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American Home Shield offers multiple home warranty plans including one you can customize to cover exactly what you need. We discuss their build-your-own plan and others, as well as pricing, exclusions and consumer reviews.
Home warranties, like those from American Home Shield, can offer peace of mind when it comes to unexpected home repairs. To see our top picks for home warranty companies, click below to read our guide.
American Home Shield Review
American Home Shield is a home warranty company that is part of the residential and commercial services company, ServiceMaster Company, which also owns Terminix and Merry Maids. American Home Shield offers home warranties – service plans designed to cover appliance or home systems breakdowns that your homeowner’s insurance does not cover. A home warranty typically includes items that are considered part of the regular costs of home ownership such as the breakdown of appliances, electrical systems, and plumbing. Home warranties are best suited for those who live in an older home, especially if they do not have the know-how or physical capability for do-it-yourself repairs.
Your home is probably the most costly thing you have to maintain. While homeowner’s insurance covers damage due to storms and fires, that coverage does not include broken appliances, HVAC, plumbing, water heaters, or outdated electrical systems that fail due to age or simple wear and tear. This coverage gap can leave a huge hole in the budget of most consumers and is where home warranties fit in. A home warranty is designed to cover the repairs that homeowner’s insurance will not. For example, if your water heater suddenly stops working your homeowner’s insurance will not cover it, but a home warranty will.
American Home Shield has been providing home warranties since 1971 and states they have paid out over $2 billion in claims in the last five years alone, with nearly 1.7 million customers serviced.
Pros
Several coverage options available
Multiple service fee levels
No home inspection required
Cons
Coverage exclusions can be technical and difficult to understand
Service calls have no guaranteed time frame beyond a contractor assigned within 24 hours
American Home Shield Home Warranty Plans
American Home Shield offers several home warranty plans along with additional coverage riders for specific items. Their Systems Plan covers essential systems within the home including:
Air conditioning with ductwork
Heating with ductwork
Electrical system and doorbells
Smoke detectors
Ceiling fans
Plumbing (including some stoppages)
Water heaters
Garbage disposals
Central vacuums
The Appliances Plan covers large and small appliances that are not easily removed from the home. In addition to covered appliances, this plan also covers items you can add on such as pools and spas, well pumps, septic pumps and more. Covered items under the Appliance Plan include:
Refrigerators
Stoves
Ovens
Cooktops
Clothes washer
Clothes dryer
Dishwashers
Built-in microwaves
Trash compactors
Freestanding ice makers
Garage door openers
Built-in food centers
A little over 61 percent of customers use American Home Shield’s Combo Plan. It covers items under both the Systems and the Appliances Plan.
American Home Shield also offers a Build Your Own Plan where consumers can select just the systems and/or appliances for which they need warranty repair coverage. Coverage riders are also available for pools or spas, well pumps, septic pumps, and additional guest units up to 750 square feet in size, like a mother-in law’s suite.
American Home Shield Home Warranty Fast Facts
Fast Facts
Coverage Length
Termination Policy
# Of Repair Limits
Coverage Effective Date
12 months
Cancel anytime after 30 days. Refunds are prorated and subject to an admin fee
No limit on the number of covered repairs but there are coverage limits and caps for specific items
Coverage goes into effect 30 days after a plan is purchased
American Home Shield Home Warranty Pricing
Prices for each home warranty plan aren’t available online but you can request a free quote for each plan on their website. There are many factors that determine the final price for your plan but multiple consumers were quoted $516 per year ($43 per month) with a $100 service call fee. As with any insurance, your exact monthly premium will vary based on the policy chosen, your location and your deductible. With American Home Shield, you can set the level of the deductible to either lower your out of pocket costs or lower your premiums.
You can also set your own trade service call fee. This is the fee you pay the contractor when he or she comes out to diagnose your covered item. Trade service call fees start at $75 which lets you pay less per service call. You can also choose $100 per call or $125 per call. The $125 per call fee will lower your monthly payment on your home warranty plan. The deductibles are paid for trade service call fees every time a contractor is sent to the home, regardless of whether the issue reported is deemed covered or non-covered. Depending on the warranty you choose, there may also be coverage limits or caps that could affect your total out of pocket costs for repairs.
American Home Shield Home Warranty Exclusions
All home warranty policies have exclusions in coverage, no matter what company you choose. For example, while plumbing is covered, there is no coverage for stoppages caused by roots or foreign objects in the pipes. Also, some coverages have limits to repair or replacement cost, as mentioned in our Best Home Warranties buyer’s guide. For example, if a plumber has to cut through a wall to access a pipe, the warranty would only cover the wall repair to a rough finish and limits the dollar value of those repairs. As with any home warranty, consumers should read the policy entirely and be sure they understand all of the limits and exclusions before purchasing a plan. American Home Shield offers consumers a chance to view sample policies before making a purchase.
