Do you want a comprehensive and complete home warranty, or a budget-friendly option that covers the basics? That’s what you need to decide when comparing Choice Home Insurance and American Home Shield.
In this guide, we compare Choice Home Warranty and American Home Shield, analyzing plans, coverage, costs, and customer experience to help you choose the right home warranty for your home.
Which is right for you: American Home Shield or Choice Home Insurance?
American Home Shield and Choice HomeWarranty both offer great coverage, but the difference is in the level of coverage and cost. AHS is more comprehensive, with member benefits to help you maintain your home systems and appliances. Still, Choice offers more affordable plans with higher coverage limits.
It becomes your priority. If you want complete peace of mind, American Home Shield is the way to go. But if you want coverage without spending a lot of money, Choice Home Insurance is a great option.
Overview of Choice Home Insurance and American Home Shield
American Home Shield and Choice HomeWarranty are both well-known names in the home warranty industry, but they cater to a variety of homeowner priorities.
American Home Shield (AHS) offers three tiered plans with unique benefits such as extensive coverage, higher coverage limits, and protection against unknown pre-existing conditions and statutory violations. Its ShieldPlatinum plan adds benefits like roof leak coverage and HVAC tune-ups, making AHS a great choice for homeowners looking for comprehensive protection. However, these benefits come at a high monthly fee, and service fees may vary depending on plan customization.
Choice HomeWarranty (CHW), on the other hand, focuses on affordability and simplicity. With just two plan options, the Basic Plan and the Total Plan, CHW provides important coverage at nearly half the cost of AHS’s top plan. Although there are no premium benefits and strict exclusions, the low price and wide range of add-ons make it attractive to budget-conscious homeowners.
| home warranty provider | Number of plans | average plan cost | Upper limit of scope | Annual compensation limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| american home shield | 3 | $50 to $100 per month | Up to $5,000 for systems and up to $4,000 per appliance | $50,000 |
| choice home guarantee | 2 | $47 to $55 per month | $3,000 per qualifying item | Unlimited (maximum compensation per item) |
Compare Choice Home Warranty and American Home Shield plans and coverage
Plan options
American Home Shield offers homeowners three plans to choose from: a system plan, an appliance plan, and a combo plan. These options make it easy to choose the coverage you need for your home.
- Shield silver: 19 home systems (heating, cooling, electrical, plumbing systems).
- shield gold: 28 home systems and appliances (ShieldSilver and kitchen and laundry appliances);
- Shield Platinum: Includes 28 home systems and appliances, plus leaky roof repair, free HVAC tune-ups, violations and permits, and other member benefits.
Choice HomeWarranty only offers two plan options: a basic plan that includes most home systems, and a more comprehensive plan that covers everything. Basic plans don’t include common coverage items like refrigerators and washers/dryers, so most homeowners end up choosing a more comprehensive plan just to cover that appliance.
- Basic plan: Includes heating system, electrical system, plumbing system/stops, water heater, whirlpool bathtub, oven/range/stove, cooktop, built-in microwave, garbage disposal, ductwork, garage door opener, ceiling/exhaust fan.
- Total plan: Includes everything in the basic plan plus air conditioning, refrigerator, and washer/dryer.
Add-on options
Because American Home Shield’s plans cover so much, they don’t offer many add-ons. With ShieldPlatinum, you get $1,000 of roof leak protection, which must be added separately to lower-tier plans. Other add-ons for American Home Shield include:
- Electronic equipment protection plan
- Pool and built-in spa facilities
- guest unit
- septic tank pump
- well pump
Choice HomeWarranty has 11 add-ons that further enhance your ability to customize your home warranty plan. The company’s add-on options are similar to those offered by most other home warranty providers, and at $3.33 to $15 per month, it’s more affordable than American Home Shield.
- Pool/spa equipment
- Limited roof leakage
- additional spa
- freestanding freezer
- central vacuum
- sprinkler system
- second refrigerator
- well pump
- purification system
- drain pump
- Septic tank pumping
Coverage limitations
Both American Home Shield and Choice HomeWarranty have competitive coverage limits that are higher than most other providers’ limits. Typically, you would expect coverage limits to be around $2,000 for appliances and about the same for systems, but both of these providers exceed that.
The main difference between the two home warranty companies is the total (annual) coverage limit. Choice has no actual annual limit. Instead, each eligible item is subject to a $3,000 limit. This means you can claim compensation for every item under your contract and don’t have to worry about overall compensation caps.
With a $50,000 limit, American Home Shield has the highest annual coverage limits in the home warranty industry. Although this total applies to all claims, it is still unlikely to reach this total within a 12-month period.
