American Home Shield was founded in 1971. It provides coverage everywhere, except in Alaska. AHS is the largest home warranty company with over 1,600 employees and counting. Its customer service network is readily available to provide assistance. It’s an awesome alternative for those who want to protect a variety of home systems and appliances.
Most homeowners are opting for home warranty companies because the system and appliance repairs will be covered with a flat monthly rate.
American Home Shield offers three plans which you can choose from, i.e. Appliances Plan, Systems Plan, and Combo Plan.
Pricing depends on where you live, the type of plan you choose, and how many extra services you include in your plan. When I called for pricing, here are the estimates I was given.
Coverage Plans and Pricing
American Home Shield offers several home warranty plans to meet the needs of homeowners, real estate professionals, and people selling their houses.
With American Home Shield, you can choose to pay for your warranty monthly or annually. The cost of your home warranty is affected by a few things, including home type, location, and coverage level. Although it would be nice to have cost estimates easily accessible online, you can request quotes from American Home Shield’s website.
Although some key cost information is limited online, you can see maintenance service fees associated with American Home Shield’s warranties for homeowners. Pricing information for the company’s other plans is much more difficult to find without contacting American Home Shield directly.
Planholders can choose a Trade Service Call Fee when they purchase a warranty. The service fee amount you choose will affect the cost of your warranty. The higher the fee, the lower your warranty cost. The lower the fee, the higher your warranty cost.
We’ll cover all of American Home Shield’s plans and obtainable cost information below.
- Plans for homeowners
- Plans for real estate professionals
- Seller coverage option
Plans for Homeowners
Homeowners can choose from three plan options: ShieldSilver™, ShieldGold™, and ShieldPlatinum™. These plans do not require maintenance records or a home inspection.
Customers benefit from a 30-day workmanship guarantee that ensures that the repairs made when you make a claim are well done.
All American Home Shield members also benefit from discounts on appliances and can receive $25 for referring friends.
ShieldSilver™ Plan
The ShieldSilver™ plan covers heating and cooling systems, a home’s electrical systems, and plumbing systems.
For additional protection, you can add coverage for pools, inground spas, a septic pump, a well pump, and a guest unit. You can also include roof leak repair and an electronics protection plan. Roof leak repair coverage may not be available in all states.
American Home Shield’s electronics warranty plan offers coverage for your personal electronics including home theater, computers, printers, tablets, and more when this equipment has defects or experiences mechanical or electrical failure from normal wear and tear.
With the electronics warranty, you’ll also benefit from power surge protection and technical support. This protection plan does not require registrations or receipts to issue coverage and has an online claim process. Unfortunately, the electronics warranty is not available in California.
ShieldGold™ Plan
The ShieldGold™ plan covers the same systems that the ShieldSilver™ plan does and includes coverage for kitchen appliances and laundry appliances.
With this plan, you’ll have the same options for additional coverage as with the ShieldSilver™ plan.
ShieldSiver™ and ShieldGold™ Cost
Maintenance service fees with the ShieldSilver™ and ShieldGold™ plans are as follows:
- Trade Service Call Fee — $75, $100, or $125
- Rekey — $100
- HVAC tune-up — $75
- Air filter delivery — starts at $5.25 per air filter
Planholders also benefit from no cap on system repairs and coverage for refrigerants at $10 per pound.
ShieldGold™ plan members also have a $3,000 per appliance coverage limit.
ShieldPlatinum™ Plan
For even more protection, you can choose the ShieldPlatinum™ plan. This warranty plan builds on the ShieldGold™ plan’s coverage by including roof leak repair coverage, an HVAC tune-up, and code violation and permit coverage.
You can also add coverage for pools, inground spas, septic pumps, well pumps, and a guest unit. The electronics protection plan is also available with the ShieldPlatinum™ plan.
ShieldPlatinum™ Cost
Maintenance service fees with the Shield Platinum™ plan are below:
- Trade service call fee — $75, $100, or $125
- Rekey — $100
- HVAC tune-up — one included with the plan
- Air filter delivery — starts at $5.25 per air filter
ShieldPlatinum™ members also benefit from unlimited refrigerant coverage, $1,500 for roof leak repairs, unlimited coverage for systems, $6,000 per appliance, and $1,000 per year for code violations, permits, and modifications.