American Home Shield Home Warranty Claims
The claims process for American Home Shield home warranties starts with either a claim submitted via your online account, creating an online service request using the warranty look-up tool or by making a call to their 24-hour claims line.
The trade service fee is due at the time that the consumer files the claim request. Once the trade service fee is paid, American Home Shield will assign a contractor in the consumer’s area within 24 hours. The contractor then contacts the consumer to set up an appointment to inspect the item in question then determines if a repair is required. The contractor does not arrive at a specific time, so someone will need to be home for a window of a few hours while waiting for the contractor to show up. The contractor inspects and diagnoses the issue, then contacts American Home Shield to determine coverage. If the warranty covers the problem, repair or replacement within the limits of the coverage will be authorized.
How to Buy an American Home Shield Home Warranty
American Home Shield home warranties can be purchased via a toll-free number or on their website, by clicking on the bright orange Get a Quote button. From there, fill out the home address and select a coverage plan, either Systems, Appliances, Combo, or Build Your Own.
Because the base monthly price of these plans varies depending on your location due to home costs in the area, local cost of living, and state regulations, we can’t provide an estimate of the cost you should expect. The sampling of locations we tested returned base rates of $40 to $50 a month depending on location and plan.
American Home Shield Complaints
American Home Shield has a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating of “B” and a four- out of five-star rating on ConsumerAffairs with over 21,000 reviews posted. Most positive reviews speak highly of customer service. American Home Shield has been quick to respond to customer issues with contractors doing poor work or lengthy delays in service appointments on ConsumerAffairs and successfully closed complaints through the BBB.
American Home Shield Q&A
Do I have to pay the trade service fee before I find out if my claim is covered?
Yes. The trade service fee is required each time a service contractor is dispatched to the home, regardless of the final coverage determination. This fee goes directly to the contractor to compensate him or her for the trip to your home and time spent diagnosing the problem, and it is required before a contractor is called.
Can I choose my contractor?
No. American Home Shield selects a licensed, professional contractor from your area and contacts them for you. The contractor will then contact you to set the service call time window.
Do I have to have a home inspection?
No. A home inspection or records of previous repairs are not required to obtain coverage with American Home Shield.
Is coverage available in all states?
Coverage is currently available in 49 states. Alaska is the only state where coverage is unavailable at this time.
What if my covered item is not repairable?
If your covered item is beyond repair, then American Home Shield will replace the unit when possible or suggest other solutions if replacement isn’t within the limits of your warranty contract.
Conclusion
The cost of maintaining your home and its main components are likely the most significant expense you have next to a mortgage payment and property taxes. Unfortunately, an unexpected break down of a refrigerator or an electrical problem can cause a severe financial strain. A home warranty is an option for reducing the uncertainty of some of the repair costs associated with homeownership, requiring a small monthly payment.
Budgeting funds in savings to cover service fees further reduce financial strain compared to keeping thousands of dollars in savings in case of an appliance or home system failure. American Home Shield warranties are a good fit for those who buy an older home, or for seniors who want to stay in their home but do not have the know-how or physical capability for do-it-yourself repairs. Get a quote by calling (888)312-6764.
If you are lucky enough to have a direct # to a supervisor you might get someone who actually knows something about your policy contact. I was a gas water heater fail and the plumber was not showing up or calling back- he ended up leaving a message they were out of the office over a week.
I ended up having to hire a private contractor for the job after endless calls and nonsense with multiple calls and you will never get the same person for your issues or complaints.
Don’t waste your time or money- hide your $600 Yr and $100 service calls from now on in a stash for repairs. Never mind the hassle!
Virginia C.
Allentown, PA
October 06 2021 8:50AM
I have never been treated so poorly in my life! I have a leak in my ceiling. The first person didn’t walk into the upstairs bathroom but claimed the leak was from the gout being faulty in the shower (we have never used the shower).
Second person says it’s the floor beneath the toilet - specifically not the toilet (which they are supposed to cover). They claimed somehow the floor damaged the toilet which in turn damaged the ceiling below. I pointed out the floor doesn’t have any water.
Third person says they can’t find the leak but call them back if it is active again. Fourth person (same company as the first who didn’t walk into the bathroom and said they diagnosed the problem in said bathroom) says it’s the bathroom sink.
Then American Home Shield says the person said there was no leak. And then they claim there never was a leak and I made it up. So I refer back to all of the previous reports I got about this leak. But they refuse to give me ANY of the reports.
So finally I have to diagnosis the problem by climbing up into the ceiling myself. I take a video of the leak in progress. And I take photos of the damaged ceiling with the water.
