American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty (2020)

Deciding between a home warranty plan from American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty? In this article, our review compares these two companies on their coverage plans, pricing, and customer reviews, and helps you determine which company offers the best home warranty for you and your home. Continue reading for a detailed analysis of each of these providers.

To get a free quote from American Home Shield, call .

In this article:

• American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty Comparison
• Pros & Cons
• American Home Shield Coverage Plans
• Amazon Home Warranty Coverage Plans
• American Home Shield vs. Amazon Home Warranty Cost
• Customer Reviews
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions

American Home Shield

• Get a free quote: Visit site
• Our rating: Best Overall
• Number of plans: 3
• Premium cost: $50–$60 per month
• Service fee: $75–$125
• State availability: All but AK
• BBB rating: B
• Years in business: 49 years

Amazon Home Warranty

• Get a free quote: Visit site
• Our rating: Best Customer Service
• Number of plans: 3
• Premium cost: $40–$49 per month
• Service fee: $75
• State availability: All but CA, IA, MO, OK, and WA
• BBB rating: B
• Years in business: 10 years

To help you determine which company is best for you and your home protection needs, here’s a quick overview of each company’s pros and cons.

American Home Shield: Pros

• Longest-running home warranty company
• Offers coverage for items with unknown pre-existing conditions
• Holds a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation and a B rating

American Home Shield: Cons

• Offers only five optional add-ons

Amazon Home Warranty: Pros

• Offers 19 optional add-ons
• Offers one month of free coverage when customers sign up for a plan
• Provides 24/7 customer service

Amazon Home Warranty: Cons

• Doesn’t have an online chat function for easy use
• Has only 10 years of industry experience

American Home Shield offers three coverage plans, including a Systems Plan, an Appliances Plan, and a Combo Plan. The Systems Plan covers important home systems like your air conditioning and plumbing, the Appliances Plan protects appliances like your dishwasher and refrigerator, and the Combo Plan combines the coverage of the Systems and Appliances Plans into one comprehensive coverage option.

American Home Shield also offers five optional add-ons to consumers:

• Septic pump
• Pool and spa
• Well pump
• Guest unit up to 750 square feet
• Electronics extended warranty

View the specific items covered under each American Home Shield plan below:

The Appliances Plan covers:

• Refrigerators
• Ranges/Cooktops
• Ovens
• Dishwashers
• Built-in Microwaves
• Free-standing Ice Makers
• Built-in Food Centers
• Clothes Washers and Dryers
• Garage Door Openers
• Trash Compactors

The Systems Plan covers:

• Air Conditioning
• Heating
• Ductwork
• Built-in Exhaust/Vent/Attic Fans
• Main Breaker/Fuse Panel Box
• Doorbells/Chimes
• Interior Electrical Lines and DC Wiring
• Smoke Detectors
• Ceiling Fans
• Central Vacuum
• Interior Plumbing Line Leaks and Breaks
• Plumbing Stoppages
• Toilets
• Faucets
• Plumbing Fixtures and Valves
• Whirlpool Tub Motors and Components
• Water Heaters
• Instant Hot/Cold Water Dispensers
• Garbage Disposals

The AHS Combo Plan combines all the coverage of the previous two plans.

To get a free quote from American Home Shield, call .

Amazon Home Warranty's coverage plans are very similar to those offered by American Home Shield—Amazon Home Warranty offers a Systems plan, an Appliances plan, and a Combo plan.

The Systems and Appliances plans cover systems and appliances, respectively, and the company's Combo plan combines the coverage of the Systems plan and Appliances plan and adds coverage for these items:

• Exhaust hood
• Ceiling fan
• Instant hot water dispenser
• Garbage disposal
• Attic fan
• Bathroom exhaust fan
• Doorbell
• Kitchen fan

Amazon Home Warranty also offers 19 optional add-ons:

• Whole-house humidifier
• Additional microwave
• Central vacuum
• Well pump
• Wine refrigerator
• Secondary refrigerator
• Water softener
• Sump pump
• Septic system
• Lawn sprinkler system
• Additional central AC unit
• Additional central heating unit
• Pool and spa
• Additional washer/dryer
• Ice maker
• Limited roof leaks
• Sump pump

The lists below show what each Amazon Home Warranty plan covers.

