Head-to-head

American Home Shield vs Choice Home Warranty

AHS vs Choice on entry price, items covered, per-item and aggregate caps, service fees, cancellation terms and complaint records. Verified Oct 30, 2026.

Updated October 30, 2026

These are the two most-searched home warranty brands, and they sit at opposite ends of the limits question. American Home Shield's ShieldSilver averaged $36 a month in This Old House's October 2026 sample quotes for 14 systems, with $5,000 per HVAC system and a $50,000 aggregate per term printed on its own plan page. Choice's Basic Plan averaged $60 for 14 systems and appliances, with a flat $3,000 per item and no aggregate. Both charge a $100 service fee (AHS also offers $125), both have 30-day waiting periods and 30-day workmanship guarantees in their contracts, and both carry a BBB B. The differences are in the caps, the cancellation fee, and the complaint record: Choice is not BBB accredited, logged 11,408 complaints in three years and settled an $11.8 million Arizona Attorney General case in February 2026, while AHS logged 18,457 complaints against a far larger customer base.

Our scoring says

American Home Shield scores higher (87 vs 67) on our published criteria. Availability at your address and your own priorities decide whether that gap matters — check both.

Top score in this comparison

American Home Shield

Highest coverage limits Editorial listing

The largest home warranty company, with a $50,000 aggregate limit, $5,000 per HVAC system and public state-by-state sample contracts.

Entry plan and monthly price: ShieldSilver, $36/mo
Price source: Reviewer average; provider shows a 'starting at' price only
Items covered by entry plan: 14 systems (no appliances)
Service call fee: $100 or $125 per claim (you choose)
Coverage limits: $50,000 aggregate per agreement term; HVAC $5,000 per system; appli…
Workmanship guarantee: 30 days

$50,000 aggregate per term and $5,000 per HVAC system; no caps on most plumbing and electrical
Covers unknown pre-existing conditions, rust and improper installation
Sample agreements for every state are posted at ahs.com/contracts

30-day workmanship guarantee; cancellation admin fee equals one month’s price
Trustpilot 3.5 with 40% one-star; 18,457 BBB complaints in 3 years

Could not verify: Plan-specific prices require an address; price metric uses This Old House's October 2026 average for ShieldSilver; BBB accreditation status not shown on the page reviewed; The public sample agreement we read is the 2022 national version; current state versions may differ

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Choice Home Warranty

Budget systems-and-appliances coverage Partner

One of the largest home warranty companies: flat $3,000 per-item caps and a $100 service fee, with the heaviest complaint volume in our set.

Entry plan and monthly price: Basic Plan, $60/mo
Price source: Reviewer average (provider does not publish prices)
Items covered by entry plan: 14 systems and appliances
Service call fee: $100 per claim
Coverage limits: $3,000 per covered item per 12 months; no aggregate cap
Workmanship guarantee: 30 days (contract); This Old House reports 90 days parts / 60 days …

$3,000 per covered item on every system and appliance; 49 states
Sample contract and cancellation terms are public (admin fee capped at the lesser of $50 or 10%)
ConsumerAffairs 4.2 from 79,647 reviews

11,408 BBB complaints in 3 years, not accredited; $11.8M Arizona AG settlement (Feb 2026) over sales practices
Basic Plan excludes AC, refrigerator, washer and dryer; no prices published online

Could not verify: Provider does not publish plan prices; price metric uses This Old House's October 2026 average of sample quotes; Trustpilot review count not captured (score via Insurify); Which of the 13 contract items fall in Basic vs Total is not stated in the sample agreement; item count relies on This Old House

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Where they differ

Metric	American Home Shield	Choice Home Warranty	Edge
Entry plan price	36	60	American Home Shield
Coverage breadth	14	14	—
Caps & exclusions	50000	27000	American Home Shield
Customer satisfaction	3.60	3.97	Choice Home Warranty
Contract transparency	8	7	American Home Shield
Entry plan and monthly price	ShieldSilver, $36/mo	Basic Plan, $60/mo	—
Price source	Reviewer average; provider shows a 'starting at' price only	Reviewer average (provider does not publish prices)	—
Items covered by entry plan	14 systems (no appliances)	14 systems and appliances	—
Service call fee	$100 or $125 per claim (you choose)	$100 per claim	—
Coverage limits	$50,000 aggregate per agreement term; HVAC $5,000 per system; appliances $2,000 (Gold) / $4,000 (Platinum); no cap on most plumbing and electrical	$3,000 per covered item per 12 months; no aggregate cap	—
Workmanship guarantee	30 days	30 days (contract); This Old House reports 90 days parts / 60 days labor	—
Cancellation terms	Full refund within 30 days if no service; prorated after; admin fee equal to one month's price	30-day refund less service costs; prorated after; admin fee = lesser of $50 or 10% of unearned price	—
States served	48 (+DC; not Alaska or Hawaii)	49 (not Washington)	—
Satisfaction inputs	BBB B (3.7) · Trustpilot 3.5 (16,255) · ConsumerAffairs 3.6 (112,086)	BBB B (3.7) · Trustpilot 4.0 · ConsumerAffairs 4.2 (79,647)	—

Side-by-side: the numbers behind the ranking

Observed October 30, 2026 from provider pages and the dated sources listed below. Hover or tap a value for the note behind it.

