Guides / Costs and conversions · Updated November 2026

Home warranty cost and coverage, compared

From each provider's own contract or price sheet, read November 2026. Terms differ by state and change often; read yours.

Short answer

Published prices run from about $360 a year (American Home Shield's starting price) to $885 (Old Republic's top California plan), plus a $100 to $200 fee every time a technician comes out. The bigger difference is in the fine print: HVAC caps run from $2,000 to none at all.

Prices and fees

Provider	Published price	Service fee
American Home Shield	“Starting $29.99 per month”	You choose; sample shows $100 or $125
Old Republic	1 year: $450 (Silver) to $885 (Platinum)	$100 trade call fee
Cinch	Mid-Atlantic home buyer: $514 to $614 a year	$100 or $200 deductible
Liberty Home Guard	Sample shows $849.99	Per claim, set in the agreement
Choice Home Warranty	Not published	Set in the agreement
Select Home Warranty	Not published	Set in the agreement
First American	Not in the contract	Set in the contract

What they cover

Provider	HVAC cap	Appliance cap	Waiting period	Pre-existing problems	Poor maintenance
American Home Shield	$5,000 per system ($1,500 for glycol, hot water or steam)	$2,000 (Gold), $4,000 (Platinum); $50,000 per term in all	Set in the plan summary	Known pre-existing breakdowns excluded	Covers failures from insufficient maintenance, rust, sediment
Old Republic	“No dollar limit on HVAC units”; ductwork $1,000	$3,000 (more with upgrades)	None for home sales; 30 days otherwise	Unknown conditions covered for home buyers; not for other homes	Not stated in the summary
Cinch	No cap on standard HVAC; $10,000 total per term (direct plan)	$2,000 per item	Not stated	Unknown ones covered if not visible on inspection	Excluded
Liberty Home Guard	$2,000 per item, up to its book value	$2,000 per item	30 days	Known or unknown, excluded	Excluded
Choice Home Warranty	$3,000 per item per year	$3,000 per item per year	30 days	Known or unknown, excluded	Excluded; records can be requested
Select Home Warranty	$3,000 a year	$500 a year (appliances, plumbing, electrical)	30 days; no whole-system replacements in the first 30	Excluded, including inspection findings	Excluded
First American	No general cap; specialty systems $1,500	$3,500 per appliance (Starter, Essential)	Starts on the effective date	Unknown covered for home buyers; excluded at renewal and for others	Covers failures from lack of maintenance, rust, corrosion

Every plan also lists exclusions for things like permits, code upgrades, refrigerant and haul-away; some add those back as paid options.

Questions to ask

Texas's licensing agency, TDLR, suggests asking before you buy:

Is there a limit to how much the company will pay?
Would a pre-existing condition void coverage?

California's Department of Insurance warns that "many buyers only discover the exclusions ... when they file a claim and have it denied." And you don't have to buy one when you buy a house; TDLR says so plainly.

Is it worth it for you?

The home warranty calculator weighs the plan's cost against the age of your heating, water heater and appliances, and whether you could cover a big bill yourself.