Pros
- Payouts of up to $4,000 per covered appliance
- Includes coverage for issues such as rust, corrosion, and sediment damage
- Protects wider range of appliances by including pro-series appliance
Cons
- Relatively more expensive
- Offers only five additional coverage options that can limit coverage flexibility
About American Home Shield
American Home Shield Corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, is an established American home warranty company. With its inception dating back to 1971, American Home Shield boasts over five decades of experience in the home warranty sector. The company is renowned for its extensive coverage and top-notch customer service. At present, it offers three distinct home warranty plans that encompass 23 significant home systems and appliances. It’s worth noting that American Home Shield’s services are not available in Alaska, Hawaii, or New York City.
American Home Shield Plans
American Home Shield provides three distinct plans to cater to different household needs, each covering essential systems and appliances:
- ShieldSilver: Designed to cover critical home systems, including air conditioning and electrical systems, ensuring protection for key components that keep your home running smoothly.
- ShieldGold: This plan offers coverage for both systems and home appliances, encompassing items like cooktops and refrigerators, providing a comprehensive safeguard for a wide range of essential household items.
- ShieldPlatinum: Offering the most comprehensive coverage, this plan includes protection for both systems and appliances. Additionally, it includes roof-leak repair coverage, a complimentary HVAC tune-up, and coverage for code violation fees, making it an all-encompassing option for homeowners.
ShieldSilver
The ShieldSilver plan, which starts at $29.99 per month, provides coverage for several critical components of your home, including the air conditioner, heating unit, electrical systems and accessories, and plumbing systems and accessories.
One noteworthy advantage of this coverage tier is the absence of dollar limits on the covered components of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. Many other companies place caps on their coverage, typically around $1,500, potentially resulting in additional out-of-pocket costs for homeowners.
ShieldGold
Available at a starting cost of $49.99 per month, the ShieldGold plan provides coverage that encompasses everything included in the ShieldSilver plan, with the same generous limits. Additionally, it extends protection to include nine extra kitchen and laundry appliances, such as refrigerators, ovens, clothes washer/dryers, and more. This comprehensive coverage ensures that a wide range of essential household items are safeguarded under this plan.
Under the ShieldGold plan, every individual appliance is covered up to a substantial limit of $3,000. This limit provides homeowners with flexibility and a considerable margin during the claims process. A $3,000 coverage limit is considered fairly typical, ensuring that valuable appliances can be adequately protected and repaired or replaced as needed.
ShieldPlatinum
Priced at $69.99 per month, the ShieldPlatinum plan offers an all-inclusive package, encompassing the coverage provided by ShieldSilver and ShieldGold, with no change in rates. In addition to this, it includes a range of supplementary benefits, such as coverage for roof leak repairs and unlimited A/C refrigerant. A noteworthy feature of the ShieldPlatinum plan is that the appliance coverage cap is doubled, now offering protection of up to $6,000 per appliance.
Coverage Limits
American Home Shield offers various coverage caps to provide a clear understanding of the financial limits within their plans. In all their plans, there’s a $5,000 limit per covered system, ensuring substantial protection for essential home systems. Major appliances are paired with a $2,000 coverage limit. In the case of the ShieldPlatinum plan, which is their most comprehensive offering, the appliance coverage limit is doubled to $4,000 per covered item, allowing for even more extensive protection.
American Home Shield goes above and beyond in its coverage by addressing unique conditions that some other providers might exclude. Notably, they provide coverage for items affected by rust, corrosion, sediment damage, and even preexisting conditions. Furthermore, American Home Shield’s policies don’t mandate a home inspection before granting coverage
While American Home Shield offers comprehensive coverage for many aspects of your home, it’s important to be aware of their coverage exclusions. Some of these exclusions include routine maintenance, construction costs, mold and mildew removal, manufacturing defects, and more.
American Home Shield Pricing
American Home Shield’s home warranty prices tend to be on the higher side when compared to industry averages. The cost of your plan can vary based on several factors, including your location, the type of plan you select, and the number of add-ons you choose to include in your coverage. For instance, if you reside in a state with severe weather conditions or if your home exceeds 5,000 square feet, the plan’s cost may be higher.
American Home Shield offers a range of monthly plan costs, typically falling between $29 and $90 per month. However, it’s important to note that these prices do not include the service call fees, which are typically set at $100 or $125 per service request, depending on the plan you choose.
| Plan | $100 Trade Call Fee | $125 Trade Call Fee |
| ShieldSilver | $29.99 | $39.99 |
| ShieldGold | $49.99 | $59.99 |
| ShieldPlatinum | $79.99 | $89.99 |
How to File a Claim?
To file a claim with American Home Shield, you have the option to request service online or by phone. If you choose to request service online, you can follow these four steps:
- Log in to your account on the American Home Shield website or access the Request Service page and provide your contract details.
- Identify the items that require service, and this is the primary information required for your claim. Once you’ve made your selections, you can proceed to submit your request.
- Pay Your Trade Service Call Fee: Prior to the assignment of a technician to your case, you’ll need to make the payment for your pre-elected service call fee.
- After submitting your request, American Home Shield will typically provide confirmation of the service visit. Along with this confirmation, you’ll usually receive your technician’s contact information, allowing you to arrange an appointment for the service or repair.
Conclusion
American Home Shield distinguishes itself by providing home warranty plans with substantial limits on repairs and replacements, as well as additional benefits. These features often result in slightly higher monthly premiums compared to some competitors. However, American Home Shield also offers flexibility with trade fee prices, allowing customers to have more control over their monthly expenses.
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