American Home Shield Review

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When you’re ready to look for a home warranty company, you may be overwhelmed by a large number of companies to choose from. Understanding the difference between homeowner’s insurance, manufacturer warranties, and then home warranty plans can help you make your decision. Homeowners insurance protects you in case of natural disasters. Your appliances and systems are covered under manufacturer warranties for the first year or so. These only cover your appliances for manufacturer mistakes, not damages incurred from regular use. 

A home warranty plan is a service contract for the appliances and systems in your home. Similar to your health insurance plans, a home warranty plan offers you a network of technicians to come work on your home appliances and guarantees a reasonable service fee amount for any service call. American Home Shield is known to be the best option for appliance warranties, but Choice Home Warranty (CHW) is considered the best overall. Check out this guide for a side-by-side comparison on how they stack up against each other.

American Home Shield Plan Options

Like many providers, American Home Shield offers a handful of plans that provide you with different levels of coverage, depending on your needs. Their services are available in the following five plan options:

  1. Appliance plan: this covers ten common home appliances, like refrigerators and dishwashers.
  2. Systems plan: includes 11 of the most significant home systems, like heating, cooling, and electric.
  3. Combo plan: covers all systems covered in both the Systems and Appliances plans.
  4. Build-your-own plan: lets you select up to 10 items of your choice from either the systems or appliance list to build a customized plan and get coverage for only what you need.
  5. Electronics plan: offers an Electronics Plan by Asurion® similar to an extended warranty for the repair or replacement of electronics such as televisions, computers and laptops, smart home products, gaming systems, and home theater systems.

American Home Shield Cost

A service fee from American Home Shield is one of the priciest for home warranty plans. You’ll find yourself paying $125 any time you need a technician to come out to your home. While all home warranty plans have a service fee for the technician to come to the house, other plans aren’t quite as high. Then the monthly contract fee of $60 per month for their most popular “combo” plan is also on the higher end. The total monthly cost will vary depending on which plan and service call fee you select. American Home Shield prices are on the higher end of average for the industry, but still pretty comparable overall, especially considering the level of coverage provided.

You can lower your monthly payment with AHS by paying an even higher service fee. For newer appliances, this may be a good started plan, and then you add more coverage as your appliances age. The older your house, the more prone to break down your appliances and systems are, so you may want to opt for the lowest service call fee. The price to repair and replace appliances can go up exponentially, and then it makes more sense to have more coverage. 

American Home Shield Claims Process

Requesting service from American Home Shield is simple, and they’ve paid out more than $2 million on service requests in the past 5 years alone. Simply file a claim online and they will assign a service technician to come out and check on your problem. 

American Home Shield Quote Process

american home shield logo

Getting a free quote is also a simple task. If you’re interested in an American Home Shield home warranty plan, you can call them at 888-878-4576 or fill out this form online for a free quote. 

Our Verdict

Based on our research into the company and its plan options, we rate American Home Shield as the best option for covering appliances. This is a good choice for someone who uses their appliances frequently and wants them to stay protected.

Overall, we found that Choice Home Warranty offers the best overall home warranty options. Their network of over 15,000+ technicians and updated software made placing a claim fast and easy. Choice Home Warranty provides three levels of plans: Basic, Total, and then optional coverage. 

choice home warranty logo

American Home Shield breaks its plans down by appliances and systems. They have a combination plan for both and other customizable options. Although every home that has a water heater also has a plumbing system. That’s why we prefer the plans that offer these options together in a basic model. 

You can get a free quote from Choice Home Warranty by calling 848-256-4657 or filling out this form. They have 24/7 customer support, so you can directly ask any questions specific to your home. 

Choice Home Warranty: The Best Overall Option

Choice Home Warranty is rated as having the best customer service. Accepting claims on nights and weekends, you’ll find that you can get quick and effective service year-round. Choice Home Warranty provides you with your dedicated team, so you won’t feel lost with a large, anonymous call center.

