The short version
American Home Shield is the largest home warranty company in the United States by review volume, with 112,086 ConsumerAffairs reviews against 79,647 for Choice and 16,713 for Select (ConsumerAffairs). It sells three plans. ShieldSilver covers systems only; ShieldGold adds nine kitchen and laundry appliances; ShieldPlatinum adds roof-leak repair, code and permit costs, unlimited refrigerant and an annual HVAC tune-up (AHS).
What sets AHS apart is printed on its own ShieldGold page: “$50,000 total limit per agreement term,” “$5,000 per system per agreement term” for heating and cooling, and “$2,000 per appliance per agreement term” (AHS ShieldGold). Most rivals cap HVAC at $2,000 to $3,000 and publish no aggregate at all. What holds it back is the service experience: a 30-day workmanship guarantee, mixed reviews and 18,457 BBB complaints in three years. Facts below were verified October 30, 2026.
Plans and pricing (as of October 30, 2026)
AHS prices by address, so published numbers are averages. This Old House’s October 2026 sample quotes averaged $36 a month for ShieldSilver, $50 for ShieldGold and $100 for ShieldPlatinum (This Old House). NerdWallet’s August 2025 quotes ranged from $29.99 to $119.99 depending on plan and location (NerdWallet), and ConsumerAffairs lists $29.99 to $89.99. ahs.com itself says “rates starting $29.99 per month” and, as of our check, was advertising 50 percent off the first year of ShieldSilver and ShieldGold for new members through November 2, 2026, not combinable with other offers (AHS). The ShieldGold page describes the appliance upgrade as “just $10/month more than ShieldSilver.”
Payment is monthly on a one-year contract; NerdWallet could not pay a full year upfront. Contracts renew automatically, and NerdWallet recommends canceling at least three days before renewal and keeping the confirmation email.
What you get
ShieldSilver (14 systems per This Old House’s count): air conditioners, heating units, ductwork, interior electrical lines, main breaker and fuse panel, doorbells and chimes, ceiling fans, built-in exhaust and attic fans, garage door openers, interior plumbing lines, toilets, faucets and valves, water heaters, and built-in jetted tub motors. AHS’s own page describes it as “parts of 19 major systems,” counting components more finely.
ShieldGold adds refrigerators with icemakers, ranges and cooktops, dishwashers, built-in microwaves, garbage disposals, instant hot-water dispensers, kitchen exhaust fans, washers and dryers, plus sewage ejector pumps and pressure regulators on the plumbing side (AHS ShieldGold).
ShieldPlatinum adds roof-leak repairs up to $1,000 per term, code violations and permits up to $250, unlimited AC refrigerant (Silver and Gold cover $10 per pound inside the HVAC limit), a free HVAC tune-up each term and a $4,000 appliance cap (AHS).
AHS is also notable for what it does not exclude. According to NerdWallet and ConsumerAffairs, it covers unknown pre-existing conditions, rust, corrosion, sediment, improper installation and lack of maintenance, which most competitors’ contracts list as exclusions. It does exclude cosmetic damage, weather and natural disasters, exterior water lines and home electronics. Customers may request their own contractor.
Fees and fine print
- Service fee: $100 or $125 per claim, your choice; the higher fee lowers the monthly price. You pay it for each visit, even if the claim is denied (NerdWallet).
- Waiting period: 30 days after payment processes.
- Workmanship guarantee: 30 days. The sample agreement promises a return visit with no new service fee if a repair fails within 30 days (AHS sample agreement). Liberty Home Guard offers 365 days and Cinch 180.
- Cancellation: The national sample agreement (revised February 28, 2022; it does not apply in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, Texas, Utah or Wisconsin) refunds the price paid to date if you cancel within 30 days without service, and prorates after that less an administrative fee “equal to your Agreement Price for one month of coverage,” capped at $50 in Illinois. State versions are posted at ahs.com/contracts.
