controls fix that argument), or if you kick blankets off in the night. The blanket is the better buy if you want warmth on the sofa as well as in bed, if you cannot be bothered to strip the bed to install anything, or if your mattress is one of the very thick ones the skirts above will not grip. This site’s guide to heated blankets, including the cordless battery ones, covers the other side of the choice. Plenty of households end up with both and run the pad at bedtime and the blanket for reading.
Dual control or single control
If two people sleep in the bed, buy dual control, full stop. Every maker on this page ships two controllers on queen and larger sizes except where the listing says otherwise; the Sealy at number four is the pick whose bullets describe a single controller, and the VALUXE’s title and bullets disagree on the point. One of the nine goes further: the Serta multi-zone splits each side into body and foot as well. For a twin, twin XL or full, a single controller is normal and fine.
Heat settings, preheat and memory
The settings count on these listings runs from 5 (Beautyrest) to 12 (Sunbeam, VALUXE). In practice most people use two or three of them, so the count matters less than how the controller feels in the dark, which is the Sunbeam’s argument. Preheat, where a listing states it, runs the pad hot for a set period and then drops to your setting; memory returns to the last level you used. Both are conveniences, not necessities.
Auto shut-off
Every pad here states an automatic shut-off, from a 9-hour maximum on the Sealy to 12 hours on most of the rest, and the two Bedsure listings add that the default is 8 hours unless you change it. The reason it matters is not only safety but comfort: many people find they want the pad on to warm the bed and off by the small hours, and a 1-to-12-hour timer set to two or three hours does exactly that.
Fit: measure the mattress
Measure the mattress from the top of any topper to the bottom edge. The skirts on this page are listed at 15 inches (Sealy, Serta multi-zone, Beautyrest, which says its 15-inch skirt fits 18), 18 inches (the three Bedsure pads, Sunbeam) and 8 to 21 inches (VALUXE). The Serta dual-control listing says 17 in the title and 18 in the bullets. A skirt that is too shallow does not stop the pad working; it stops it staying flat, and a heated pad that bunches is both uncomfortable and against every maker’s instructions.
Surface: quilted, fleece, cotton, waterproof
Quilted or felt polyester (Bedsure, Sunbeam, Sealy, VALUXE) and microfiber (both Sertas) are the default and the easiest to wash. Fleece (the Bedsure coral fleece) feels warmer before the heat is on and wears faster. Cotton or cotton-blend tops (Beautyrest, the Bedsure waterproof) breathe better for people who sleep hot once the pad has done its job. A waterproof layer (only the Bedsure cotton-top states one) is for beds that need it, because it changes how the pad breathes.
Safety, as the makers put it
Most listings here state ETL certification and some add FCC; the Beautyrest states UL; the Sunbeam names none in its bullets. Beyond the label, the instructions the makers print are consistent across the category and worth following: do not fold the pad in use or tuck it under the mattress, keep the controllers uncovered and out of the bed, do not use it on an adjustable or hospital-style bed unless the manual says you can, do not use it for an infant or anyone who cannot work the controls themselves, and never plug it in while it is damp. Whether it is “okay to sleep on a heated mattress pad” is a question the makers answer with those instructions and an auto-off timer; this guide has nothing to add to that, and no health claims to make.
Washing
Six of the nine listings state machine washing with the controllers detached: the quilted Bedsure (in its title), both Sertas, the Sealy, the Beautyrest and the VALUXE. The Sunbeam, the Bedsure fleece and the Bedsure waterproof listings do not say either way in what was read, so check the manual. The Sealy and VALUXE listings spell out the rules the others imply: cool wash, no dry cleaning, no bleach, no iron, and completely dry before it is plugged in again. Once or twice a season is plenty.
Smart plugs and timers
One listing here (Beautyrest) says its pad works with smart outlets and automatic timers. Treat that as a claim about that model only. The general rule for heated bedding is to switch it at its own controller, because a pad that is switched off at the wall and back on may not return to the state you expect, and the makers’ timers exist so you do not need a plug-in one. If cold hands at the controller are the problem, a pair of warm gloves for the walk to bed is a cheaper fix than a smart plug.
Frequently asked questions
Does a heated mattress pad go over or under the sheet?
Under. It goes directly on the mattress (or over a plain mattress protector, if the protector is thin), and the fitted sheet goes over it. A waterproof protector, if you use a separate one, goes over the heated pad, not under it.
Which is better, a heated mattress pad or an electric blanket?
For warming a cold bed before you get in, and for couples who want different temperatures, the pad. For warmth you can carry to the sofa, the blanket. The buyer’s guide above and the heated blanket guide cover the trade in detail.
How do you wash a heated mattress pad?
Unplug and detach the controllers, machine wash cool on a gentle cycle, and let it dry completely before reconnecting, where the listing says the pad is washable. The listings here that give care rules all say no dry cleaning, no bleach and no ironing.
Can two people set different temperatures?
Yes, on any pad listed with dual controls, which on this page is every pick except the Sealy in the queen size (and the VALUXE, whose title and bullets disagree). Each controller runs its own half of the pad.
What size heated mattress pad do I need?
The same size as your mattress, and a skirt depth at least as deep as the mattress and any topper together. Measure before you order; the fit section above lists what each pad on this page states.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.