The Appliances plan covers the following:

• Washer and dryer
• Dishwasher
• Refrigerator (with ice maker)
• Freezer
• Microwave ovens
• Oven/range/stove/cooktop
• Trash compactor

The Systems plan covers:

• Hot water heater
• Ductwork
• Jetted bathtub
• Garage door openers
• Air conditioning system
• Heating system
• Plumbing system
• Electrical system

The Combo plan covers everything in the two plans listed above, plus:

• Doorbell
• Kitchen fan
• Exhaust hood
• Bathroom exhaust fan
• Ceiling fan
• Instant hot water dispenser
• Attic fan
• Garbage disposal

To get a free quote from Amazon Home Warranty, call .

The sample quotes our reviews team received indicate that Amazon Home Warranty offers a cheaper monthly premium than American Home Shield. Additionally, Amazon Home Warranty offers a $75 service fee, while American Home Shield lets homeowners choose a service fee between $75–$125. The service fee a homeowner selects with American Home Shield impacts the cost of their monthly premium.

Note: The optional add-on cost for these two companies depends on the specific item selected. Typically, each optional item adds about $40 to $180 to a homeowner’s annual home warranty cost.

• Monthly premium: $49.99 to $59.99
• Service fee: $75 to $125

• Monthly premium: $42.00 to $52.00
• Service fee: $75

American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty both hold B ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). AHS is accredited with the organization, while the BBB revoked Amazon Home Warranty’s accreditation in November 2020 for failure to adhere to certain required standards.

Regarding customer reviews, Amazon Home Warranty has received better customer reviews on average than American Home Shield. Though Amazon Home Warranty holds a higher average rating, it’s hard to compare the two companies evenly on customer reviews because American Home Shield has received a significantly higher number of reviews.

American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty are two of the most popular home warranty companies in the industry because of their variety of coverage plans, positive reputations, and affordability.

Our review team named American Home Shield as the best overall home warranty because of its breadth of coverage, coverage for undetectable pre-existing conditions, and years of experience in the home warranty industry. We named Amazon Home Warranty the provider with the best customer service because of its 24/7 availability and workmanship guarantee.

We recommend American Home Shield for homeowners who want to choose their own service fee or want a home warranty company with decades of experience. We recommend Amazon Home Warranty for homeowners who prefer a wide variety of optional add-ons and want to work with a trusted customer service department. 

To get a free quote from American Home Shield, call .

If you're looking for a more affordable option, consider Select Home Warranty over American Home Shield and Amazon Home Warranty. Our review team named this provider as the best for budget shoppers because it sells its coverage plans for under $40 per month. In addition, Select Home Warranty includes free roof leak coverage with all of its plans.

To get a free quote from Select Home Warranty, call .

The waiting period for new Amazon Home Warranty or American Home Shield customers is 30 days. This means that coverage won’t kick in and homeowners won’t be able to file a claim until this 30-day period is over.

Homeowners with a home warranty can protect their home's systems and appliances from expensive repairs or replacements caused by normal wear and tear. Instead of paying large amounts of money out of pocket, homeowners pay a low monthly premium and a service call fee for every service request they make.

What a home warranty plan covers depends on your home warranty provider and the plan you purchase. Home warranty companies commonly sell plans that protect appliances only, systems only, and both appliances and systems.

Yes, both of these companies cover plumbing systems in their Combo and Systems plans.

Amazon Home Warranty offers three solid coverage plans and has received excellent reviews from customers, earning a 4-star average customer review rating on its BBB webpage.

Here are some home warranty companies that made our review team’s top home warranty list:

• Select Home Warranty: Best for Budget Shoppers
• Choice Home Warranty: Best for Older Homes
• First American Home Warranty: Most Comprehensive Claims Coverage
• 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty: Honorable Mention