American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty (2020)
Are you thinking about purchasing a home warranty with American Home Shield or Amazon Home Warranty? These are two of the best home warranty companies in the industry, offering coverage plans that protect your systems and appliances from expensive repairs. Keep reading our American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty comparison to learn more about each provider’s plans, pricing, and customer reviews.
American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty: Side-by-Side Comparison
Comparison | American Home Shield | Amazon Home Warranty |
---|---|---|
Comparison | American Home Shield | Amazon Home Warranty |
This Old House rating | 9.5/10 | 9.1/10 |
Get a free quote | Visit site | Visit site |
Coverage options | Systems, Appliances, Combo, Build-Your-Own, and optional add-ons | Systems, Appliances, Combo, and optional add-ons |
Monthly premiums | $50–$60 per month | $40–$49 per month |
Service fee | $75–$125 | $75 |
State availability | 49 states (all except Alaska) | 45 states (all except California, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Washington) |
BBB rating | B | B |
Years in business | 48 | 10 |
Pros and Cons of American Home Shield
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Pros | Cons |
Offers customizable coverage through the Build-Your-Own Plan | Doesn’t cover Alaska |
Customers can receive discounts on name brand appliances | Is more expensive than Amazon Home Warranty |
Provides generous coverage caps on major systems and appliances |
American Home Shield is one of the most well-known home warranty providers in the industry and offers four different coverage plans to homeowners. To receive $50 off of a new plan, call American Home Shield at 844-529-9298 or fill out this form.
Pros and Cons of Amazon Home Warranty
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Pros | Cons |
Has a network of more than 10,000 licensed and insured technicians | Doesn’t offer online chat services |
Has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) | Doesn’t allow customers to customize their own plan |
Allows you to choose your own contractor for repairs |
Amazon Home Warranty is a relatively new provider in the home warranty industry and offers three impressive coverage plans, a variety of optional add-ons, and coverage in Alaska. To receive $100 off your plan, request a free quote from Amazon Home Warranty by calling 866-605-8194 or submitting this simple form.
American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty Coverage
American Home Shield offers four coverage plans, including a Build-Your-Own Plan that allows customers to customize coverage, while Amazon Home Warranty offers only three home protection plans. However, Amazon Home Warranty offers more optional add-ons than American Home Shield.
American Home Shield Coverage
American Home Shield offers four plans: an Appliances Plan, Systems Plan, Combo Plan, and Build-Your-Own Plan. The Combo Plan combines coverage for 11 systems and 10 appliances, the Systems Plan covers important home systems, and the Appliances Plan covers essential appliances. The Build-Your-Own Plan allows you to select 10 or more items for a fully customized plan—each item added to the plan after the tenth item costs an additional $2 per item.
Compare American Home Shield plans below:
AHS Coverage Breakdown
Plan | Systems Plan | Appliances Plan | Combo Plan |
---|---|---|---|
Plan | Systems Plan | Appliances Plan | Combo Plan |
Refrigerator | ✓ | ✓ | |
Clothes Washer | ✓ | ✓ | |
Clothes Dryer | ✓ | ✓ | |
Range/Oven/Cooktop | ✓ | ✓ | |
Dishwasher | ✓ | ✓ | |
Built-in Microwave Oven | ✓ | ✓ | |
Trash Compactor | ✓ | ✓ | |
Garage Door Opener | ✓ | ✓ | |
Free-standing Ice Maker | ✓ | ✓ | |
Built-in Food Center | ✓ | ✓ | |
Air Conditioning | ✓ | ✓ | |
Heating | ✓ | ✓ | |
Electrical | ✓ | ✓ | |
Plumbing | ✓ | ✓ | |
Water Heaters | ✓ | ✓ | |
Garbage Disposal | ✓ | ✓ | |
Instant Hot/Cold Water Dispensers | ✓ | ✓ | |
Doorbell | ✓ | ✓ | |
Smoke Detectors | ✓ | ✓ | |
Ceiling Fans | ✓ | ✓ | |
Central Vacuum | ✓ | ✓ |
American Home Shield offers five optional add-ons:
- Electronic extended warranty
- Well pump
- Pool and spa
- Septic pump
- Guest units up to 750 square feet
Amazon Home Warranty Coverage
Amazon Home Warranty offers three plans: a Systems Plan, Appliances Plan, and a Combo Plan. The Appliances Plan covers seven appliances, the Systems Plan covers eight home systems, and the Combo Plan combines the coverage of these two plans and adds protection for an instant hot water dispenser, garbage disposal, attic fan, ceiling fan, bathroom exhaust fan, doorbell, kitchen fan, and exhaust hood.
