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Updated Mar 13, 2023
Updated Mar 13, 2023
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Choice Home Warranty (CHW) provides comprehensive home protection plans that guard against the high cost of repairing or replacing major home systems and appliances. Choice Home Warranty is one of the best home warranty companies in the industry; it has been in operation since 2008 and offers 24/7 customer support to its policyholders. CHW is available in every state except for Washington, serving over 1 million households across the U.S.
Read on to learn about Choice Home Warranty’s pricing, coverage, and customer reviews.
We rated Choice Home Warranty (CHW) with a 9.7 out of 10 — the highest score earned thus far across the 65+ home warranty providers we’ve reviewed. Choice stands out as the best home warranty option on the market, offering roomy annual coverage caps, reasonable plan pricing, and a reliable nationwide network of over 25,000 prescreened contractors.
Our review of Choice Home Warranty assesses how effectively its policies align with the needs of real home warranty customers. We surveyed 800+ homeowners across the country, asking them to share what they consider most important when choosing a home warranty. Here’s how CHW’s coverage compared to their responses:
Pros
Cons
Choice Home Warranty splits its coverage between two policy options: the Basic Plan and the Total Plan. Both plans offer comprehensive coverage for a mix of home systems and appliances at different levels.
The Basic Plan covers 14 appliances and systems, including heating, electrical, plumbing, ductwork, dishwashers, garbage disposals, jetted bathtubs, and more. This plan level may be ideal for newer homeowners who want a feel for their coverage needs before investing in a higher-level plan.
Keep in mind that the Basic Plan doesn’t include air conditioning systems, which can cost up to $600 to repair out of pocket, depending on the issue. If you have an older A/C unit, the Total Plan may be worth a few more dollars per month.
The Total Plan includes 18 appliances and systems, featuring everything listed in the Basic Plan, plus coverage for air conditioning systems, refrigerators, washing machines, and clothes dryers. For roughly $8 more per month, the Total Plan could save you thousands on emergency maintenance for big-ticket appliances and systems throughout your home.
Here’s how inclusions differ between Choice Home Warranty’s two base plans:
Covered Appliance or System | The Basic Plan | The Total Plan |
Heating Systems | ✓ | ✓ |
Ductwork | ✓ | ✓ |
Electrical Systems | ✓ | ✓ |
Plumbing Systems | ✓ | ✓ |
Plumbing Stoppages | ✓ | ✓ |
Hot Water Heaters | ✓ | ✓ |
Whirlpool Bathtubs | ✓ | ✓ |
Ovens/Ranges/Stoves | ✓ | ✓ |
Cooktops | ✓ | ✓ |
Dishwashers | ✓ | ✓ |
Built-in Microwaves | ✓ | ✓ |
Garbage Disposals | ✓ | ✓ |
Ceiling and Exhaust Fans | ✓ | ✓ |
Garage Door Openers | ✓ | ✓ |
Air Conditioning Systems | ✓ | |
Refrigerators | ✓ | |
Clothes Washers | ✓ | |
Clothes Dryers | ✓ |
The system’s coverage across both of Choice Home Warranty’s base plans span integral home functions, such as:
Choice’s Basic Plan covers 14 home appliances, whereas the Total Plan covers 18. Here are the items you’ll be covered for with appliance insurance by Choice Home Warranty:
Coverage add-ons are optional policy extras that you can purchase to cover other features of your home that aren’t typically included in standard home warranty plans. Choice Home Warranty has 11 elective add-ons for its policyholders to choose from. These include:
Like any other home warranty company, Choice Home Warranty only covers damage due to normal wear and tear. All systems and appliances covered by Choice must be in proper working condition at sign-up, as issues caused by known pre-existing conditions aren’t eligible for coverage.
Other causes of appliance or system failures that Choice Home Warranty won’t cover include:
Choice Home Warranty’s cancellation policy is lenient. Customers can cancel plans anytime, but if you cancel within the first 30 days, you’ll get a refund for your paid Agreement Fee.
If you cancel after the initial 30 days, an administration fee of $50 will be withheld, but you will receive a full refund for the months of coverage you’ve prepaid. If you decide to pay monthly, you can still cancel at any time, but you’ll have to mail a cancellation notification with your $50 cancellation fee and payment for the last month.
Choice Home Warranty costs around $44 to $55 per month or $510 to $660 per year. Its monthly premiums align with the industry average of $51.61, according to the 63 home warranty providers we reviewed.
We secret-shopped for a home warranty policy for a single-family home located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and here’s what Choice Home Warranty offered:
Plan | Cost Per Month | Cost Per Year |
Basic Plan | $44–$47 | $510–$570 |
Total Plan | $53–$55 | $610–$660 |
This quote includes 13 months (1 month free) and a $50 discount.
The typical service fee for home warranties usually falls between $75 and $125 per claim, and Choice Home Warranty’s service trade call fee of $85 falls in line with the industry standard. The service fee is required for all repair calls, regardless of the work done or the cost of the repairs.
