Select Home Warranty review: A comprehensive guide to cost and coverage

Select Home Warranty at a glance

Select Home Warranty ranks highest in our objective home warranty company rankings, earning nearly perfect scores for its coverage options, pricing, guarantees, customer service and availability.

Fast facts

What we like

Select scores well in all sections of our analysis but stands out most for plan pricing. The company offers three reasonably priced plans that cover home systems and appliances for peace of mind. The company covers systems and appliances regardless of age, something we don’t see in all providers.

What we don’t like

Where Select falls short is in its claims handling. The company has 24/7 claims processing, which is good, but customers have complained about denied claims and low reimbursement values.

Select Home Warranty pros and cons

Select Home Warranty’s biggest strength is its affordability. Its plans range in price from $60 to $63 per month. For comparison, American Home Shield has a much higher monthly charge of $80 to $140. Select also offers multi-year discounts that save you around 15% if you sign a long-term contract.

One tradeoff is that the company’s coverage limits are a bit lower than those of other home warranty companies. For example, it covers up to $3,000 for heating and cooling systems, while American Home Shield covers up to $5,000 each.

Additionally, Select has some strict requirements for claims payment. For example, its sample contract includes exclusions for most covered items, like tankless water heaters being excluded from water heater coverage, and the electrical system coverage excluding fixtures and damages caused by power surges, flood, fire, water or rust.

Pros

Cons

How much does Select Home Warranty cost?

Select Home Warranty separates coverage into three main plans: Bronze Care, Gold Care and Platinum Care. The company offers monthly or yearly pricing, with yearly pricing at a 15% discount.

*We pulled prices for a home in Babylon, N.Y. Location can affect pricing.

The coverage you want determines the price for each plan. You choose what you want:

Because the Platinum plan covers everything offered in the other two plans, it’s the most cost-effective option, costing just $3 more per month than the others.

Select has add-on coverage for items not included in any of its plans. Prices range from $3.33 per month for items like central vacuuming systems to $8.33 for more expensive items like pools.

Select charges between $75 and $100 for each service visit, in line with average costs. For comparison, Choice Home Warranty charges $100 per service call, and American Home Shield charges between $75 and $125.

Savings and discounts

The best way to save money with Select is to pay for one year upfront. Paying in full for 12 months gives you a 15% discount compared with making month-to-month payments.

Select Home Warranty says it offers multi-year discounts, but it doesn’t spell out the value of the discount. The company requires you to call to get a quote for one, most likely because it bases each discount on the coverage each customer wants and the number of years they want to pay for it upfront.

As of this writing, Select is offering two months free and $150 off, which reduces the prices of its plans to the following prices:

What services does Select Home Warranty offer?

The company offers three plans: the Bronze Care plan for appliances, the Gold Care plan for home systems and the Platinum Care plan for a robust combination of appliances and systems. No matter the plan, your service from Select is subject to the same waiting periods, coverage caps and exclusions.

Select’s coverage begins 30 days after the company receives your payment. That means Select won’t cover any damaged appliances or systems if they happen within 30 days of you enrolling in a plan. The waiting period is a standard policy that virtually all home warranty providers stipulate. However, some companies, such as AFC Home Club, offer a token coverage amount ($150) for issues during the first 30 days.

Select Home Warranty has somewhat lower coverage limits compared with its competition. The following values are the maximum allowance for repairs and replacements for the items Select covers as they compare to some of its competitors:

Select Home Warranty services

Select Home Warranty add-ons and optional features

Select also offers several optional add-ons to supplement its core service plans. It doesn’t include any of the following in its core plans, but you can customize your coverage for an added monthly fee for each. Note that the price discount you get for choosing annual billing doesn’t extend to add-on coverage:

The eight options let you customize your coverage, but the roster isn’t as robust as some other providers’. For example, AFC Home Club has 13 add-ons and Choice Home Warranty also has up to 13 depending on your ZIP code.

What does Select Home Warranty not cover?

In terms of covered items, Select’s offerings are in line with those of its competitors, including all major appliances and home systems. Select’s exclusions are also in line with industry standards, and most of the excluded items should be covered by your homeowners’ insurance policy.

The company doesn’t cover hazardous materials, such as lead-based products, asbestos or acids. It also doesn’t cover any appliances or systems that haven’t been properly maintained or damaged by natural disasters. Select also doesn’t cover foundation damage or structural damage to your home, both of which are sometimes covered by homeowners’ insurance.

Select Home Warranty does not cover any systems or appliances already covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.

Select Home Warranty customer experience

Select Home Warranty’s customer service is available by phone and online 24/7. We called Select’s customer service number to submit a claim and reached a representative in less than two minutes, which is excellent service. We can’t speak to the responsiveness of the online portal, but customer reviews suggest the company processes claims quickly, usually within 48 hours.

The company doesn’t have a mobile app, but customers can access their accounts online through the client portal. They can also submit a claim on the company’s website by filling out a quick online form.

Select Home Warranty is rated 1.38 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Compared to other providers, this is rated slightly below average. Unfortunately, low ratings seem to be the norm in the home warranty industry, as Choice Home Warranty has a 1.04 BBB rating, American Home Shield has a 2.11 and AFC Home Warranty has a 2.53.

Below are two Select Home Warranty reviews from previous customers:

The fine print: Terms and conditions you should know

We’ve already covered exclusions and coverage caps, but you should look at a sample contract that Select publishes on its website. The most important parts are the coverage caps and what systems and appliances Select Home Warranty covers. Like most home warranty companies, Select Home Warranty has an overall coverage ceiling for the entire plan and individual caps for every item it protects. Make sure you understand the coverage you’re getting before signing up.

Select Home Warranty vs. competitors

Select is our highest-rated home warranty company overall and the best option for people looking for low rates. American Residential Warranty’s plans cost as much as $84.99 per month, and American Home Shield has monthly prices that go up to $140. Neither can compete with Select’s plans, which top out at an affordable $63 per month.

The tradeoff is that Select’s coverage caps are lower than its competitors — up to $3,000 per covered item but usually $500, compared to AHS’s max coverage of $5,000, which applies to multiple items, and several other coverages up to $3,000 or $4,000. If you’re looking for low monthly rates and are willing to trade high coverage limits for low payments, Select is a good option.

Select Home Warranty competitor comparison

Methodology

We reviewed more than 20 home warranty companies and compared them using 16 different metrics to determine which are the most likely to deliver the coverage and customer service you need. We emphasize the number of plans, coverage options and plan prices. Those metrics account for more than 50% of each company’s total score.

Next, we prioritized customer service and guarantees, as these help set apart companies that are likely to deliver on promises from those that aren’t.

We also examined each company’s “trust rating,” which included analyzing scores and individual customer reviews on sites like the BBB, Google Reviews, and Trustpilot. Combined with the flexibility of the plans, add-on options, and state availability, we used these scores to determine an overall rating for each company out of 100.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)