American Home Shield vs. AHW Home Warranty
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Are you thinking about purchasing a home warranty with American Home Shield or AHW 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. AHW Home Warranty comparison to learn more about each provider’s plans, pricing, and customer reviews.
How Does American Home Shield vs. AHW Home Warranty Compare Side-by-Side?
| Comparison | American Home Shield | AHW Home Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| This Old House rating | 9.5/10 | 9.1/10 |
| Get a free quote | Visit site | Visit site |
| Coverage options | ShieldSilver™, ShieldGold™, ShieldPlatinum™, and optional add-ons | Systems, Appliances, Combo, and optional add-ons |
| Monthly premiums | 49 states (all except Alaska) | 45 states (all except California, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Washington) |
| BBB rating | B | NR |
| Years in business | 48 | 3* |
*AHW settled a class-action lawsuit in November 2021 alleging that contrary to what the company previously advertised, AHW has been active for only three years. The suit also alleged that the company had falsified positive customer reviews. In the settlement, the company agreed to pay almost $150,000 in customer restitution and civil penalties.
Pros and Cons of American Home Shield
Pros
- Covers damage due to rust and corrosion, which is uncommon within the home warranty industry
- Customers can receive discounts on name brand appliances
- Provides generous coverage caps on major systems and appliances
Cons
- Doesn’t cover Alaska
- Is more expensive than AHW
American Home Shield is one of the most well-known home warranty providers in the industry and offers three coverage plans to homeowners.
AHW 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.
How Does American Home Shield vs. AHW Home Warranty Coverage Compare?
American Home Shield and AHW Home Warranty each offer three home warranty plans. However, AHW offers more optional add-ons than American Home Shield.
American Home Shield Coverage
American Home Shield offers three plans: ShieldSilver™, ShieldGold™, and ShieldPlatinum™. ShieldPlatinum combines coverage for up to 23 systems and appliances with extra perks like roof leak coverage. ShieldSilver covers important home systems, and ShieldGold covers essential appliances and systems.
Compare American Home Shield plans below:
AHS Coverage Breakdown
| Systems and Appliances | ShieldSilver™ | ShieldGold™ | ShieldPlatinum™ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Conditioning | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Heating System | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ductwork | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electrical | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Doorbells | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smoke Detectors | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ceiling Fans | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Plumbing and Stoppages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water Heaters | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water Dispensers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Central Vacuums | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refrigerators | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ranges, Ovens, and Cooktops | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clothes Washer | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clothes Dryers | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dishwashers | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-In Microwave | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trash Compactors | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Freestanding Ice Maker | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Garage Door Opener | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-In Food Centers | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage Boost | – | – | ✓ |
| Roof Leak Coverage | – | – | ✓ |
AHW Home Warranty Coverage
AHW 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 AHW Home Warranty plan covers:
AHW Home Warranty Coverage Breakdown
| 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 | ✓ |
American Home Shield vs. AHW Home Warranty Optional Add-Ons Compared
American Home Shield and AHW Home Warranty offer the following optional add-ons:
American Home Shield Add-Ons
- Electronic extended warranty
- Well pump
- Pool and spa
- Septic pump
- Guest units up to 750 square feet
AHW Home Warranty 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
How Does American Home Shield vs. AHW Home Warranty Cost Compare?
AHW Home Warranty offers a cheaper monthly premium than American Home Shield. Regarding service call fees, AHW 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 AHW Home Warranty before signing up for a plan. You can also read our complete analysis of American Home Shield and comprehensive guide of AHW Home Warranty to learn more.
Home Warranty Cost Comparison
| Company | American Home Shield | AHW Home Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Premium Cost | $40–$57 per month | $40–$49 per month |
| Service Fee Deductible | $75–$125 | $75 |
- Read more: Home Warranty Costs Explained
How Do American Home Shield vs. AHW Home Warranty Reviews Compare?
American Home Shield and AHW 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 | AHW Home Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| BBB rating | B | NR |
| 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 |
Who’s Our Top Pick?
American Home Shield and AHW Home Warranty both offer home warranty plans that include comprehensive coverage for a variety of home systems and appliances.
- American Home Shield has more experience in the industry and serves more customers, but AHW offers more optional add-ons. Both providers offer reasonably priced plans.
Because of its history as an industry leader and its extensive plan options, we recommend American Home Shield for most homeowners, especially those seeking coverage for systems and appliances with undetectable pre-existing conditions. We do not recommend AHW at this time due to its recent settlement of a class-action lawsuit alleging fraud.
For more information on each provider, read our AHW Home Warranty review and our American Home Shield review.
FAQs 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 AHW Home Warranty and American Home Shield?
AHW 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 AHW 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 AHW sample contract to learn about each company’s replacement policies.
Our Rating Methodology
We back 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.