Item: American Home Shield
Rating: 4.4

Top Rated For

The Best Home Warranty Companies

American Home Shield was one of the first companies in the United States to establish home warranties to help protect homeowners against the high cost of home repairs. The company has 50 years of experience in the business, giving it a solid reputation among its competitors.

We’ve taken a close look at American Home Shield (AHS) to see how its home warranty plans measure up. Some of the criteria we examined included the number and type of home warranty plans, plan costs, exclusions, payout caps, and how it compares to the competition. Keep reading to see if AHS is a good fit for your home warranty needs.

Company Overview

American Home Shield was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. It has the distinction of being the first home warranty company in the U.S. It offers nationwide coverage with three homeowner options and three real estate plans.

Homeowner Plans

AHS offers three home warranty plans; its ShieldPlatinum, ShieldGold, and ShieldSilver plans. You can also purchase add-ons as a way to further customize your plan.

Appliances/Systems	ShieldPlatinum^TM	ShieldGold^TM	ShieldSilver^TM
Air Conditioning w/Ductwork	✓	✓	✓
Heating w/Ductwork	✓	✓	✓
Built-In Exhaust, Vent & Attic Fans	✓	✓	✓
Electrical	✓	✓	✓
Interior Electrical Lines	✓	✓	✓
Main Breaker & Fuse Panel Box	✓	✓	✓
Ceiling Fans	✓	✓	✓
Interior Plumbing Lines	✓	✓	✓
Toilets	✓	✓	✓
Whirlpool Tub Motor & Components	✓	✓	✓
Faucets & Valves	✓	✓	✓
Water Heaters	✓	✓	✓
Garbage Disposals	✓	✓
Instant H/C Water Dispensers	✓	✓
Refrigerators	✓	✓
Ranges/Ovens/Cooktops	✓	✓
Clothes Washers	✓	✓
Clothes Dryers	✓	✓
Dishwashers	✓	✓
Built-in Microwave Ovens	✓	✓
Roof Leak Repair	✓

Add-Ons

In addition to the three plans available from American Home Shield, you can also purchase add-ons to customize your warranty plan.

Electronics Protection Plan
TVs
Desktops/Laptops
Tablets
Printers
Home theater systems
Smart home products
Headphones
Video game consoles and controllers
Pool or Spa
Above-ground components
Pool sweep motor and pump
Pump Motor
Blower motor and timer
Plumbing pipes and wiring
Plumbing and electrical
Guest Units
Guest and rental units under 750 square feet
Septic Pump
Mainline stoppages that can be cleared through existing access or without excavation
One septic pumping during the contract
Sewage ejector pump for septic system only
Well Pump
All components of the well pump utilized as a source of water to the home

You can also add a rekey service to any plan for $100 extra a year, allowing you to rekey up to six keyholes with the delivery of four keys on previously installed and functioning non-electric doorknobs and deadbolts on the hinged doors used for accessing your covered property.

Roof leak repairs are included with a $1,500 per year coverage limit in the ShieldPlatinum tier, but this coverage can be purchased for the ShieldSilver and ShieldGold plans. This add-on will also have a $1,500 a year coverage limit.

You can also purchase a discounted heat or AC tune-up plan for an extra $75 a year for the ShieldSilver and ShieldGold plans. The tune-up plan is included with the ShieldPlatinum package.

Homeowner Plan Pricing

We obtained quotes in several states to help you compare plan prices. Trade service call fee options are $75, $100, and $125. This fee is like a deductible, so choosing a higher trade service call fee lowers your monthly payment.

Choose a higher trade service fee to keep your monthly payments down.

State	ShieldPlatinum	ShieldGold	ShieldSilver
California	$736.52/year	$424.88/year	$234.88/year
Florida	$719.88/year	$539.88/year	$419.88/year
Texas	$799.09/year	$541.12/year	$273.21/year

Real Estate Plans

AHS offers three real estate plans; ShieldEssential, ShieldPlus, and ShieldComplete. The Trade Service Fee is $75 for all real estate plans. Consumers should be sure to talk to their Realtor during the escrow process. Sellers can use them as a powerful negotiation tool and buyers can get better pricing if they need to purchase it.

Appliances/Systems	ShieldComplete^SM	ShieldPlus^SM	ShieldEssential^SM
Air Conditioning w/Ductwork	✓	✓	✓
Heating w/Ductwork	✓	✓	✓
Plumbing (including stoppages)	✓	✓	✓
Electrical	✓	✓	✓
Water Heaters	✓	✓	✓
Clothes Washers	✓	✓
Clothes Dryers	✓	✓
Refrigerators	✓	✓
Built-in Microwave Ovens	✓	✓
Dishwashers	✓	✓
Garbage Disposals	✓	✓
Ranges/Ovens/Cooktops	✓	✓
Ceiling Fans	✓	✓	✓
Doorbells	✓	✓	✓
Garage Door Openers	✓	✓	✓
Instant H/C Water Dispensers	✓	✓	✓
Built-in Exhaust, Attic, Whole House Fans	✓	✓	✓

Exclusions

A complete list of terms and exclusions can be found in the sample contract. While these appliances or systems may be covered in your plan, the parts or conditions listed below are excluded from coverage. The number and type of exclusions from American Home Shield are somewhat better than average compared to other home warranty providers.