Here’s what each Amazon Home Warranty plan covers:
Amazon Home Warranty Coverage Breakdown
Plans | Systems Plan | Appliances Plan | Combo Plan |
---|---|---|---|
Plans | Systems Plan | Appliances Plan | Combo Plan |
Central AC System | ✓ | ✓ | |
Central Heating System | ✓ | ✓ | |
Plumbing and Plumbing Stoppages | ✓ | ✓ | |
Electrical System | ✓ | ✓ | |
Hot Water Heater | ✓ | ✓ | |
Ductwork | ✓ | ✓ | |
Jetted Bathtub | ✓ | ✓ | |
Garage Door Openers | ✓ | ✓ | |
Dishwasher | ✓ | ✓ | |
Refrigerator with Ice Maker | ✓ | ✓ | |
Clothes Dryer | ✓ | ✓ | |
Stand Alone Freezer | ✓ | ✓ | |
Oven, Range, Stove, and Cooktop | ✓ | ✓ | |
Clothes Washer | ✓ | ✓ | |
Microwave Oven | ✓ | ✓ | |
Instant Hot Water Dispensers | ✓ | ||
Garbage Disposal | ✓ | ||
Attic Fan | ✓ | ||
Ceiling Fan | ✓ |
Amazon Home Warranty offers 19 optional add-ons:
- Sump pump
- Limited roof leaks
- Ice maker
- Additional washer/dryer
- Pool and spa
- Additional central heating unit
- Additional central AC unit
- Lawn sprinkler system
- Septic system
- Whole-house humidifier
- Additional microwave
- Central vacuum
- Well pump
- Wine refrigerator
- Secondary refrigerator
- Water softener
- Additional oven
- Additional dishwasher
- Additional hot water heater
American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty Cost
Amazon Home Warranty offers a cheaper monthly premium than American Home Shield. Regarding service call fees, Amazon Home Warranty offers a $75 standard service call fee for all customers, while American Home Shield allows customers to choose between $75–$125 for their service fee.
Note: With American Home Shield, a lower service fee will likely lead to a higher monthly premium, and a higher service fee will likely result in a lower monthly premium.
Note: Your specific home warranty cost will depend on the square footage of your home, the plan you select, and where you live. Because of this, we recommend getting quotes from both American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty before signing up for a plan.
Home Warranty Cost Comparison
Company | American Home Shield | Amazon Home Warranty |
---|---|---|
Company | American Home Shield | Amazon Home Warranty |
Monthly Premium Cost | $50–$60 per month | $40–$49 per month |
Service Fee Deductible | $75–$125 | $75 |
American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty Reviews
American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty are both accredited by the Better Business Bureau and earned a B rating from the organization.
Home Warranty Reviews Comparison
Company | American Home Shield | Amazon Home Warranty |
---|---|---|
Company | American Home Shield | Amazon Home Warranty |
BBB rating | B | B |
BBB accreditation | Yes | Yes |
Number of customer reviews on BBB webpage | 6,267 reviews | 778 reviews |
Average BBB customer review rating (out of 5 stars) | 2.9 stars | 3.3 stars |
Our Conclusion
American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty both offer home warranty plans that include comprehensive coverage for a variety of home systems and appliances. American Home Shield offers more coverage plans and a unique Build-Your-Own Plan, but Amazon Home Warranty offers more optional add-ons. Both providers offer reasonably priced plans and have received positive reviews from customers.
Because of its history as an industry leader and its extensive plan options, we recommend American Home Shield for most homeowners, especially those who would prefer to build their own plan. For homeowners who are on a budget or want coverage for specific add-ons, we recommend Amazon Home Warranty.
For more information on each provider, read our Amazon Home Warranty review and our American Home Shield review.
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Warranties
What do home warranties cover?
A home warranty protects major appliances and systems from damage caused by normal wear and tear. It doesn’t cover appliances and systems that receive damage from natural disasters or theft.
What is the waiting period for Amazon Home Warranty and American Home Shield?
Amazon Home Warranty and American Home Shield have a waiting period of 30 days. It’s common for home warranty companies to have a brief waiting period before allowing customers to submit a claim.
Do American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty repair and replace appliances and systems?
Both companies cover repairs and replacements, though a replacement product may not be the same brand and model of your old appliance or system. We recommend reading the AHS sample contract and Amazon Home Warranty sample contract to learn about each company’s replacement policies.
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