Choice Home Warranty Review 2024

Our take on Choice Home Warranty

» MORE: Best home warranties of 2024

What we like

Midrange monthly premiums and service fees make Choice Home Warranty an appealing option if you’re looking for affordable comprehensive coverage. With its cheaper Basic Plan, Choice is kinder to your wallet than most of its competitors. Here are some other things we like about Choice:

• Good value. Choice offers the most comprehensive plans we've found, and the cost per item for coverage is lower than most of its competitors’ plans.

• Access repair coverage. Unlike many of its competitors, Choice Home Warranty will pay up to $500 to repair a wall if a technician needs to cut into it to gain access to a system.

• Coverage in most states. Choice Home Warranty provides coverage in 49 states plus Washington, D.C. The only state in which it does not provide coverage is Washington.

What we don't like

A few things we don’t like about Choice’s home warranty coverage:

• Its guarantee on repairs is only for 30 days. The industry standard for guaranteeing repair work is 30 to 60 days, and Choice offers the shorter of those time frames. That means if it’s been more than 30 days since an item was repaired and it malfunctions again, you’ll have to pay another service fee for a technician to come back.

• It won’t let homeowners hire their own contractors. We don’t love that the company doesn’t let homeowners choose their own technicians, but that’s common among home warranty companies. And a quick read through customer reviews shows that Choice lets some customers find their own technicians if the company doesn’t have any available in their areas. 

• The Basic Plan doesn’t cover air conditioning. Although the Basic Plan does cover heating systems, you’ll have to buy the more expensive plan to cover your AC system. For some homeowners, this makes the Basic Plan a less-compelling option. 

• Customer ratings are mixed. The average customer score is on the lower side compared to Choice’s competitors.

Choice Home Warranty's plans

Choice Home Warranty has two plans:

You also have the option to buy add-on coverage for a:

• Well pump.

• Sump pump.

• Septic system.

• Septic tank system.

• Pool or spa.

• Limited roof leak.

• Central vacuum.

• Second refrigerator.

• Stand alone freezer.

Like competitors, Choice Home Warranty covers repairs and replacements for systems and appliances that malfunction because of everyday use, known as normal wear and tear. The company won’t cover costs for regular maintenance or physical damage.

» MORE: What does a home warranty cover?

Choice Home Warranty's claim process

You can file a claims by phone with the customer service department or through the company’s online portal. Regardless of which method you choose, you’ll need the same information to submit a claim for service.

Once you’ve filed your claim, the company will contact a technician to schedule an appointment. Choice Home Warranty says that it tries to talk with a technician within four hours of your claim and will generally schedule an appointment within two days. But it might take longer in some cases. Once a technician has inspected your appliance or system, they send a diagnosis of the problem and a cost estimate to the company.

If Choice approves the estimate, the technician might be able to make the repair right away; otherwise, they’ll schedule another appointment to complete the work. If the company denies the claim, though, the warranty won’t cover the cost of the repairs, and you’ll need to pay the technician for the work.

Choice Home Warranty coverage limits

Most home warranty companies limit how much they’ll pay to repair or replace a covered item. Choice Home Warranty caps its coverage at $3,000 for each category of items regardless of which plan you purchase. Although some of its competitors offer higher coverage limits, Choice’s coverage leaves room for multiple repairs throughout the year. For both plans, the company will pay or reimburse you up to:

Compared with competitors, Choice Home Warranty is on the higher end of coverage caps, though there are other home warranty companies that offer more coverage. Whether these coverage caps are likely to pay for the majority of repairs depends on the type of problem your appliance or system has and where you live.

» MORE: Are home warranties worth it?

Choice Home Warranty price

Choice Home Warranty plans come with monthly premiums starting at $46.67. Our research shows that the company offers consistent pricing in most areas, which means the price you pay is unlikely to be much different from what someone in another state pays for the same coverage.

You can get a good idea of how much a plan will cost by requesting a quote through Choice’s website. The company requires customers to provide their addresses and contact information to get price quotes.

» MORE: How much does a home warranty cost?

Choice Home Warranty cancellation

You can cancel your home warranty at any time, according to Choice’s service agreement. When you cancel determines how much you’ll be refunded. Generally, a $50 cancellation fee applies regardless of when you end your agreement. If you cancel:

• Within the first 30 days after you purchase the plan (the 30 days you have to wait before filing a claim), the company will refund any amount you’ve paid toward the plan minus the cancellation fee. The service agreement also says Choice will deduct any costs it incurred to replace or repair a covered item up to that point.

• More than 30 days after you purchase the plan, the company will prorate your refund. This means the refund will be for any unused months. For example, if you cancel during the third month of a 12-month plan, your refund will be for the nine months of unused coverage minus the $50 fee and any service costs the company has had to pay.

If you don’t want to renew your plan at the end of your contract, you’ll need to tell Choice that you want to cancel the service agreement at least 30 days before your contract ends. Otherwise, the company can renew your agreement and charge you for another month.

Customer reviews and experiences

We considered customer reviews from three review websites to get a wider perspective of customer experiences. We’ve highlighted the types of experiences that we’ve found to be most common, keeping in mind that online reviews tend to lean toward negative experiences.

What customers like about the home warranty

Some customers say the technicians are professional and repair items quickly. Positive reviews also highlight Choice Home Warranty’s fast scheduling, with technicians available to make repairs within a day or two of customers filing claims. Customers have also highlighted Choice’s easy claim submission process.

What customers don’t like about the home warranty

Many negative customer reviews say that the company’s customer service representatives are unhelpful and that Choice will inaccurately deny claims that should be covered. Customers also note that there is a lack of technicians in some areas, which delays repairs, and that some of the technicians that the company contracts have been dishonest about or unhelpful with repairs.

» CHECK IT OUT: NerdWallet's best home warranties in California and best home warranties in Texas

Alternatives to Choice Home Warranty

» MORE: Read our full review of Liberty Home Guard.

How we rate and review home warranties