Then this person, Holly **, claims she doesn’t see the leak happening in the video. She tells me she talked to the original contractor and they agreed they, “don’t like me” and she makes fun of me in several other ways (are you not smart enough to know what a leak is?”
“You are just trying to get upgrades ask for more than you can have.” “We (her and one contractor) have been laughing at you because you are such a looser.” “Call the BBB and the AG’s office because they won’t really help you and will take so long your house will be destroyed by your pretend leak.”
When I asked to see or be sent the contract, she refused. When I asked to see the contractors reports Holly said “You need a subpoena from a court of law.”
When I asked for a supervisor Holly said There are not supervisors. Next “They refuse to talk to you.” “I am the highest level you will ever reach.” “The supervisor will call you back“ (of course never happened). There is “no way to make a complaint at American home shield.”
"You are being difficult, trying to get a leak fixed when there is no leak” “It’s my job to make sure you do not get coverage.” "You aren't allowed to talk to anyone because you didn’t agree quickly enough (about 2 minutes) to be transferred again."
At this point she is screaming, “every contractor says there is no leak, you are the only one who claims there is a leak. When I sent the video of the leak she says she “can’t open it.” Then there were about 3 times she says she never got any photos or videos.
Then say says the video shows a pipe but it isn’t leaking. I did get a nice person months back but when I try to talk to her now she says the case was assigned to Holly because she was out one day. So I ask to work with her again since she is clearly working but she refuses.
I asked to work with anyone other than Holly and Holly tells me first there isn’t anyone else who does the job. Then she tells me, again, there are no supervisors at American home shield. Then she tells me she is above all of the supervisors. Then she tells me there is no such thing as “escalating the problem”.
I made a list of the number of times I called in and people told me they were “escalating “ this leak problem. So I didn’t make up the escalating concept. But then she tells me there is no escalating.
There have been so many times she outwardly laughed at me and called me names. And this does not even address the times I was hung up on, told some one would call me back or “transferred” to nowhere.
Also I was paying 50 dollar a month. Then one month they increased it to 61.99 (no idea or explanation for why) then a couple months later my monthly payment was increased to 84.99. When I asked about the increase I was told so many stories.
But many of them said they were charging me more so they didn’t have to charge me more for every visit. This, of course, makes no sense. The visits costs were already agreed upon.
I asked why I am being charged so much more than what they charge new customers for the same exact plan and they said it was because of inflation. I have used all of my vacation time on this unfixed leak. And I don’t want to get the dry all fixed until the leak has been fixed. But they won’t fix it.
Then Holly told me I had to pay for a new visit fee. The she told me I had to pay again for another 100 dollar visit fee because I had taken too long to get the problem fixed (which made me so so incredibly upset) as I would have given anything to get the leak fixed back in April when I started tying to get American Home Shield to fix it to begin with.
Someone PLEASE do something about this company and Holly ** in particular. She is complimented and proud of making sure customers do not get service. I guess she gets some bonus the more claims she denies.
They take denial of claims and customer disservice to an entirely new level. And sadly Holly is incredibly proud of this!
Jennifer H.
Baltimore, MD
March 30 2021 5:30PM
This company is the worse when you really need them. I was introduced to this company back in 1999 when I purchased a home. They were great then and I told several people about them. However, I didn't use them a lot, but they were always there when I needed them.
Fast forward to 5 years ago. I purchased another home and didn't think twice about selecting them again. For 4 years, I hardly used them, but now that I need them I really see what type of company they have become. It took them several months to replace my stove top. I call.
Shirley G.
Stamford, CT
November 21 2020 10:32PM
I've been with this company for five years and have two properties with them. Recently they have really and truly become impossible to deal with.
I submitted a request for someone to come out and fix my hot water heater on 11/02/2020. I was assigned a contractor that never called me and has never responded to any of my phone calls.
I've contacted AHS over 8 times via phone to either try and cancel the request or to try and get another contractor. They never never called me back, even though they always promise you they will return the call.
They refuse to let me cancel the service call even though nothing has been done. They also aren't letting me cancel my policy. I honestly have no idea what to do. The company really and truly is a scam. You always get someone different when you call. There is no responsibility at all.
Ana H.
Washington, DC
September 25 2020 5:28PM
This company is a complete scam. They sent a "plumber" to my house and charged me $100.00. The contractor (water works company, in northern California) was rude, unprofessional and a liar.
He said that fixing the stoppage on my sink was not going to be covered because it did not have a p-trap. I had to go online and google what a p-trap looked like in order to find out he was making stuff up. My sink DID have a p-trap and the stoppage was covered under my plan.