Exclusions
American Home Shield’s claim to fame is that it covers unknown pre-existing conditions. This means that if you have a problem with either your system or appliance that you didn’t know about before coverage began, you can still file a claim. The Choice Home warranty doesn’t have that luxury.
If you choose American Home Shield’s ShieldPlatinum plan, you also get $250 for code violations, permits, and changes, which Choice excludes. Beyond these differences, you can expect typical exclusions from both of these providers.
Both providers require you to wait 30 days before you can file a claim.
Compare the costs of Choice Home Warranty and American Home Shield
planned cost
Choice Home Insurance is a more affordable home warranty than American Home Shield, especially in its top-tier coverage. In fact, with Choice, you get complete appliance and system coverage for almost half the cost. Even the Choice HomeWarranty add-on isn’t half the cost of American Home Shield, or even cheaper.
However, you get what you pay for. Choice’s total plan is more budget-friendly but comes with only 19 home systems and appliances, while American Home Shield’s ShieldPlatinum comes with 28 home systems and appliances, plus about a dozen additional member benefits.
| home warranty provider | plan cost | additional charges |
|---|---|---|
| american home shield | $50 to $100 per month | $5 to $24 per month per add-on |
| choice home guarantee | $47-55 per month | $3.33 to $15/month per add-on |
Service call fee
American Home Shield and Choice HomeWarranty both have a $100 service fee option, so they’re comparable in this regard. However, while Choice automatically charges this call charge, AHS only offers it if you are willing to pay an additional $10 per month. With American Home Shield’s promotional pricing, there is a hefty $125 service fee for each home warranty claim.
discount options
In addition to seasonal promotions, American Home Shield offers discounts for active military and veterans, AARP members, and those seeking multi-property coverage.
Choice HomeWarranty has seasonal promotions and sales, making it difficult to purchase a home warranty without automatic discounts. If you’re lucky, you might get a monthly discount for the first year, locking in your service calls as low as $45. That’s $30 less than the industry average.
Choice Home Warranty and American Home Shield Claims Process
American Home Shield offers flexibility in the claims process and faster response times. Choice Home Insurance, on the other hand, has a simpler, lower-cost structure, but with more stringent maintenance requirements.
Both providers offer 24/7 online claims processing, but the experience is slightly different.
American Home Shield:
- Claims can be made online or by phone.
- AHS typically assigns a contractor within 24 hours.
- You can track your claim status through the AHS portal.
- Service call costs range from $100 to $125 depending on your plan and options selected.
Choice Home Warranty:
- Claims are made online or by phone.
- CHW typically dispatches a technician within 48 hours.
- Service call fee is fixed at $100
- CHW requires you to report problems promptly and may deny claims of improper maintenance.
Homeowner reviews of Choice Home Insurance and American Home Shield
As is often the case in the home warranty industry, customer feedback for both companies is mixed. American Home Shield is generally praised for its comprehensive coverage and flexibility. However, some customers report occasional delays in contractor response. This issue may vary by location.
Choice HomeWarranty, on the other hand, is praised for its affordable prices and easy-to-understand plans that appeal to homeowners on a budget. Still, reviews often mention stricter exclusions and slower claim processing during peak periods, which can mean longer repairs to your home systems and appliances.
| housing guarantee company | Trustpilot rating | Google review rating | Business Bureau Better Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| american home shield | 4.1 | 3.0 | B |
| choice home guarantee | 4.0 | 3.0 | B |
Trustpilot, Google Review, and BBB data is accurate as of March 2026.
Choice Home Warranty and American Home Shield Availability
American Home Shield is available in every state except Alaska, and Choice offers plans in every state except Washington.
Enter your zip code in the map below to see what plans are available in your area.
How USA Today rates Choice Home Insurance and American Home Shield
The USA TODAY team independently ranks and reviews all home warranty companies we consider for our Top 10 list. We use an in-house methodology that compares costs, plans, coverages, exclusions, and more.
FAQ
Is the Choice Home Warranty the same as the American Home Warranty?
No, Choice HomeWarranty and First American HomeWarranty are two different providers.
Is there a lawsuit against Choice HomeWarranty?
Choice Home Insurance faces allegations of deceptive conduct, false advertising and malicious claim denial. A class action lawsuit has been filed alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regarding nuisance calls.
Is American Home Shield the best home warranty?
American Home Shield ranks among the top 10 home warranty providers, as rated by the USA TODAY team. Ranks highly for comprehensive coverage and high coverage limits.
