Maintenance is often one of the major costs of home ownership — and your regular home insurance doesn't cover it. That's where a home warranty can help, covering wear and tear of your home's most important systems, such as HVAC and plumbing, and your appliances.
If you'd like a home warranty plan with high coverage limits, Choice Home Warranty is one to consider. Below, we review Choice's plans. pricing, extras and more.
Choice Home Warranty review
Overview
Choice Home Warranty
Plans
The Basic Plan covers many appliances and systems and the Total Plan adds air conditioning, washers, dryers and refrigerators.
Availability
Available nationwide except in Washington state
Coverage limits
$3,000 a year for each covered item, up to $500 for roof leaks
Add-ons
Pool, sprinkler, additional refrigerator, well pumps, sump pumps, septic systems, roof leaks
Service call fee
$100
Pros
- $3,000 per-item coverage limit
- Access repairs are coverage if contractor needs to get into wall, floor or ceiling
- First month is free if you pay for your contract upfront
Cons
- Not available in Washington state
- Can't choose your contractor
Choice Home Warranty is a home warranty provider based in New Jersey. It offers two simple home warranty plans for homeowners and home sellers. You can also pick add-ons to add to your policy.
The company has a nationwide network of over 25,000 contractors and accepts claims 24/7. In addition to the monthly fee you pay for coverage, you'll also need to cover the cost of the technician's labor with a service call fee of $100.
Choice Home Warranty charges a single flat service fee of $100. This is different from competitors such as AFC Home Warranty and American Home Shield, which both let you choose a flat service fee of $75, $100 or $125 for your plan, with a higher fee giving you a lower monthly cost for your warranty.
Service providers working Choice Home Warranty guarantee the quality of the materials for 90 days, and the quality of labor for 60 days. If you file a complaint with the service provider, they're obligated to redo the job at no cost to you.
Where Choice Home Warranty stands out the most is with its high coverage limits. The company offers a coverage cap of $5,000 per covered item, which landed it on our list of the best home warranties. To compare, AFC Home Warranty pays up to $3,000 per item. Select Home Warranty sets varying limits depending on the item type. For example, for appliances, plumbing and electrical systems, the cap is $500, and for HVAC — $3,000.
Choice Home Warranty provides service nationwide, except for Washington state.
Choice Home Warranty plans
Choice Home Warranty offers two plans: the Basic Plan and the Total Plan. Each plan requires a monthly fee, and pricing depends on factors such as your home location.
The Basic Plan is the more affordable plan. According to the information Choice Home Warranty shared with CNBC, its average monthly cost is $46. It covers the following items and systems:
- Heating system
- Electrical system
- Plumbing system
- Plumbing stoppage
- Water heater
- Whirlpool bathtub
- Oven, range or stove
- Cooktop
- Dishwasher
- Built-in microwave
- Garbage disposal
- Ductwork
- Garage door opener
- Ceiling and exhaust fans
The Total Plan costs $55 per month on average. It covers everything included in the Basic Plan, plus:
- Air conditioning system
- Refrigerator
- Clothes washer and dryer
The provider also allows you to add the following optional coverages:
- Pool/spa
- Well pump
- Sump pump
- Central vacuum
- Limited roof leak
- Septic system
- Septic tank pumping
- Second refrigerator
- Stand-alone freezer
Standout benefits
Choice Home Warranty's call centers take service requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In some states, weekend, holiday and evening service is only available when it's essential to your health and safety.
Additionally, you can receive a month of coverage for free when purchasing a single-payment home warranty plan. This can help you save on home warranty costs, so consider this promotion when you shop around for a provider and gather quotes.
Finally, Choice Home Warranty provides a response time of four hours for service requests. This way, you can rest assured your issue will be taken care of promptly.
How it compares
Overall, Choice Home Warranty has plenty to offer, from straightforward plan structures with a handful of add-ons to customize them, to predictable service fees and swift response times.
Still, you always want to compare multiple options when choosing a financial product. For example, some companies can offer more in terms of membership benefits. American Home Shield especially stands out here. Depending on the plan, you can access maintenance services, HVAC upgrade discounts, rekeying, tech installation and support and more. Plus, American Home Shield offers three plans for you to choose from, so it may be easier to get exactly the coverage you need.
American Home Shield
Plans
ShieldSilver plan covers HVAC, electrical, plumbing systems, while the ShieldGold plan adds laundry appliances. The ShieldPlatinum increases coverage limits and adds microwaves, ceiling fans, icemakers and roof leak repairs.
Availability
Not available in Alaska or Hawaii.
Coverage limits
ShieldSilver: $5,000 per covered HVAC system, ShieldGold: $2,000 per covered appliance, ShieldPlatinum: $4,000 per appliance, $5,000 per HVAC, $1,000 for roof leak repairs. All American Home Shield plans have a $50,000 total limit per contract.
Add-ons
Electronics, pool/spa, septic systems, well and septic pumps, roof leak repairs, guest units
Service fee
$100 or $125
On the other hand, if your priority is to find affordable coverage, look into Select Home Warranty. The company advertises generous discounts on all of its plans. On top of that, you'll get free roof coverage, whichever plan you choose.
Select Home Warranty
Plans
The Bronze Care plan covers appliances, Gold Care protects HVAC, electrical and other home systems. Platinum Care plan covers both and adds garage door openers, ceiling fans and plumbing clogs.
Availability
Not available in Nevada, Washington or Wisconsin
Coverage limits
$3,000 for AC/heating; $500 for electrical, plumbing and appliances; $400 for roof leak
Add-ons
Central vacuum, sprinklers, pool, spa, sump or well pump, septic system, roof leaks
Service call fees
$60 to $75
When you gather quotes, make sure you compare coverage limits, exclusions and other terms. Remember that a lower price doesn't always mean a better deal if you're getting less protection.
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At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed financial decisions. Every home warranty review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of home warranty products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
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