Provider	American Home Shield Score 87	Choice Home Warranty Score 67
Entry plan and monthly price	ShieldSilver, $36/mo	Basic Plan, $60/mo
Price source	Reviewer average; provider shows a 'starting at' price only	Reviewer average (provider does not publish prices)
Items covered by entry plan	14 systems (no appliances)	14 systems and appliances
Service call fee	$100 or $125 per claim (you choose)	$100 per claim
Coverage limits	$50,000 aggregate per agreement term; HVAC $5,000 per system; appliances $2,000 (Gold) / $4,000 (Platinum); no cap on most plumbing and electrical	$3,000 per covered item per 12 months; no aggregate cap
Workmanship guarantee	30 days	30 days (contract); This Old House reports 90 days parts / 60 days labor
Cancellation terms	Full refund within 30 days if no service; prorated after; admin fee equal to one month's price	30-day refund less service costs; prorated after; admin fee = lesser of $50 or 10% of unearned price
States served	48 (+DC; not Alaska or Hawaii)	49 (not Washington)
Satisfaction inputs	BBB B (3.7) · Trustpilot 3.5 (16,255) · ConsumerAffairs 3.6 (112,086)	BBB B (3.7) · Trustpilot 4.0 · ConsumerAffairs 4.2 (79,647)
Transparency rubric (0-10)	8	7

Where American Home Shield is stronger

Limits and exclusions. $5,000 per HVAC system, no caps on most plumbing and electrical, a $50,000 aggregate, and coverage for unknown pre-existing conditions, rust, corrosion and improper installation that Choice excludes. ShieldGold adds nine appliances for $10 a month more per ahs.com. Sample agreements for every state are posted at ahs.com/contracts, and customers may request their own contractor.

Where Choice Home Warranty is stronger

Simplicity and the cancellation fee. One flat $3,000 cap on every covered item, including each appliance (AHS caps appliances at $2,000 on Gold), a fixed $100 service fee, 49 states versus 48, and an administrative fee on cancellation of the lesser of $50 or 10% of the unearned price, against one month's premium at AHS. Choice's ConsumerAffairs score (4.2 from 79,647) is higher than AHS's (3.6 from 112,086).

Watch-outs on both

Choice: not BBB accredited, the heaviest complaint volume in our set relative to its size, a 2026 Arizona settlement over undisclosed exclusions in phone sales, no prices online, a $2.50 monthly-payment fee and a Basic Plan that omits AC, refrigerator, washer and dryer. AHS: a 30-day workmanship guarantee, quotes that vary widely by ZIP, auto-renewal with only three days' notice recommended by NerdWallet, and a Trustpilot profile where 40% of 16,255 reviews are one-star.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper, AHS or Choice?

For the entry plan, AHS: ShieldSilver averaged $36 a month in This Old House's October 2026 quotes and ahs.com advertises rates from $29.99, against $60 for Choice's Basic Plan. ShieldSilver covers systems only; Choice Basic includes several appliances. For a like-for-like systems-and-appliances plan, compare ShieldGold ($50 average) with Choice Total ($68).

Which has higher coverage limits?

American Home Shield: $5,000 per HVAC system, no cap on most plumbing and electrical, and a $50,000 aggregate per term. Choice pays up to $3,000 per covered item per 12 months with no aggregate, which is higher than AHS's $2,000 per appliance on ShieldGold but lower on HVAC.

Which is easier to cancel?

Both publish terms. Choice refunds the fee less service costs in the first 30 days, then prorates with an admin fee of the lesser of $50 or 10%. AHS refunds in full within 30 days if no service was provided, then prorates with an admin fee equal to one month's premium. Reviewers report friction with both.

Did Choice Home Warranty get sued?

The Arizona Attorney General announced an $11.8 million settlement on February 10, 2026, resolving allegations that Choice failed to replace covered items and that phone sales representatives failed to disclose exclusions. Choice denied the allegations; the consent judgment requires clear pre-sale disclosures. We found no comparable action against AHS in the sources reviewed.