- Transfer: The contract can be transferred to a buyer within 30 days of closing.
Coverage area
48 states plus Washington, D.C.; not Alaska or Hawaii (NerdWallet; ConsumerAffairs). This Old House’s table says 49, excluding only Alaska, but its own cons list says Hawaii is excluded too; we use 48.
Reputation and complaints
The numbers are large and split. Trustpilot shows a 3.5 TrustScore from 16,255 reviews on a claimed profile, with 49 percent five-star and 40 percent one-star, and 2,103 reviews in the last 12 months (Trustpilot). ConsumerAffairs shows 3.6 from 112,086. The BBB profile in Memphis records 18,457 complaints in the last three years and 4,981 closed in the last 12 months (BBB); This Old House reports the BBB grade as a B. Because AHS is several times larger than its rivals, the raw complaint count overstates the problem; Choice, with roughly a third as many ConsumerAffairs reviews, has 11,408 complaints.
NerdWallet’s complaint themes: long waits for repairs, difficulty scheduling technicians, a furnace diagnosis that took two weeks and several visits, slow callbacks, difficulty canceling and a perception of upselling. We found no regulatory action against AHS in the last three years in NerdWallet, ConsumerAffairs, This Old House or a web search on October 30, 2026, though we did not independently confirm that none exists.
How it compares
Against Choice Home Warranty, AHS has higher HVAC and aggregate limits, fewer exclusions and a public contract for every state, while Choice has a flat $3,000 cap on every item (higher than AHS’s $2,000 per appliance on Gold), a fixed $100 fee and a smaller cancellation charge. Against First American, both avoid caps on most systems, but First American caps appliances at $3,500 to $7,000 and sells in only 36 states. Against Liberty Home Guard, AHS wins on limits ($5,000 versus $2,000 per item) and loses on the workmanship guarantee (30 days versus 365) and published pricing. Our ranking page scores all six on the same five criteria.
Who should pick it
- Owners of 12-to-20-year-old HVAC systems, where $5,000 per system and a $50,000 aggregate are the difference between a covered replacement and a cash-in-lieu offer.
- Buyers who want unusual inclusions: unknown pre-existing conditions, rust and improper installation.
- Anyone who reads contracts; the state PDFs are public.
- Not the pick if you want a long repair guarantee, a predictable national price or the lowest complaint ratio; Cinch and First American score better on those.
Sources
- https://ahs.com/plans — plan lineup; “starting $29.99”; limits by plan; 50% promo through 11/02/2026; sample agreement link (observed 2026-10-30)
- https://ahs.com/plans/shieldgold — ShieldGold item list; $50,000 total limit; $5,000 HVAC; $2,000 per appliance; “$10/month more” (observed 2026-10-30)
- https://ahs.com/contracts — state-by-state sample agreement PDFs (observed 2026-10-30)
- https://4bbdwp2p.media.zestyio.com/2022-National-Sample-Agreement.pdf — cancellation terms; one-month admin fee; 30-day workmanship (rev. 2/28/2022; observed 2026-10-30)
- https://www.thisoldhouse.com/home-finances/reviews/american-home-shield — $36/$50/$100 averages; 14 ShieldSilver items; $50,000 aggregate; BBB B; 4.9/5 (Oct 27, 2026)
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/p/reviews/mortgages/american-home-shield-review — $29.99-$119.99; fees; waiting period; renewal notice; 48 states + DC; complaint themes (Apr 17, 2026)
- https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/aaa_warranties.html — 3.6 from 112,086; $29.99-$89.99; $50,000 initial-term limit; not AK/HI (Oct 2, 2026)
- https://at.trustpilot.com/review/ahs.com — TrustScore 3.5 from 16,255; 40% one-star (observed 2026-10-30)
- https://prod.bbb.org/us/tn/memphis/profile/home-warranty-plans/american-home-shield-0543-22001027/complaints?page=2 — 18,457 complaints in 3 years (observed 2026-10-30)