American Home Shield Review (April 2023)

American Home Shield (AHS) is a veteran in the home warranty industry and one of the best home warranty companies available. It’s been in business since 1971 and provides comprehensive coverage alongside excellent customer service. Our American Home Shield review outlines the company’s plans, pricing, and customer reviews to help you decide whether an AHS home warranty is right for you.

We rated American Home Shield 90 out of 100. When we surveyed 1,000 homeowners about which home warranty provider they use, AHS was the most popular at 23%. We consider the company to have the most comprehensive coverage and best coverage caps due to its three plan options and generous coverage limits. Additionally, its extensive plan options, nationwide availability, and decades of experience make it a good investment for homeowners.

With a home warranty from AHS, you’ll only pay your monthly premium and chosen service call fee, saving you hundreds or even thousands when your systems and appliances unexpectedly break down.

Best Home Warranty Companies of 2023

The home warranty companies with the best ratings include the following:

• American Home Shield: Best for Comprehensive Coverage
• Liberty Home Guard: Best Customer Ratings
• Select Home Warranty: Best Value
• First American Home Warranty: Best Appliance Coverage
• Cinch Home Services: Best Additional Perks
• 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty: Cheapest Appliance Plan
• ARW Home: Affordable Service Call Fees
• America’s First Choice Home Club: Best for Customization

Summary of the Best Home Warranty Companies

Here are some pros and cons of American Home Shield:

American Home Shield plans cover some of the most important household systems and appliances. AHS offers the following three plans:

• ShieldSilver: Best for Major Systems
• ShieldGold: Best for a Basic Combo Plan
• ShieldPlatinum: Best for Comprehensive Coverage

Note: The ShieldGold plan has a lower appliance coverage limit than ShieldPlatinum.

Optional Add-ons

American Home Shield offers coverage for five additional items that you can include with any plan. You can get pricing for these additional items when you visit American Home Shield’s website and request a free quote.

Here are the five optional add-ons:

• Electronics extended warranty
• Guest unit
• Pool and spa
• Septic pump
• Well pump

American Home Shield’s home warranty prices are higher than industry averages. Plan pricing depends on where you live, the plan type you choose, and how many add-ons you include in your coverage.

Plan Pricing

American Home Shield costs between $29 and $90 per month. Choosing a higher service fee means your monthly premium will be cheaper and vice versa. We recommend filling out this simple online form to get a free quote for plans in your area.

Service Call Fees

American Home Shield’s deductibles, or service call fees, are $100 and $125 per claim. The higher your service call fee, the lower your monthly premium.

American Home Shield State Availability

American Home Shield offers home warranty coverage in 48 states nationwide, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.

American Home Shield has a mix of positive and negative customer reviews. Some customers are happy with the quick fixes and easy claims process, while some complain about denied claims and negative experiences with on-site technicians.

Take a look at a few American Home Shield reviews posted on the Better Business Bureau (BBB):

“I have been pleased with American Home Shield service. Sometimes it takes a day or two to get service scheduled. The techs have been both professional and knowledgeable. The only thing that bothers me is they raise my monthly fee every year and this last year had a big jump.” — Dorothy B., Jan. 7, 2023

“I needed pool equipment to be repaired or replaced and I was amazed how quickly somebody came out. He diagnosed the problem and had the equipment he needed with him so he could do the repairs, and all of it was accomplished in one visit on the very first day that we addressed the problem. Really a great experience on this one. I hope they are all like this.” — Jim P., Jan. 6, 2023

“I really hate the fact that AHS does NOT come out if it is a weekend. Our plumbing backed up on a Saturday morning (Christmas weekend of all times), so until Monday I could not use my kitchen. However when the contractor did come out on Monday at around 3 p.m. he was excellent and quick and fixed the problem! Thank you.” — Dolores P., Dec. 29, 2022

We also looked at a few reviews of American Home Shield from ConsumerAffairs.com:

“We had a toilet running all the time. The techs fixed it. They told us what was wrong and they had to get a part. They were gone 15 minutes and they came right back. They were really nice. They also explained that if it started again within the next 30 days, we could just call back again and AHS would dispatch someone to come and fix it. We’ve had other warranty companies to see if they were any better but we’ve always gone back to American Home Shield. They have repaired our washer and when it finally went out, they ended up finding us a new one.” — Clayton, Feb. 1, 2023

“I love American Home Shield. They do what they say they’re gonna do. If you have any problems, you just call them and they’ll find a solution to your problem. For my recent claim, my oven went out. They replaced it. They first sent out the technician and the technician said that it could not be fixed. They gave me an e-card to purchase it. They sent it within four days. The tech was also very courteous and told me what the problem was.” — Florenda, Feb. 1, 2023

“If the vendor is nonresponsive or they have a long wait period for someone to come out, I call back American Home Shield to give me somebody else. I have done that almost on every service that I needed from them. But they did respond respectfully.” — Cindy, Jan. 15, 2023

Take a look at a few more reviews of American Home Shield from Trustpilot:

“Service dispatch was smooth and less than 24 hours from time I requested service and the time a provider was dispatched. Resolution took 24 hours and everything was covered on the installation of a new water heater.” — Don F., Feb. 3, 2023

“Resolution took more than 14 days since I initially complained about my service request. Service requests are handled very slowly. I prefer they take Customer issues seriously and work at a faster pace to resolve them.” — Sam, Jan. 16, 2023

“My refrigerator stopped cooling and I contacted AHS for service. The response was prompt and courteous. The technician responded in a timely manner and was excellent! Repair was completed in twenty minutes and refrigerator is working fine again. Great experience and so happy I have American Home Shield!” — Vicki D., Jan. 18, 2023

“American Home Shield was very helpful in any home issues that need repair . They give me the right contractor that are transparent in their charges and giving time to review. The customer service were professionals and listen to our concerns.” — Norma G., Jan. 17, 2023

We also received this feedback from one of our readers:

“They are unresponsive, do not follow through on calls, and use cut-rate service vendors who lack in their ability to complete repairs in a timely manner. I have now been waiting a month for hot water, have had three visits from the service vendor, and have been told by both the vendor and AHS that the parts are on order. My previous experience with AHS was to get a clothes dryer repaired. After over a month of waiting for parts, I finally purchased a new dryer. Several months later they did reimburse me for the purchase. AHS never did any follow-up until I cancelled the service call and demanded payment.” — John F., Oct. 28, 2022

The This Old House Reviews Team rated American Home Shield 90 out of 100 for its comprehensive coverage options and high coverage caps. AHS provides some of the most comprehensive home warranty coverage in the industry, offering three plans for systems, appliances, or both, plus five optional add-ons. Furthermore, AHS allows you to choose your service call fee to customize your premiums.

If you’re ready to sign up for a home warranty with American Home Shield, get a free online quote for pricing in your area.

If you’re not sure American Home Shield is right for you, see how the company stacks up to other providers and consider getting free quotes from each one to better understand your options.

American Home Shield vs. the Competition

American Home Shield Information

• Company name: American Home Shield
• CEO: Rex Tibbens
• Year founded: 1971
• Telephone: 844-529-9298
• Address: 889 Ridge Lake Blvd.
• City/state: Memphis, TN
• ZIP code: 38120

The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each provider. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts from each company, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys. We then score each provider against our review standards for coverage, value, trustworthiness and transparency, availability, and customer service to arrive at a final score out of 100.  

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.