Sources and verification

ahs.com plans page: 'rates starting $29.99 per month'; Silver 'parts of 19 major systems', Gold 28, Platinum 29; HVAC $5,000 per system per term; appliances $2,000 (Gold) / $4,000 (Platinum); roof leak $1,000 and code/permits $250 on Platinum; 50% off promo expires 11/02/2026; 'View Sample Agreement' link — ahs.com (observed 2026-10-30)
ahs.com ShieldGold page: full covered-item list; '$50,000 total limit per agreement term'; '$5,000 per system per agreement term' HVAC; '$2,000 per appliance per agreement term'; refrigerant $10/lb; 14 systems + 9 appliances; '$10/month more than ShieldSilver' — ahs.com (observed 2026-10-30)
ahs.com contracts page: sample agreements by state (AZ, CA, NV, TX, UT, WI, all other states) as downloadable PDFs — ahs.com (observed 2026-10-30)
2022 national sample agreement (rev. 2/28/2022): 30-day full refund if no service; prorated thereafter; admin fee equal to one month's price ($50 cap Illinois); 30-day workmanship; trade service call fee per request — 4bbdwp2p.media.zestyio.com (observed 2026-10-30)
This Old House AHS review: ShieldSilver $36, ShieldGold $50, ShieldPlatinum $100; 14 ShieldSilver items listed; $100/$125 fee; $5,000 HVAC; $50,000 aggregate; 30-day guarantee; coverage starts 30 days after sign-up; BBB B; TOH 4.9 (updated Oct 27, 2026) — thisoldhouse.com (observed 2026-10-30)
This Old House roundup: ShieldSilver $36 (14 systems), ShieldGold $50, ShieldPlatinum $100; $100-$125 fee; $50,000 aggregate; BBB B; 48 states (updated Oct 13, 2026) — thisoldhouse.com (observed 2026-10-30)
NerdWallet: $29.99-$119.99 by location (Aug 2025 quotes); $100/$125 fee; 30-day waiting period; one-year contract paid monthly; 3-day renewal notice; 48 states + DC, not AK/HI; exclusions and complaint themes (Apr 17, 2026) — nerdwallet.com (observed 2026-10-30)
ConsumerAffairs roundup: AHS 3.6 from 112,086 reviews; $29.99-$89.99; $100/$125 fee; 'Cancel at any time'; $50,000 initial-term limit; HVAC $5,000; not AK/HI (updated Oct 2, 2026) — consumeraffairs.com (observed 2026-10-30)
Trustpilot TrustScore 3.5/5 from 16,255 reviews; claimed Jun 2021; 49% five-star, 40% one-star; 2,103 reviews in last 12 months — at.trustpilot.com (observed 2026-10-30)
BBB profile (Memphis): 18,457 total complaints in last 3 years; 4,981 closed in last 12 months — prod.bbb.org (observed 2026-10-30)
This Old House Choice review: Basic $60 and Total $68 from nearly 4,000 sample quotes; Basic covers 14 items, Total 18; $100 fee; $3,000 per item; 30-day waiting period; 30 days parts/60 days labor guarantee; 49 states (not WA); sample contract linked; BBB B; TOH 4.7/5 (updated Oct 12, 2026) — thisoldhouse.com (observed 2026-10-30)
Sample agreement (terms of service): 13 standard covered items, 18 optional; $3,000 maximum liability per item per 12 months; 30-day refund less service costs, then pro rata less admin fee of lesser of $50 or 10%; coverage starts 30 days after payment; 30-day workmanship; auto-renewal to monthly plan — choicehomewarranty.com (observed 2026-10-30)
NerdWallet: Basic $49.17/mo, Total $57.50/mo (Sep 2025 quotes); Basic 12 items, Total 15; $100 fee charged even if denied; $3,000 HVAC combined; 30-day workmanship; auto-renew with 30-day written notice; 49 states excluding Washington; exclusions and complaint themes (May 29, 2026) — nerdwallet.com (observed 2026-10-30)
BBB profile: NOT BBB Accredited; 11,408 total complaints in last 3 years; 3,177 closed in last 12 months — prod.bbb.org (observed 2026-10-30)
ConsumerAffairs: 4.2/5 from 79,647 reviews (updated Oct 31, 2026) — consumeraffairs.com (observed 2026-10-30)
Insurify: Trustpilot 4/5; BBB customer reviews 1.03/5; 30-day waiting period; $100 service fee; Choice 'doesn't advertise its plan costs online' (updated Dec 5, 2025) — insurify.com (observed 2026-10-30)
Arizona AG $11.8M settlement, press release Feb 10, 2026; judgment Jan 23, 2026; allegations, restitution window, injunctive terms, 2015 NJ settlement — azag.gov (observed 2026-10-30)