Choice Home Warranty many benefits. Customers appreciate that there is no home inspection required. Choice Home Warranty has a network of 15,000 technicians nationwide and automatic policy renewal, so you don’t have to worry about dealing with paperwork year after year. Choice Home Warranty offers emergency service for those holiday oven disasters; customer support can be reached 24/7. You will have a personable, dedicated team willing to assist your needs. You will have up-to-date technology, high-quality service with affordable pricing, and you’ll find their plans starting as low as $1 per day.

We found Choice Home Warranty to be the best home warranty company in the United States. They maintain a network of high-quality and professional experts throughout the country and offer customizable plans. Many customers reported next-day repairs even when their service order was placed on a Sunday. 

Choice Home Warranty Plan Options

Choice Home Warranty offers three options for excellent coverage. They make choosing the best protection plan for your home and customizing it as needed as smoothly as possible. Choice Home Warranty offers a Basic Plan, a Total Plan, and additional chances for optional coverage. 

Basic Plan Total Plan Optional Add-Ons
  • Heating systems and ducts
  • Plumbing systems
  • Electrical systems
  • Water heaters
  • Oven
  • Range
  • Stove
  • Cooktop
  • Dishwasher
  • Built-in microwave
  • Garbage disposal
  • Trash Compactor
  • Whirlpool bathtub
  • Plumbing stoppage
  • Ceiling fans
  • Garage door opener
  • Exhaust fans
Everything in the Basic Plan, plus:
  • Air conditioning
  • Heating
  • Refrigerator
  • Clothes washer
  • Clothes dryer
  • Pool and spa
  • Central vacuum system
  • Well pump
  • Roof leaks
  • Sump pump
  • Septic system and septic tank pumping
  • Second refrigerator or a stand-alone freezer

Choice Home Warranty Cost

Plans can range anywhere from $300-$600 a year based on what you need. The cost of replacing a refrigerator can run over $1,300. While the price just calling an electrician to your home costs more than $315. You’ll pay roughly $550 to fix your water heater. A swimming pool heater costs more than $400. When you have Choice Home Warranty, you’ll pay only $75 whenever you need a maintenance specialist for any of your appliances. The best thing is knowing that if there is any problem with your home that a technician can’t fix, then Choice Home Warranty will help you replace the unit or system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who would benefit from a home warranty?

Whether you’re just moving into a new home and can’t handle an enormous repair bill or a seasoned homeowner, there are advantages for every homeowner or even real estate agents. Offering a home warranty plan in a sale can help sell a house 16% faster. Older homeowners will appreciate the assistance they get buying new appliances and systems as their old ones reach the end of their lifespan.  

My home appliances are old. Will they even be covered?

The age of your home appliances or system does not matter. As long as you perform regular upkeep on your home and take good care of your appliances, you’ll see the maximum benefit from a home warranty plan.

Is a home inspection required before a home warranty purchase?

You may want to schedule a home inspection to guarantee the maximum benefit to your home systems and appliances. However, no inspection is required to buy a plan.

When should I buy a home warranty?

New home buyers will find the most incentives to purchase their home warranty plan. However, older homeowners will see a huge benefit when it’s time to replace older systems and appliances. Ask your realtor if the house comes with a home warranty plan. A home warranty plan has been shown to sell houses faster and for more money. 

Any time is a great time to buy a home warranty plan. Most companies offer year-round incentives. Choice Home Warranty is currently offering your first month for free. Call Choice Home Warranty at 848-256-4657 or fill out this form to get a free quote.

Home warranties will cover even older, used appliances as long as you maintain them and do the necessary upkeep. Keep cleaning out the lint trap, washing out your drums for your washing machine and cleaning your refrigerator coils.  

Can including home warranties help my real estate business?

The more you care, the people care how much you know. There’s no better way to let your sellers and buyers know that you care if they are protected than offering a home warranty plan. This will ensure that your seller doesn’t have a significant expense, like fixing an electrical problem in the middle of showings. It will also guarantee that your first time home buyers are covered if a significant repair bill comes their way. 

A Service Contract Industry Council study showed homes with systems and appliances warranties sell for roughly $2300 more and 16% more quickly. Wouldn’t it be great to impress your broker time and time again by how quickly you can move new homes? Choice Home Warranty can help you get your business moving faster and bring in a higher return over and over again.

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