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American Home Shield Guide

Learn the basics of this warranty company and whether it offers the support that your home needs in our ultimate American Home Shield guide.

Advertising Disclosure: Many or all of the companies featured provide compensation to us. These commissions are how we maintain our free service for consumers. Compensation, along with hours of in-depth research, determines where & how companies appear on our site.

Our Top Home Warranty Partner 2024

 4.9/5

selecthomewarranty.com

PROS

You can choose the service call fee that fits your budget
There are high coverage caps
High Better Business Bureau rating
Covers most home appliances
Suitable for all types of homes

CONS

Lots of complaints from current and former customers
Alaskan homes do not qualify
Offers guaranteed repairs for only 30 days

BOTTOM LINE

American Home Shield offers good warranty plans with high coverage caps once you sign up. Though you can choose from different plans and options, you should be aware of the complaints that other customers have.

What is American Home Shield?

American Home Shield is a company that offers home warranty plans for anyone who wants more protection than they get through insurance alone. A home warranty plan is different from insurance because you don’t need to worry about meeting with an agent or worrying about how you’ll come up with your deductible. As an American Home Shield customer, you choose both the type of warranty that you want and how much you want to pay for a service call. The service call fee goes to the expert who comes to your home and decides what to do next. You can go with a basic plan that covers just your home’s systems or one that covers some of your appliances. There is also a plan that offers more protection and optional services that work with any plan. With our American Home Shield guide, you can find out the top features of this plan and see some reasons why you should become a customer.

Features and Services

With an American Home Shield warranty, you can save hundreds of dollars every year or even more. LG and other companies make smart refrigerators and other appliances that cost almost as much to repair as they do to buy. Instead of paying for the repair out of your pocket, you pay only for the service fee. The tech who examines your problem can tell you what’s wrong and how much it will cost to fix. As American Home Shield has such high coverage caps, you don’t need to worry about hitting your limit. As long as the cost of the repair is below your cap, your warranty will cover it. If you want to make sure that you get the coverage that you need, you can compare all three plans before you sign up. Keep in mind that you may want to add one or more optional services to your warranty to cover your septic pump or swimming pool.

Plans and Coverage

With American Home Shield, you choose between the three different plans when you sign up based on which plan offers the coverage that you need. ShieldSilver is a popular option for those on a budget. It covers both heating and cooling systems along with the electrical and plumbing systems in your home. You get coverage for up to 14 parts of your home through this plan. If you worry that you might have an electrical short in the middle of the night or find yourself dealing with the chilly cold in the winter, this is a good plan for you.

Another option is the ShieldGold plan, which offers coverage for more than 20 of the common appliances and systems found in homes today. You get the same coverage as you did with the ShieldSilver plan along with coverage for your laundry and kitchen appliances, including your washer and stove. Many choose this option because they don’t want to deal with expensive appliance repairs after buying a home or they don’t purchase extended protection when they buy new appliances.

American Home Shield has a ShieldPlatinum plan for those who want the ultimate in home protection. Not only does this plan cover the systems and appliances that the other plans do, but it also gives you a free tune-up of your HVAC system once a year to help you avoid expensive repairs in the middle of summer. You also receive repairs if your roof leaks and coverage that pays for any permits that you need. That coverage comes in handy if the city or county finds that your home violates local building ordinances.

There are optional services that you can add to your American Home Shield warranty plan such as an electronics protection plan that covers all of your favorite electronics. With the pool and spa option, you can cover your in-ground swimming pool and similar items. The guest unit addition is suitable for those who have a guest home and want to make sure that it’s always ready for their guests. American Home Shield lets you also add coverage for your septic pump or well pump.

Who is This For?

We recommend American Home Shield for those who want a warranty but need some extra help. American Home Shield asks for both your home address and zip code along with your email address and then lets you shop plans. If you need more help, you can call in and talk to a representative who will walk you through the plans and what they offer. You can even get help adding your bank account information once you pick a plan. This is also a good option for those concerned with how much a home warranty costs. As American Home Shield has higher coverage limits than other companies do, you may find that you can get more repairs covered in a single year. We also recommend this company for those who want to pay a set amount for each service call they schedule. Not only does American Home Shield let you pick your service call fee as a new customer, but you can change that fee later.

How it Works

Unlike other companies that only let you request help over the phone, American Home Shield lets you use the phone or the internet. You’ll pick your password when you sign up. When you need help, simply go online and log in with both your password and email address, which serves as your username. The site will then ask why you need help and let you file a service request. American Home Shield will assign a contractor with experience in your repair area to your account and let you know when they will come by. There are more than 17,000 professional contractors in this network.

If you decide to file a claim over the phone, make sure you have your account number handy. The representative needs this number to pull up your account and assign a contractor to your claim. As long as your warranty covers the claim, you pay only the cost of your service call. American Home Shield will cover the rest of the repair bill. The company will email you within the next 30 days to make sure that you are happy with the work. If you are not happy for any reason, American Home Shield will pay for a new contractor to come out and fix the problem.

Pricing

One thing that we don’t like about American Home Shield is that it’s hard to find prices. When we entered one address, the site claimed that it could not find that address. The same thing happened when we tried homes listed in different states. You need to click on the blue “Shop Plans” and then enter your information to view plans. When we used that button, the site found the addresses that it couldn’t find before.

The price that you pay starts at $29.99 for the ShieldSilver plan and rises to $39.99 for the ShieldGold plan. This is the price that you pay per month. If you want the ShieldPlatinum plan, you’ll pay a minimum of $59.99 per month before taxes. These prices also include a $100 service fee, which is why you pay out of pocket for a contractor visit. You can increase the service fee to $125 per call to reduce your monthly cost or reduce the fee to $75 per call, which will increase your monthly cost. Though some companies offer discounts if you pay for a year of support, American Home Shield does not.

Keep in mind that your cost will also vary based on your optional services. You can cover pumps for $4-8 per month and cover your swimming pool for an extra $23.75 per month. American Home Shield also charges $18 a month for its electronics plan. The site makes it easy for you to see your monthly costs once you pick a plan and your optional services.

Warranty Claims

American Home Shield has different coverage limits that tell you how much help it will give you. This ranges from $1,500 for AC systems to $3,000 for certain appliances. If you hit the coverage limit, you need to pay any amount above your cap for the repair. The limit starts fresh when you renew your contract. This means that the company will allow you to hit your coverage limits every year as long as you request new repairs.

Final Verdict

Anyone who wants to avoid hidden and expensive repairs when buying or owning a home would benefit from an American Home Shield warranty plan. Each of the three available plans is suitable for different types of home and cover the systems and appliances that you use daily. You get a high coverage cap for most repairs and the option to set a service call amount that you can afford. Check with American Home Shield today to find a good home warranty.