American Residential Warranty: 2024 Plans and Coverage

Homeowners insurance covers damage to your home’s interior and exterior, along with theft and even personal liability. But what about basic wear and tear? What about the appliances and systems inside of your home? That’s where having home warranty coverage can help. American Residential Warranty is a leading home warranty company that serves homeowners across the U.S.

A home warranty is actually a type of service contract. ARW Home contracts are an arrangement between the homeowner and the warranty company. ARW Home will send a service repair technician to your home if an appliance or system breaks. If it cannot be repaired, the company may issue you a cash payment to replace the item, up to a certain amount.

American Residential Warranty – 2024 Review

Home warranties do not cover cosmetic repairs, but they do cover many expensive appliances and systems. American Residential Warranty can provide complementary warranty protection to protect what homeowners insurance does not cover, such as mechanical failure and wear and tear.

Pros

• Additional coverage options that aren’t offered by other companies
• Available in all 50 states
• Partnerships with Lowe’s and other leading industry brands
• 24/7 online claims service
• Service fee as low as $55

Cons

• Automatic plan renews unless canceled by customer
• Limited coverage for appliances and home systems older than 10 years
• $5,000 cap on combined repairs and replacements per 12 months

Quick Facts

Locations Served: All 50 states

BBB Rating: A |  Accredited? No

Service Fee: $55-85

Company Overview

ARW Home, formerly American Residential Warranty, provides service contracts to homeowners in the United States. The company has been rebranded as ARW Home, but many people still refer to the company as American Residential Warranty.

Corporate partners include AIG, Amynta, Asurion, General Electric, and Lowe’s. The company has a coveted A rating with the Better Business Bureau and is known for offering a wide variety of coverage. American Residential Warranty is also known for its positive company culture and has been rated one of the best places to work by The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation and the Sun Sentinel Group.

Top competitors of American Residential Warranty include:

• American Home Shield
• First Premier Home Warranty
• Choice Home Warranty
• Cinch Home Services
• Select Home Warranty
• AFC Home Club
• Liberty Home Guard
• First American Home Warranty

What Areas Does the Company Serve?

ARW Home offers home warranties in all 50 states. By contrast, some home warranty companies do not. That’s because in some states, the warranty company has to be registered with the state’s insurance department. In these cases, the company might outsource its coverage to a third party, which can occasionally lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication between the homeowner and the warranty company. This is not the case with American Residential Warranty, which provides coverage in all 50 states.

Why We Like American Residential Warranty

American Residential Warranty offers additional protections not commonly found in home warranty plans, such as coverage for code violations and protection for video game systems. While these added features come at a higher monthly cost, they may be worth the investment for those who can afford it.

ARW Home's fast response time to claims and ease of use throughout the claims process are also highly valued by customers. Claims can be submitted through the online dashboard or with the help of a customer service agent by calling the call center, which is available seven days a week for your convenience.

ARW Home Warranty Plans & Coverage

A look at the American Residential Warranty website will show you that there are three primary plans, but these can be expanded into many others with specialized coverage options.

Kitchen Plus (Basic Plan)

The first plan is the Kitchen Plus for $39.99 per month. It covers the interior electrical system, refrigerator, oven, cooktop and range, dishwasher, built-in microwave, garbage disposal, kitchen exhaust fan, and water heater. As you can see from the coverage, it is mainly meant to provide peace of mind around your kitchen space.

Kitchen Plus Optional Upgrades

What if the warranty plan you can afford doesn’t seem to cover everything you want beyond kitchen appliances? Thankfully, American Residential Warranty is a home warranty company that can provide you with the flexibility you need with home warranty plan upgrades.

The Kitchen Plus plan lets you choose from four available upgrade options. For $9.99, you can add washer and dryer coverage. For $23.99, you can add a pool and spa combo. It costs $17.98 to add water and sewer line protection, and for $24.99 you can add an Ultimate Electronics Protection Plan for extra peace of mind.

Platinum Premier (Most Popular)

The most popular plan is the Platinum Premier for $64.99 per month. This warranty plan covers everything in the kitchen plan plus much more: the air conditioning and heating systems, humidifier, plumbing, ductwork, garage door opener, and ceiling fans. This popular plan extends the Kitchen Plus plan to cover some of the main home systems like electrical, plumbing, and air.

Platinum Premier Optional Upgrades

Available upgrades for the Platinum Premier plan are the same as the Kitchen Plus plan. You can add additional coverage for your expensive electronics, washer and dryer, water/sewer lines, and pool or hot tub.

