Choice Home Warranty Review [2024]: Straightforward Protection, Simple Fees

Choice Home Warranty basics

Here’s what you need to know about Choice Home Warranty plans, service fees, and availability:

Monthly cost	Depends on: Location Size of home Level of protection Type of home
Service fees	$100 per claim
Availability	48 U.S. states, not available in California or Washington
	Learn more

How does Choice Home Warranty work?

Choice Home Warranty is a company that offers service contracts that can help pay for repairs when home appliances or major systems fail due to normal wear and tear. These items are not typically covered under a home insurance policy.

Choice Home Warranty’s plans may cover the repair and replacement of new and old systems or appliances as long as they’re initially in working condition. You can purchase home warranty coverage as part of a real estate transaction or as a current homeowner.

Choice Home Warranty offers two plans, the Total Plan and the Basic Plan. Both cover essential household appliances and systems, such as your cooktop and plumbing. Plus, you have the option to add on coverage for items like a pool or spa, central vacuum system, sump pump, septic system and septic tank pumping, and a second refrigerator or a stand-alone freezer.

Choice Home Warranty coverage options

Contract coverage may vary depending on whether you choose the Total Plan or Basic Plan.

For an extra fee, you can add on coverage for a pool, spa, well pump, central vacuum, freezer, or septic system. Additional coverage may be available for roof leaks as well. The roof coverage may include the repair of shake, shingle, and composition roof leaks, but there are conditions.

The roof coverage is only available for single-family homes, and it doesn’t cover porches, patios, chimneys, partial roof replacements, or many roof-related items such as gutters. Also, the roof claim limit is $500 per contract. You can read the entire list of exclusions in the user agreement.

Choice Home Warranty does not cover pre-existing conditions or damage due to misuse, abuse, or failure to maintain appliances. Rather, the contract is designed to help you cover system failure costs due to normal wear and tear.

How to file a claim with Choice Home Warranty

When something goes wrong in your home, you can start the claims process by contacting Choice Home Warranty. You can either submit a claim online or by calling 888-373-7924. Choice Home Warranty’s customer service is available 24 hours per day.

Once you file your claim, Choice Home Warranty will respond within four hours and start contacting service providers. It will have a service provider to your home within 48 hours.

There’s a $100 service fee for each individual claim, but Choice Home Warranty should cover the rest, assuming the issue is covered under your contract. However, Choice Home Warranty has a maximum liability of $3,000 per year for each covered item for access, diagnosis, repair, and/or replacement.

How to get a quote from Choice Home Warranty

If you’re interested in shopping for a home warranty with Choice Home Warranty, you can request a free quote online. To do so, you’ll need to have the following information on hand:

• Your name
• Address
• Property type (single-family, condo, townhouse, manufactured, duplex, triplex, or fourplex)
• Square footage

If you have questions while filling out the form, you can call 1-888-531-5403. Choice Home Warranty doesn’t publish rates online but does say your quote will depend on your location, home size, the type of home you have, and the level of protection you choose.

To give you a general ballpark, an average home warranty costs $300 to $600 per year for most plans and between $1,200 and $1,400 for the most comprehensive plans, according to Consumer Affairs. Add-ons could cost a few extra hundred dollars per year as well.

Choice Home Warranty’s rates seem to fall within these normal ranges. I completed the online quote form and was quoted $47 per month for the basic plan and $55 per month for the total plan — those come to $564 and $660 per year, respectively.

After receiving a quote and signing on the dotted line, the warranty coverage starts 30 days after you enroll, and the policy is good for 365 days.

Who is Choice Home Warranty best for?

Choice Home Warranty is a great option for someone who wants a simple warranty plan to protect their home’s systems and appliances. Some home warranty companies offer a wide variety of plan options. And while some consumers will see the variety of options as a benefit, others may find it confusing and prefer something more straightforward, like what Choice Home Warranty offers.

Instead of having several different plan options, Choice Home Warranty has just two. You can probably quickly glance at them to decide which is better for you. Additionally, the level service fee helps simplify the plans further — some other companies offer different service fees depending on your plan and the nature of the service call.

Who is a home warranty best for?

While you’re considering whether Choice Home Warranty is a good fit, you may also find yourself wondering whether you need a home warranty at all. Home warranties can cost hundreds to upwards of $1,000 per year, but they can also save you a considerable amount of money if one of your home’s systems or appliances fails.

Generally speaking, a home warranty could be a good option when you’re buying a home, especially if it has older systems or appliances or you don’t necessarily know their history. You may also consider one for a home you already own that has systems or appliances that may need to be repaired or replaced soon.

On the other hand, a home warranty may not be worth it if you build a new home. Many of the systems and appliances may be under manufacturer’s warranties, which would cover any necessary repairs or replacements. Additionally, because everything is new, things are less likely to go wrong.

Whether you decide a home warranty is right for you or not, it’s also important to have an emergency fund and/or home repair fund to pay for any repairs that aren’t covered under your home warranty or homeowners insurance.

Choice Home Warranty customer reviews

Choice Home Warranty has generally positive customer reviews. It has more than 43,000 reviews on Trustpilot, with an average rating of 3.7 out of 5. 60% of its reviewers left five stars, while 20% left just one star. It has more than 65,000 reviews with ConsumerAffairs, more than 60% of which are five-star reviews, with an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars.

Here are a couple of recent reviews, both positive and negative.

It is worth noting that, despite its generally positive reviews, Choice Home Warranty does have a large number of customer complaints. It has received nearly 4,500 complaints within the past year and nearly 11,500 within the past three years. Most of its complaints are related to service claims and repair issues.

FAQs

Bottom line

Even if you are budgeting for home repairs, they can pop up unexpectedly and derail your financial plan. A home warranty company could help you pay the bill if an emergency repair arises.

Choice Home Warranty plans may cover a wide range of appliances and home systems. However, as with any contract, you should read through the fine print and understand the terms before signing. Be sure to look for claim limits and read the service exclusions.

Before signing up for home warranty coverage, also consider checking the manufacturer’s warranties on your appliances because they may already offer you some coverage for repairs. This will help you decide if a home warranty is worth it for you.