Best Home Warranty Companies for Veterans

By Jesus Sanchez Garcia Updated August 6, 2024

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Retired military members know the importance of protecting their homes. A home warranty will cover repairs to or replacements of your essential appliances and systems when they fail due to normal wear.

Some companies feature unique benefits for the active duty and retired military communities. Our team analyzed dozens of the best home warranty companies before selecting our recommended providers for veterans.

 


 

Top Home Warranty Companies for Veterans

Before choosing our top picks, we considered coverage options, costs, customer service, extra perks, and available military benefits. Here is our list of the top home warranty plans for veterans:

This article’s pricing information is based on quotes our team pulled for a single-family home in Raleigh, North Carolina. Your monthly premium may differ based on your home’s type, size, and location, plus your coverage and add-on selections.

 


 

American Home Shield

Coverage Overview

Although American Home Shield (AHS) doesn’t offer specific military discounts or benefits, it’s still worth considering for military families because of its comprehensive major system and appliance coverage. The company covers up to $5,000 for built-in systems and $4,000 for major appliances in its ShieldPlatinum plan. It also covers items other home warranty companies normally exclude, such as improperly installed and poorly maintained items.

American Home Shield provides pricing flexibility via two service call fees of $100 or $125. If you choose a lower service call fee, you’ll pay more per month and vice versa.

Plans

American Home Shield offers three home warranty coverage plans:

ShieldSilver ($29.99–$39.99): The ShieldSilver plan protects home systems, such as doorbells and chimes, garage-door openers, ceiling fans, ductwork, built-in exhaust and attic fans, heating units, air conditioning, and HVAC systems. It also covers electrical system components, including interior electrical lines, main breakers, and fuse panel boxes. Additionally, it includes faucets, valves, interior plumbing lines, sump pumps, toilets, whirlpool tub motor components, and water heaters.

ShieldGold ($49.99–$59.99): The ShieldGold plan protects all ShieldSilver systems, plus home appliances such as built-in microwaves, clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, garbage disposals, instant cold and hot water dispensers, ovens, cooktops, ranges, and refrigerators. The company pairs a $2,000 coverage limit per covered appliance in this plan.

ShieldPlatinum ($79.99–$89.99): The ShieldPlatinum plan protects everything in the ShieldGold plan and adds roof-leak repair coverage, a $1,000 cap for plumbing system modifications, discounted HVAC system tune-ups, and an increased coverage cap of $4,000 per covered appliance.

Read more: American Home Shield Review

 


 

Liberty Home Guard

Coverage Overview

After speaking with a Liberty Home Guard (LHG) representative, we discovered Liberty Home Guard offers a policy discount for both retired and active-duty military members. The provider also stands out for its suite of coverage options and a 60-day workmanship guarantee. It has a $2,000 coverage limit per covered item, except for electrical and plumbing. LHG covers electrical and plumbing up to $500 per claim.

When we pulled a quote using Liberty Home Guard’s website, we found the company doesn’t disclose its service call fee. However, the representative we talked to stated that LHG chooses your service call fee based on your home’s type, size, and location, plus your coverage and add-on selections.

Plans

Liberty Home Guard offers three home protection plans for military members:

Appliance Guard ($49.99): The Appliance Guard plan protects major appliances, including built-in microwave ovens, ceiling and exhaust fans, clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, garage-door openers, garbage disposals, ranges, ovens, cooktops, and refrigerators with built-in ice makers.

Systems Guard ($54.99): The Systems Guard plan protects major systems, such as air conditioning, plumbing, heating and electrical systems, ductwork, and water heaters.

Total Home Guard ($59.99): The Total Home Guard plan bundles the Appliance Guard and Systems Guard plans together.

Read more: Liberty Home Guard Review

 


 

Select Home Warranty

Coverage Overview

Select Home Warranty (SHW) is another provider covering common home systems and appliances that veterans should consider. The company includes roof-leak repair coverage in its three plans, while most other companies only offer this as an add-on. In addition, its $75 service call fee is one of the lowest in the industry. You must sign up over the phone to obtain an even lower $60 service call fee.

We read through SHW’s service contract and found it has a $3,000 coverage limit for HVAC systems and air conditioners. It has a much lower $500 limit for other home systems and appliances. Therefore, we only recommend SHW if you need basic HVAC coverage.

Plans

Select Home Warranty offers three plans:

Bronze Care ($44.42): Bronze Care protects built-in microwaves, clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, garbage disposals, ovens, refrigerators, and stovetops.

Gold Care ($44.42): Gold Care protects home systems, including ductwork, water heaters, cooling and heating systems, and plumbing and electrical systems.

Platinum Care ($47.75): Platinum Care plan protects the items listed in the Bronze Care and Gold Care plans.

Rating:
Best Budget Coverage

Read more: Select Home Warranty Review

 


 

First American Home Warranty

Coverage Overview

First American Home Warranty is another great choice for service members since it provides generous system and appliance coverage caps and flexible service fees. When we secret-shopped First American’s website, we found that it offers a $25 discount to active or former military personnel when signing up. Further, First American provides a First American Advantage Upgrade in its Essential and Premium Plans for added value. This upgrade covers miscellaneous fees, such as appliance removal costs.

