Best Home Warranties for Refrigerators (2022) – MarketWatch

A refrigerator malfunction can mean losing a week — or more — worth of groceries, which can be expensive and inconvenient. If an unexpected repair bill would hurt your budget, a refrigerator warranty could help you plan for the unexpected. 

Home warranties can help you pay for repairs and replacements for your most-used appliances and built-in systems, especially the refrigerator that keeps your fresh food and leftovers at a safe temperature.

If your refrigerator is past your manufacturer’s warranty, a home warranty policy can limit the inconvenience of a broken refrigerator (or other covered appliance) by matching you with a local service provider and reducing your out-of-pocket cost for a repaired or replaced refrigerator. 

The 4 Best Home Warranty Companies for Refrigerators

If you’re ready to choose a home warranty policy to cover your refrigerator, this list can get you started. We at the Home Media reviews team have carefully reviewed the best home warranty companies in the industry and combed their policies for refrigerator coverage. The breakdown below will provide thoroughly researched insight into each provider’s prices, offerings, shortcomings, industry reputation and coverage limitations.

Compare the Best Home Warranties for Refrigerators

See how the best home warranty companies for refrigerators compare on key metrics.

*Range shows the least expensive plan to the most expensive plan.
**A service fee is a one-time payment typically between $60 and $125, with some fees as high as $150. This fee covers your service and is typically paid directly to your service contractor.

Note: All pricing information used in this article is pulled from sample quotes we obtained for a single-family home smaller than 5,000 square feet in Coral Gables, Fla. Your quote may be different depending on the location of your home, the square footage of your home and your coverage selections, so we recommend requesting a customized quote from a few companies.

American Home Shield

► Availability: 49 (excludes Alaska)
► Year founded: 1971

American Home Shield (AHS) offers excellent coverage for your refrigerator and other essential home appliances. With more than 50 years of experience, AHS leads the list in industry knowledge, comprehensive policies and high coverage caps for appliances and built-in systems.

3 Things to Know About American Home Shield

• Up to $6,000 in appliance coverage: American Home Shield will cover up to $3,000 for appliance repair and replacement with the ShieldGold plan and $6,000 with the ShieldPlatinum plan. 
• No coverage caps on built-in systems: AHS does not impose coverage caps on built-in systems like your HVAC unit and ductwork. With the ShieldGold and ShieldPlatinum plans, appliances and built-in systems are bundled under the same package, while ShieldSilver covers only systems.
• More than 50 years in the industry: AHS is considered the founder of the home warranty industry, which makes it stand out among newer competitors.

Plans and Coverage

American Home Shield offers three plan options, two of which include coverage for a refrigerator. ShieldGold and ShieldPlatinum cover major appliances, such as your refrigerator, dishwasher, oven and laundry machines. ShieldSilver is limited to coverage for built-in systems only. 

According to our quote, customers can expect to pay between $35 and $80 a month. Your monthly fee will depend on your location, chosen service call fee and plan selection.

The table below lists the monthly premium, service call fee and covered items for each AHS plan.

Methodology: Our System for Ranking the Best Home Warranty Companies

Our consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information—as such, we create a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best home warranty companies. This system accounts for a wide range of ranking factors, and we collect data on dozens of home warranty providers to grade the companies on each factor. The end result is a cumulative score for each provider—companies that score the most points top the list.

To ensure our research is as thorough as possible, we call every major home warranty provider directly and speak with representatives to get quotes, specifics on coverage options, availability based on location and additional information. We also review sample contracts to better understand what each plan covers and to identify limitations. In addition, we simulate the process of reaching out to each company’s customer service team to evaluate their level of helpfulness and ability to solve problems.

Once we gather all relevant data, we use the following scoring system to grade each home warranty company on a 100-point scale:

• Overall plan options (25 points): Companies that offer a variety of plan options are more likely to meet consumer needs. Thus, we award more points to providers that offer more plans and greater flexibility.
• Cost (25 points): Monthly fees and service fees are both taken into consideration. The lower the fees, the higher the score.
• Trust (25 points): We analyze customer feedback on third-party review sites to gauge the reputation of each company. We deduct points for companies that are currently facing or have recently faced civil lawsuits.
• Customer service (10 points): We base this factor on the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of a company’s customer service team.
• State availability (5 points): Most home warranty companies do not serve all 50 U.S. states. Providers that offer service in the most states score the highest in this category.
• Additional benefits (5 points): Promotions and discounts are among the perks that can make a home warranty more attractive to consumers. Companies that offer benefits that competitors don’t are awarded more points.
• Coverage specifics (5 points): While the total number of plan options is important, it is also essential to consider what is covered under each plan. The more comprehensive the coverage, the better.