America’s Preferred Home Warranty Review (2024)

America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW) was founded in 1999 and is based out of Jackson, Michigan. It does business under Christian-based principles and vows to “maximize customer value through innovation and the use of technology.” In addition to providing warranty coverage, America’s Preferred Home Warranty is an active advocate of charities within its communities, setting aside a portion of its profits to directly benefit hurting families, cancer research, and children’s hospitals.

We have reviewed multiple home warranty companies and their plans, coverage, and pricing. While we like America’s Preferred Home Warranty, we recommend Liberty Home Guard for its outstanding customer service and extensive list of plan add-ons.

In this America’s Preferred Home Warranty review, we’ll discuss coverage, claims, costs, and customer reviews to help you decide if this is the best home warranty for you.

Pros and Cons of America’s Preferred Home Warranty

If you prefer to have more than one option for protection plans, we recommend getting a quote from Liberty Home Guard or American Home Shield. You can read our full review of American Home Shield and Liberty Home Guard review for more information.

America’s Preferred Home Warranty Plans and Coverage

America’s Preferred Home Warranty also offers several optional add-ons so plan holders can extend their coverage for additional systems and appliances:

• Pool and spa equipment
• Premium pool and spa
• Clothes washer and dryer
• Water softener
• Jetted bathtub

Note: You’ll have to pay an additional fee every month for any add-ons you include in your standard plan. Here’s what those costs look like.

Optional Add-Ons

A sample contract provided by America’s Preferred Home Warranty states that the company protects against the malfunction of covered appliances and systems that result from normal conditions of use. The user agreement gives a transparent look at what is included and what is not.

Here are a few highlights that should be noted.

Coverage Specifics

Before signing up for service, analyze the sample contract to ensure the type of equipment you own is included in the coverage.

• Read more: What’s Included in a Home Warranty?

America’s Preferred Home Warranty Pricing

The price of your plan will depend on the service fee you select. With a $50 service fee, a home warranty policy costs $549 per year, while a $100 service fee will lower the annual cost to $499. By choosing the highest service fee of $125, a basic policy will cost just $465 per year. By including the Preferred Upgrade, it will increase the annual price with a one-time payment of $125.

This pricing is comparable to other providers with similar coverage—the average home warranty costs homeowners about $300 for a basic warranty and $600 for more comprehensive protection.

The maximum aggregate liability of America’s Preferred Home Warranty is $25,000 per 12-year service contract. The provider lists its maximum payouts per specific appliances and systems in its sample agreement. Keep in mind, these totals are the coverage limitations per instance, regardless of the number of claims for repairs or replacements.

Coverage Caps

How Do You File an America’s Preferred Home Warranty Claim?

APHW has an easy claims process and can be performed online through the company’s website. Here are the steps you should take to file a claim:

1. Start a claim on the APHW website and receive a claim number.
2. Call a licensed contractor of your choice to diagnose the problem.
3. Once the contractor is on site, and before any work is performed, call 800-648-5006 for phone approval. Failure to abide by this guideline may result in denial of the claim.
4. An America’s Preferred Home Warranty representative will provide a determination on coverage, and if approved, initiate payment.

America’s Preferred Home Warranty claims that they will immediately pay for a repair or replacement over the phone via credit card, send a check to the contractor, or reimburse a plan holder within 14 business days.

America’s Preferred Home Warranty Reviews

By analyzing America’s Preferred Home Warranty reviews from actual plan holders, we can gain a unique perspective into how committed a provider is to its customers and the terms and conditions. Based on America’s Preferred Home Warranty profile from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), customers can see that the company was accredited in 2010 and has an A+ rating.

Here are a few customer testimonials.

“My wife and I will always be thankful that our home came with an America’s Preferred Home Warranty because we ended up needing to use them the first winter in our home, when our furnace went out. Then, the following spring, our air-conditioning system went out! Shortly after, as if it couldn’t get worse, our dishwasher and washing machine broke! America’s Preferred Home Warranty quickly and conveniently assisted us in replacing each of these systems/items, and we have decided to keep our warranty renewing for the foreseeable future. We otherwise could not have afforded to replace all of these things! I highly recommend them.” — David E., 5 stars, 10/21/2019

“America’s Preferred Home Warranty is a scam. They will find a way not to pay much or nothing at all for a repair. I would never recommend them to anyone..Don’t spend your money on this company.” — Judith R., 1 star, 01/23/2020

Our Final APHW Review

We give America’s Preferred Home Warranty 4.6 out of 5 stars. Its straightforward approach to choosing coverage helps streamline the process for plan holders, and its service fee of $50 is lower than the industry average.

The company is different from most home warranty providers as it allows a plan holder to choose their own licensed contractors for repair work. Typically, home warranty companies will dispatch a qualified contractor from its network of experts.

Unfortunately, we also discovered a few disadvantages to America’s Preferred Home Warranty.

• If a plan holder selects an unauthorized technician, repairs or replacements may be delayed or result in a claim denial.
• The base package doesn’t cover a washing machine or dryer. Instead, coverage for these items must be purchased for an additional fee.
• When choosing the lowest service fee, the cost for coverage is near the industry’s most expensive costs.

America’s Preferred Home Warranty Alternatives Compared

We researched 13 home warranty companies, and narrowed down our top alternatives to APHW in the table below:

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Related Resources on Home Warranty Companies

• AFC Home Warranty Review
• Elite Home Warranty Review

Our Rating Methodology

We back up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to score each provider objectively. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys. 

We score each provider against our review standards, which include four comparison categories: coverage, value, trust and transparency, and availability and service. We rate each provider across 31 factors within these categories. Each factor is assigned a point value based on its importance to a homeowner, totaling 100 points. We then convert the final scores to a 5-star rating. 

Here’s a breakdown of our weighted factors:

• Coverage (40%): We scored coverage based on included home systems and appliances, add-on options, and unique benefits. We also compared coverage caps and policy exclusions.
  • Additional coverage items
  • Annual coverage cap
  • Home systems coverage
  • Major appliances coverage
  • Obstructed wall coverage cap

• Value (30%): We compared the coverage level received to monthly pricing to determine plan value. We considered premium pricing, service fees, and flexibility in customizing plan costs.
  • Average monthly cost
  • Cost flexibility
  • Lowest service fee

• Trust and Transparency (16%): We evaluated each company’s reputation using the Better Business Bureau ratings and customer reviews on third-party review sites. We read through plan change policies, workmanship protections, and sample contract availability.
  • Brand reputation
  • Policy change flexibility
  • Sample contract availability
  • Workmanship guarantee length

• Availability and Service (14%): We award higher scores for faster claim processing and response times. We also considered service technician policies, including options to choose your technician.
  • Claims process
  • Guaranteed response time
  • Service flexibility

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.