The company has a $3,500 coverage cap per covered appliance. It doubles this coverage limit to $7,000 in its Premium Plan. First American also offers flexible service call fees. You can pick from a $75, $100, or $125 fee. The higher the service call fee, the lower your monthly cost.

Plans

First American offers three home protection plans:

Starter Plan ($47–$62 per month): The Starter Plan protects several major appliances and systems, such as built-in microwaves, dishwashers, ductwork, electrical, heating, plumbing, kitchen range hoods, ovens, cooktops, plumbing stoppages, refrigerators, and toilet tanks.

Essential Plan ($57–$72 per month): The Essential Plan protects all Starter Plan items, including air conditioners, ceiling fans, attic fans, exhaust fans, clothes washers and dryers, the First American Advantage upgrade, garage-door openers, trash compactors, and water heaters.

Premium Plan ($72–$87 per month): The Premium plan covers all Essential Plan items, central vacuum and full garage-door systems, faucets, garbage disposals, instant hot water dispensers, luxury appliances, shower heads and arms, and window air conditioning units.

Rating:
Best System Coverage

Read more: First American Home Warranty Review

 


 

America’s 1st Choice Home Club

Coverage Overview

America’s 1st Choice Home Club (AFC Home Club) provides unique perks other companies don’t. For example, it allows you to choose your service provider, while other companies require you to use in-network providers. When we spoke with a representative, he stated that AFC Home Club provides a $25 discount for veterans and active military members. You must call and provide basic information confirming your service to obtain the discount. Like American Home Shield and First American Home Warranty, AFC Home Club offers flexible service call fees. Its fees are $75, $100, and $125 per claim.

We read through AFC Home Club’s fine print and discovered the company provides different coverage caps per covered item. For instance, it has a $3,000 coverage limit for appliances, but a $1,000 coverage limit for water heaters.

Plans

AFC Home Club offers four plans:

Silver Plan ($42.17–$47.00): The Silver Plan protects appliances, including clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, garage-door openers, garbage disposals, ovens, ranges, stovetops, and refrigerators.

Systems Plan ($49.42–$54.25): The Systems Plan protects systems, such as ductwork, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, heating, and water heaters.

Gold Plan ($56.67–$61.50): The Gold Plan protects Silver Plan and Systems Plan items.

Platinum Plan ($61.50–$66.33): The Platinum Plan provides comprehensive coverage by combining all items in the Gold Plan and adding coverage for built-in microwaves, faucets, ice makers, and plumbing stoppages.

Rating:
Best Membership Perks

Read more: America’s 1st Choice Home Club Review

 


 

Compare the Top Home Warranties for Veterans

CompanyCoverage Cap for AppliancesCoverage Cap for Built-In SystemsService Call Fee
American Home Shield$2,000–$4,000$5,000$100–$125
Liberty Home Guard$2,000$500–$2,000$65–$125
Select Home Warranty$500$500–$3,000$60–$70
First American Home Warranty$3,500–$7,000$1,000–unlimited$75–$125
America’s 1st Choice Home Club$3,000$500–unlimited$75–$125

 


 

Our Recommendation

Veterans who purchase a new home or who are current homeowners can limit the inconvenience of appliance or system breakdowns with a home warranty. On top of providing peace of mind, home warranties save you time otherwise spent sourcing a technician by sending a reputable contractor to your door. Our team recommends American Home Shield for its expansive system and appliance coverage and flexible service call fee. We also recommend Liberty Home Guard to those who have unique coverage needs. Select Home Warranty is worth considering for its solid heating and cooling system coverage.

Before choosing a provider, we recommend requesting quotes from three providers to compare coverage costs and plan options.

 


 

Home Warranties for Veterans FAQ

Do home warranties cover rental properties?

Yes, home warranties do cover rental properties. You must be the owner of the property if you wish to purchase a home warranty plan. In addition, it must be a single-family home. Home warranties don’t cover commercial properties or multifamily homes.

How do I avoid a home warranty claim denial?

There are several ways to avoid a claim denial from your home warranty provider:Conduct regular inspections of your systems and appliances.Keep track of all maintenance documents.Perform routine maintenance.Read your sample contract.

How are home warranties regulated?

State government bodies and industry associations regulate home warranties. Both entities work together to create laws that oversee providers and provide consumers with resources to improve their home warranty experience.

Why is there a waiting period before my home warranty coverage begins?

Most home warranty companies have a waiting period of 30 days before coverage begins because they want to ensure the breakdown your systems and appliances may suffer are from normal wear and tear rather than a preexisting condition. Like insurance companies, home warranty providers won’t cover an already broken item.

 


 

How We Chose the Top Home Warranty Providers

Our team reviewed and researched dozens of home warranty providers, thoroughly analyzed sample agreements, and identified customer pain points based on our analysis of customer reviews and interviews with industry experts. Our in-depth methodology outlines our review process to provide transparent information about the companies we review.

We determined that the following factors are the most important when comparing home warranty companies: available plans, plan coverage, price range, industry reputation, customer support, and additional features. Our research supported that plan coverage, customer service, and industry reputation should carry the most weight. While important, the other factors should not have as much influence when choosing a home warranty provider.