4-in-1 Plan (Full Coverage)

The most comprehensive plan is the Full 4 in 1 Bundle for $129.99/mo. This plan offers the most coverage and complete peace of mind. Coverage includes everything offered in the Platinum Premier plan and many additional upgrades. In addition to everything mentioned above, it also covers the washer and dryer and a service called Deluxe Advantage. This extra perk increases the coverage on the above-mentioned items – for example, by covering plumbing fixtures in addition to the plumbing system, along with things like mismatched systems and improper installation.

The 4-in-1 Plan also provides great coverage for personal electronic items with Ultimate Electronics Protection. Computers, tablets, flat screens, printers, and gaming consoles are just a few of the items covered. Then there is Water and Sewer Line protection, which provides some additional perks such as excavating, repairing, and even repaving the driveway and reseeding the grass that was torn up during the excavating.

4-in-1 Optional Upgrades

The 4 in 1 Plan already includes most of the upgrades at a reduced price. The only upgrade available for the 4-in-1 plan is pool and spa protection for $23.99/mo.

Remember that ARW home services are primarily for appliance repair. If something goes wrong with your central air conditioning or central home heating, they will send someone out (or let you use a contractor you use) to repair the covered item.

If for whatever reason it’s broken beyond repair, they will pay you to replace it, but only up to a certain dollar value. For example, if there is an issue with an external water line or sewer line, and you have selected that upgrade, up to $2,500 of work can be done on the issue before this home warranty company is tapped out. It will be up to you to make up the difference, but this is true for every warranty company. If you are concerned about the coverage limit, talk to a salesperson before purchasing a plan.

How To Sign Up for American Residential Warranty

ARW is rated one of the best home warranty companies. To sign up, simply call 855-538-1403 and speak to an agent. You can also just go to the Plans & Pricing page on their website and click on the plan that most suits you. Once you click, you will see a page that provides you with the opportunity to add on specific pieces of coverage without having to jump up entirely to the next level.

For instance, if you want the Platinum Premier Plan, but also want to cover your washer and dryer…you can just add washer and dryer coverage to the Premier Plan without having to pay for the complete 4-in-1 plan.

You can pay with a credit card or debit card on the website, or you might find that talking to a live agent helps answer all your questions. There is a toggle button on the site that allows you to switch between monthly payment options and one annual payment. If you feel that you have a specialized situation, you can also request a quote. For instance, home security systems are not covered by the plans. You can discuss over the phone the possibility of this coverage or request a quote for a home warranty plan that suits you.

How To Request ARW Home Warranty Service

You just need to call the customer service number to initiate a claim, which you can do 24/7. You can also log into your ARW Home dashboard and submit a claim from inside your account.

For most repairs, it will generally take around 48 hours for a service tech to arrive and make the repair. For emergency repairs, ARW will put in their best effort to get someone there within 24 hours. However, keep in mind that ARW does not send out their own repair technicians. Rather, they partner with licensed contractors and mechanics in your area, who they contact to do the repairs.

One of the unique benefits of ARW is that, unlike other home warranty companies, they will let you use a repair person or contractor that you know and have previously used! Another great thing about filing a claim is that service call fees are typically lower than other warranty companies. You can expect to pay a $55-$85 trade fee, depending on the nature of the service call.

How To Cancel American Residential Warranty

To cancel your warranty, you will need to contact ARW Home and ask to cancel your plan. One thing that sets ARW Home apart from competitors is that there is no written contract.

You will have to request your cancellation in writing and pay a $49 cancellation fee (the particulars of which an ARW representative can provide for you over the phone). If you cancel your service and have made a yearly payment, they will prorate you for the rest of the contract for the year.

ARW Home Contact Information

ARW Home offers customer service on the following days:

• Mon-Thurs 9:00am-5:30pm EST
• Fri 9:00am-5pm EST
• Sat 8:30am-5pm EST

Call (800) 910-8538 for general customer support. For claims, call (877) 637-7890. If your question is about the electronics plan, call (844) 885-8621. Lastly, if you have a billing question, call (877) 752-6796.

These daytime office hours are for general questions and customer service. Rest assured, if you need warranty service, you can file a claim 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Is an ARW Home Warranty Right for Me?

You may be wondering: Is a home warranty worth it? In addition to a monthly fee to cover your appliances and things like your heating system from mechanical failure or wear and tear, you will also have to pay at least $55 for a service call. But compare this to the cost of paying for a full repair out of your own pocket, or even to replace the appliance or home system in question.

For instance, if something is wrong with your dishwasher, a technician could come over, spend three hours looking at it, and charge you $300 for that visit. Compare this to just $40 for the plan for the month and $55 for the service fee. You might be wondering if it’s worth paying for the next month. If you already own a home, you know that things are always breaking. The peace of mind that an ARW Home warranty plan provides is typically well worth it.