Choice Home Warranty vs. Select Home Warranty: Which is better?

If you're worried about a major home repair destroying your finances, you're not alone. Forty-one percent of homeowners said their greatest fear was a major unexpected repair cost, according to a November 2025 survey conducted by Pollfish on behalf of home insurance provider Kin. That's a higher percentage than fears of natural disaster damage and the inability to afford mortgage payments.

One way to allay that fear is with a home warranty, which covers the costs of repairing and replacing major home systems and appliances, including air conditioning systems, refrigerators, and washers and dryers.

Two options for customers are Select Home Warranty and Choice Home Warranty, which made our list of the best home warranty companies. Both offer affordable monthly plans, but each has its caveats.

While Select offers lower pricing and service fees, it may require detailed maintenance records for any item before the brand pays to repair or replace it. Choice has higher coverage limits—especially for appliances—but you may be compensated for an item's actual cash value, which accounts for depreciation over time. 

Meanwhile, neither pays for items to be hauled away and disposed of properly. This means that even if you're paying monthly for a home warranty, exclusions and limits in the contract may still leave you stuck with a bill.

Before you buy, consider the pros and cons as well as the potential costs and payouts. To help decide whether a plan is right for you, CNBC Select compared these two home warranty brands to see where each shines and where they fall short.

Select Home Warranty is available in most states except Nevada, Wisconsin and Washington. Choice Home Warranty is available except in Washington state.

Both companies have a 30-day waiting period, which is standard in the industry.

Select Home Warranty offers three tiers: bronze, gold and platinum care. The bronze care covers appliances, gold care protects systems and platinum care covers both. All three plans come with free roof-leak coverage.

In comparison, Choice Home Warranty has two levels: The basic plan includes coverage for most appliances, plus heating, electrical and plumbing systems. The total plan adds coverage for washers, dryers, refrigerators and air conditioning systems.

Choice Home Warranty maxes out at $3,000 per year for most covered items. It also caps coverage for roof leaks at $500.

Select Home Warranty caps coverage at $3,000 for AC/heating; $500 for electrical, plumbing and appliances and $400 for roof leaks.

Select requires maintenance records during the claims review process or it may limit coverage to $150 per appliance or system.

Neither Select nor Choice covers the cost of removing or disposing of replaced items.

Choice Home Warranty's plans average $45 to $55 per month with a flat $100 service fee for each claim.

Select Home Warranty plans start at $36 per month and its service fees range between $75 and $125.

Both companies have regular sales and limited-time offers. Select offers a discount on multi-year coverage and gives two months free if you pay the annual premium upfront.

Getting an online quote from both will give you a better idea of your individual rates.

Customers have had mixed experiences with both Select and Choice home warranty companies.

Select Home Warranty customer service is available 24/7. There is no mobile app, but you can submit claims online, and a licensed tradesperson will be contacted to schedule a repair, typically within 48 hours. 

Choice Home Warranty customer service is also available 24/7 and you can view plan details, submit claims, edit contact info and renew contracts on the website or mobile app. According to the company, a Choice-approved technician is contacted within four hours of a service request.

However, both companies have less-than-stellar reviews with the Better Business Bureau. Select Home Warranty scored 1.75 out of 5 stars in customer reviews and has over 5,000 complaints filed against it with the Bureau. Choice Home Warranty scored 1.03 out of 5 stars, with 11,000 complaints filed against it.

Additionally, an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Arizona Attorney General's office in 2019 alleges Choice Home Warranty used "contract exclusions, payment caps and bad-faith refusals to avoid paying for repairs."

Select Home Warranty and Choice Home Warranty cover similar systems and components, especially with their higher-tier plans.

Select has lower average rates and service call fees, and offers more discounts. It could be a good fit if you're organized, since you may need to present maintenance records to receive the maximum benefit.

Choice is more expensive, but it has higher coverage limits for most items, especially appliances, and is available in more states.

However, both companies' contracts have limits that may not cover a full repair or replacement. A new HVAC system, for example, costs about $7,500 to replace, according to home services resource Angi. That's much higher than either company's $3,000 limit for HVAC repairs or replacement. Many new appliances also exceed Select's $500 limit. Taking a look at appliance and system replacement costs in your area can help you decide if these limits are the right fit for your home.

Lastly, both companies have red flags for customer satisfaction. They both have low scores from the Better Business Bureau and have received numerous complaints against them.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. 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.

To determine the best home warranty companies, CNBC Select compared providers based on various factors:

• Availability: We considered which states each home warranty company issues policies, as well as any waiting periods.
• Costs: We reviewed home warranties based on monthly and annual premiums, as well as the availability of discounts and limited-time offers.
• Plan coverage and add-ons: We rated companies on how extensive coverage was for each plan, and what optional add-ons were available for an additional charge.
• Coverage limits: We considered the caps put on plans, as well as requirements for coverage and if maintenance records are needed to approve a claim.
• Customer satisfaction: We considered the availability of customer service representatives, the speed at which technicians are contacted and the ratings and customer review scores each company received from the Better Business Bureau. We also noted outstanding legal action.
• Licensed technicians: We noted if a company allows customers to work with a technician of their choice.

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