Choice Home Warranty’s add-on coverage costs range from $3.33 to $15 per month, depending on your chosen coverage. These competitive prices for additional coverage make CHW an affordable option if you need to customize your plan.
Choice Home Warranty will cover up to $3,000 per year to access, diagnose, repair, or replace an issue affecting each appliance and system included in either of its base plans. Most of CHW’s optional coverage add-ons have per-item coverage limits of $500, except for septic tanking pumping, which is capped at $250 per year.
For issues like pipe leaks or interior electrical repairs that often occur behind walls, ceilings, floors, etc., Choice will payout no more than $500 per year for costs related to access and restoration. As defined in its sample contract, restoration is limited to returning the access point to a rough finish.
Choice Home Warranty is available in 49 states and Washington, D.C., excluding Washington state. If you want to see the best coverage options for where you live, click on your state below:
As a consumer, you probably don’t have the time to sit around and sift through the hundreds of Choice Home Warranty customer reviews and feedback left by customers. At House Method, we’ve gone through user complaints, reviews, and ratings of each home warranty company and compiled that information. According to Trustpilot, Choice Home Warranty averages a 3.8/5 star rating based on more than 31,300 reviews.
Here are a few ratings we’ve pulled from Trustpilot:
“We have been using Choice Home Warranty for nearly a year and their customer service is highly satisfactory. The fast response time is helpful, especially when you are dealing with plumbing issues. We have had three claims filed so far, and the quality of service they have provided was phenomenal. We feel a great sense of security and peace of mind knowing that CHW is there to respond when one of our appliances becomes inoperable. Thank you, CHW!” – Maria C., 08/10/2022
“I was away from home. My wife called me to say the HVAC unit had quit working and it was 103 degrees outside and getting hot inside. I did not have a computer and I was able to get the issue reported by phone. This was around 8:00 PM. CHW responded quickly and was trying to locate me an AC tech within an hour. Then CHW allowed me the opportunity to pick my AC tech. Problem was resolved by 10:00 PM on the same day. My wife is cool and happy now. Thanks CHW! CHW has made a believer out of me!” – Bobby K., 08/05/2022
Here is some feedback from a customer who was not satisfied with their service claim:
“I filed a claim on Monday and it was Friday before anyone came out. He found the problem and the parts will have to be ordered. Probably take a week or longer for them to come and then I don’t know how long it will take for them to get back out here. Can you not find someone that stocks these parts. The tech that came out was very nice and friendly.” – Carolyn H., 10/15/2022
In October 2019, the Arizona attorney general filed a complaint against Choice Home Warranty, alleging consumer fraud and intention to deceive customers through baseless claim denials. Since the onset of the lawsuit, Choice Home Warranty has, however, made a concerted effort to rectify its reputation by approving nearly 90% of the 1.1 million claims filed in 2021.
As one of the leading home warranty companies in the industry, Choice Home Warranty provides an affordable cost, excellent customer service and decent coverage — factors we think are necessary to have a positive home warranty experience.
With two plans under $55 per month, low-end service fees, and annual limits upwards of $3,000, CHW is great for those on a budget. Whether located on the west coast in California or Arizona or out on the east coast in New York or Florida, CHW is an excellent choice for any homeowner.
Although the costs listed above are accurate prices for Choice Home Warranty plans, other factors — like location, size, and type of home — can influence the cost of your policy. We recommend getting a quote from Choice with your ZIP code to get an accurate estimate.
House Method readers get $50 off with Choice!
Once coverage begins, you can file as many claims as you’d like. After approving your claim, CHW will schedule an appointment with one of its pre-approved service technicians and you’ll pay an $85 service fee. The service technician will repair or replace your home system or appliance, and CHW will cover the cost of anything under your warranty.
Victor Hakim founded Choice Home Warranty in 2008, though James Mostofi was appointed CEO in June 2021.
Choice Home Warranty does not cover Freon or other types of A/C refrigerants.
Yes. Choice Home Warranty is transferable between home sellers and buyers. Many home sellers will purchase a coverage plan to cover repairs while the house is listed and under contract. They can transfer the coverage to the home buyers. This gives anxious home buyers peace of mind that major household components are protected.
No. Choice Home Warranty does not require an initial home inspection to determine your sign-up eligibility. Still, choice reserves the right to request maintenance records for your covered appliances and systems to ensure damages are never due to poor routine maintenance.
At House Method, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader.
To create this rating system, our team spent hours researching more than 60 companies, analyzing 2500+ key data points, getting the thoughts and opinions of 1000+ homeowners, and speaking to home warranty company representatives directly. We also dug into the fine print on each company’s service agreement to ensure no detail was left out.
We developed an objective home warranty review and rating methodology to score each company based on several criteria. We used a five-point scale with a point index ranging from 0.00 to 1.00. The minimum awardable value is 0.0, whereas 1.00 is the maximum. These numeric points are translated into star ratings using whole-star increments between one and five.
Here is a quick breakdown of our five core scoring categories:
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