I fought for hours on the phone with their representatives in the Philippines and they always sided with the contractor. In the end they said that they were going to give me my $100.00 back but that was a lie too. I have been waiting over 2 weeks and nothing.
I then decided to cancel the contract and they had the audacity to charge me a cancellation fee of $49.99 and will not pro-rate my last payment. Do not sign up with this company. They will steal your money.
Karelia B.
NAPA, CA
September 03 2020 11:08PM
I’ve had a contract with AHS for 15 years on two houses. They have gone from mediocre to terrible. The hold time for a representative is from 1 hour to 2 hours. Then the representative speaks broken English and is rude and speaks while the customer is speaking.
They put you on hold and refuse to let you talk to a supervisor. Then after 2 hours on the phone, they “drop” the call and do not call you back. So you start all over again. Then they are totally unreasonable about what they won’t cover.
If you are fortunate enough to get a technician/repairman who actually knows how to talk to them and will not back down about what is or should be covered, ask for that company the next time you need service on that system.
I spent over 8 hours total on the phone with them over a $150 ceiling fan that they refused to cover. Talking to them turns me into someone I don’t want to be.
My husband says for me to just cancel the contract. Have you ever tried to cancel their contract? You need an attorney to cancel. My advice - JUST DON’T!!!!
Alice L.
Cape Carteret, NC
August 07 2020 3:31PM
American Home Shield is a very poor company to be with. Pay $47.99 every month and pay for a service call to get someone come out to your home is $125.
And then when you do get the contractors to come out they don't do the job correctly so American Home Shield I've been calling them ever since June to get the company back out here to my home to fix my AC unit and left message and email also.
They're not answering any of the messages at all so finally here just the other day which was August 6th a 2020 I had a new customer to come out and they did not wants to do the job that the first contractor did which is A1 construction service out of Greer South Carolina.
And I don't blame her so I called back and told American Home Shield what was my problem and don't you know they sent a email back to A1 construction company and they call and they still not answering their messages.
And I told them, "Why y'all still begging them for their business? Get rid of them because they're no good. Then making your company go down" and I myself been wanting my air condition fix and they put you on the phone forever and forever.
Then when they get on the phone you do not understand their English and I am really really pissed off and upset about how I've been treated as a customer with American Home Shield and they want me to write their customer service holiday Wars.
To me it's not customer service that doing. It is American Home Shield and I don't fault the customer service. I fault American Home Shield because they're not doing nothing about it so today Imma call them again and see how they keep me on the phone.
I'll get me a clear English person on the phone. I just don't understand this company any and if y'all go with American Home Shield please ask them who are they sending out to your home and I've been with them since 2015.
Also they wants to give me $75 back on to my account because of my position I'm in with air conditioning and I told them, "You ought to give me my money back all $195 that I paid for freon from A1 construction service in Greer South Carolina."
I advise no one to get a contract with American home shield. They will change your payments because I had a friend ran into some problems and she want to change her due date and they wouldn't unless they pay the money up front or head I'm 2 months.
And I told her that is ridiculous advise no one please no one. And last I told them to stop begging that same company to come by. Get someone else please or get rid of them.
Pearllina J.
Laurens, SC
July 08 2020 1:52PM
Horrible company. The customer service is a joke. Can't get through with a phone call, on hold for 3 hours, then hung up on. The reps are rude and have no idea how to help you. Very few actually speak English.
They hire F rated, through the BBB, contractors that don't know what they are doing, put in used or defective parts, and leave you hanging. My oven has been under repair for 7 months and it's still not fixed. They take your money, but you get nothing in return.
Mary J.
Midland, TX
July 08 2020 5:18AM
Totally disappointed! Both washer and refrigerator were worked on, neither work properly. Washer is making a loud noise and refrigerator is leaking water.
A company by the name of Express was sent to repair both, very poor service. I cancelled the service. AHS took my monthly payment but when I needed the repairs, they failed me.
Cynthia W.
Covington, LA
July 06 2020 7:02PM
American Home Shield is not a reliable Insurance company, they are not responding to customers complaints, and their service is one of the worst anyone can experience.
The company and customers care are located in the Philippines even though they advertise to be in the U.S.A.
Their service people are the worst, they send a Technician for the microwave, he said it needed a new door, it was ordered and then a different technician came to install it, and he couldn't. Then he said we needed to replace the microwave.
The technician was supposed to be from Sears, but it was from A&E company services. After their visit to my home, they never submitted a report back to AHS and after several more phones call to American Home, they said, someone will call me from contractor relations.
Lousy technicians!! And lousy customer service.!! I have been dealing with a microwave repair for over a month and no-one is resolving anything. I would not pay for this insurance company, it is trash!!!