System/Appliance	Exclusions
Air Conditioning and Ductwork	Outside or underground piping, well pump, and well pump components for geothermal and/or water source heat pump; window units; water towers; chillers, chiller components, and water lines; legally mandated diagnostic testing when replacing heating or cooling equipment.
Heating and Ductwork	Outside or underground piping, well pump, and well pump components for geothermal and/or water source heat pump, fuel storage tanks, portable units, fireplace, grain, pellet, or wood heating units (even if only source of heating); legally mandated diagnostic testing when replacing heating or cooling equipment.
Electrical	Audio/video/computer/intercom/alarm or security wiring or cable; telephone wiring; faceplates; and circuit overload.
Plumbing (including stoppages)	Stoppages caused by collapsed, damaged or broken drain, vent or sewer lines outside the home's main foundation; lines broken, infiltrated or stopped by roots or foreign objects, even if within the home's main foundation; bathtubs; sinks; showers, shower enclosures and base pans; toilet lids and seats; jets; caulking or grouting; septic tanks; water filtration/purification system; holding or storage tanks ; saunas or steam rooms; costs to locate or access cleanouts not found or inaccessible, or to install cleanouts; access through roof vents.
Water Heaters	Auxiliary holding or storage tanks; noise; fuel storage tank and energy conservation unit.
Garage Door Opener	Garage doors; garage door track assemblies
Rekey	Lockout or lock-picking services.
Refrigerators	Free standing freezer; multimedia centers; wine chillers.
Pool and Spas	Portable or above ground spas; access to pool and spa equipment; lights; liners ; jets; ornamental fountains, waterfalls, and their pumping systems; auxiliary pumps; pool cover and related equipment; fill line and fill valves; built-in or detachable cleaning equipment including, without limitation, pool sweeps, pop-up heads, turbo valves, skimmers, chlorinators, and ionizers; fuel storage tanks; disposable filtration mediums; heat pump; multimedia centers; dehumidifiers; salt water generators and components.
Well Pump	Above or underground piping, cable or electrical lines leading to or from the well pump, including those that are located within the well casing; well casings; pressure switches not located on the pump; holding, storage, or pressure tanks; booster pumps; redrilling of wells; well pump and all well pump components for geothermal and/or water source heat pumps.
Septic Pump	Broken or collapsed sewer lines outside the foundation; stoppages or roots that prevent the effective use of any externally applied sewer machine cable; cost of finding or gaining access to the septic tank or sewer hook-ups; disposal of waste; chemical treatment of the septic tank and/or sewer lines; tanks; leach lines; cesspool; any mechanical pump or systems.

Payout Caps

Every home warranty company institutes payout caps for covered systems or appliances. Here's a breakdown by homeowner tier of American Home Shield's payout caps.

Plan	AC Refrigerant	Roof Leak Repair	Systems	Appliances
ShieldPlatinum	Unlimited	$1,500/year	Unlimited	$6,000/appliance
ShieldGold	$10 lb covered	Add-on	Unlimited	$3,000/appliance
ShieldSilver	$10 lb covered	Add-on	Unlimited	Not covered

Additionally, the ShieldPlatinum plan provides up to $1,000 for code violations, permits, and modifications.

Repair Time

A service technician will be initiated within 48 hours after you request service from AHS. The company will make its best effort to expedite those repairs it deems to be of an emergency. You may request expedited service for non-emergency repairs if a service contractor is available for an additional fee.

Real Estate Plan Pricing

Trade Service Call Fee for all real estate plans is $75. The pricing of plans is on a yearly basis.

Purchasing a real estate homeowners home warranty plan can protect home buyers from unexpected repair costs after moving in and also provides sellers an added layer of protection from liability issues. Many times a discount is available for purchasing a home warranty plan within 30 days of closing on a home. This discount is an added savings over purchasing a home warranty plan outside of a real estate transaction.

Talk to your Realtor when buying a home to see if the sellers are willing to buy the home warranty plan for you as part of escrow closing.

A California homeowners plan outside of a real estate transaction is roughly $736 annually for the most comprehensive package compared to the $750 yearly option of the most comprehensive option for a real estate homeowners warranty plan. The waiting period for homeowners plans is 30 days and the real estate home warranty plan goes into effect upon the completion of the home closing.

State	ShieldComplete	ShieldPlus	ShieldEssential
California	$750	$590	$400
Texas	$775	$600	$450
Florida	$725	$600	$425

Customer Service/Claims

You can file a claim online by clicking on the request service button on the website, or you can call (844) 491-8810. If there's a problem with your claim or the repair was not to your satisfaction, you can call (855) 628-5025. If you need to change your plan, you can do so 60 days after purchasing your plan by calling (855) 628-5025.

Additionally, you can cancel your plan at any time. If you cancel within the first 30 days of purchase, you'll receive your contract fees, minus any service or claims incurred by AHS. If you cancel after those 30 days, you'll receive a pro-rated refund of your contract fees for the rest of the contract term, minus an administrative fee of up to one month's payment and any service or claims costs incurred by American Home Shield. It's important to note that these cancellation terms vary from state to state.

Final Verdict

The company has more than 50 years of experience and a favorable customer service record. AHS has fewer payment caps than other home warranty companies we reviewed. Its plan flexibility and excellent reputation make American Home Shield a great choice when considering home repair coverage options.

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Methodology

We reviewed the top 25 home warranty companies representing the vast majority of the overall market share based on 875 data points we collected. This data was collected through online and direct company phone and email outreach across a total of 35 scoring criteria.

A customer survey comprised of 538 current, past, and prospective home warranty customers offered valuable input about the criteria the meant the most to them when choosing a provider.

Read our complete methodology.

American Home Shield Review

American Home Shield offers three solid plans and generous appliance caps