Plans for Real Estate Professionals
Like homeowners, real estate professionals can choose from three warranty plan options: ShieldEssential™, ShieldPlus™, and ShieldComplete™.
ShieldEssential™ Plan
The ShieldEssential™ offers protection for air conditioning, heating, ductwork, plumbing, electrical systems, water heaters, insufficiently maintained equipment, refrigerant (recapture, reclaim, and disposal), removal of defective equipment, and rekeying.
This plan also covers failure related to rust, corrosion, undetectable pre-existing conditions, mismatched systems, and improper installations, repairs, and modifications. You’ll also benefit from $250 for each contract term in coverage for permit fees and code violations.
ShieldPlus™ Plan
The ShieldPlus™ plan offers similar coverage and includes laundry appliances and kitchen appliances.
ShieldComplete™
With the ShieldComplete™ plan, you’ll have the most coverage. This plan offers the same coverage as the ShieldPlus plan™ and includes ceiling fans, telephone wiring, doorbells, garage door openers, instant hot and cold water dispensers, and built-in fans (exhaust, attic, and whole-house fans).
Additional Coverage Options
With any of these warranty plans, real estate professionals can add coverage for good pumps, septic system pumping, septic sewage ejector pumps, swimming pool equipment, spa equipment, saltwater equipment, and up to four refrigerators. In Texas, you can add coverage for subterranean termites as a home buyer or seller.
Seller Coverage Option
Seller coverage is available to qualifying homeowners with an American Home Shield warranty already in place. Details regarding eligibility requirements beyond already having an American Home Shield Warranty are limited online.
This seller coverage offers protection for your home while it’s on the market for up to six months with the potential to renew. You won’t have to pay for the warranty coverage until you close on the sale. While your home is listed, you’ll benefit from up to $2,000 on covered repairs and replacements.
If you’re considering this additional coverage while selling your home, pay attention to the limitations and exclusions of the plan.
Contract Information
A standard home warranty contract with American Home Shield is 12 months. The seller coverage plan option is six months and may be renewed.
Exclusions and Limitations
Home warranties are meant to cover damage from normal wear and tear. American Home Shield warranties cover normal wear and tear, poor maintenance, rust, corrosion, sediment, mismatched systems, and undetectable pre-existing conditions. The warranties also cover damage from mistakes with installations, repairs, and modifications.
Plans do not offer coverage when damage is covered by the manufacturer, distributor, builder, or an extended warranty. American Home Shield’s warranties are also only for residential buildings, not commercial buildings or homes used as business locations.
For more information on exclusions and limitations, American Home Shield offers a sample contract online for each type of coverage it offers. This transparency makes it easy to research and understand terms and conditions before purchasing a warranty.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel your home warranty at any time by calling American Home Shield. However, some fees may apply depending on when you cancel.
If you cancel within the first 30 days of your warranty, you’ll receive your contract fees minus the cost of any service and claims received.
If you cancel after the first 30 days, you’ll receive prorated contract fees for the remainder of the contract term minus the cost of any service or claims. Depending on where you live, you may also be charged an administration fee (up to one month’s payment). This fee will usually be subtracted from your refund of prorated contract fees.
If you’re selling your home, you can transfer the warranty to the new buyer. You’ll also need to call American Home Shield to complete the transfer.
American Home Shield is a recommended company for the breadth of its warranty plan offerings and high customer ratings.
Whether you’re a homeowner or in real estate, American Home Shield offers a home warranty to meet your needs. You’ll be able to choose from plans with varying levels of coverage and have the ability to add coverage if needed. The array of options and ability to customize your plans make it easy to find a good plan.
American Home Shield is a top-rated company thanks to the positive customer reviews it has received. Reviewers are generally satisfied with the coverage, service, and response times they received from American Home Shield.
As you consider an American Home Shield warranty, pay attention to limitations and exclusions, and be aware of the issues that you may experience working with the company revealed in customer reviews. Many of these concerns could arise with any other home warranty company, and it’s a good sign that most of American Home Shield’s reviews demonstrate positive experiences.
Since minimal information about cost is available online, you’ll also want to ask questions about pricing and compare these quotes to other companies. As you compare costs, note differences in plans and coverage to make a fair comparison.
