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Select Home Warranty Review: Cheapest Monthly, Tightest Caps

Select is the lowest sticker price in the category. We dug into the per-item caps to figure out what the trade is.

By The HomeWarrantyServices DeskAugust 11, 20253 min read

Select Home Warranty Review: Cheapest Monthly, Tightest Caps

Photo: editorial composite via Unsplash

Verdict

What we liked

✓Cheapest monthly we tracked across major providers
✓Free roof-leak coverage on the Platinum plan
✓Generous multi-year discount (two months free on 3-year contracts)

Verdict

What could be better

!Aggressive per-item caps ($500 plumbing, $400 electrical)
!Service-fee math means cheap monthly can become expensive per-claim
!Customer-service response times trail the leaders

Select Home Warranty has been a fixture in the home warranty industry for years, and in 2026 the question isn't whether they'll be in business — it's whether they're the right fit for your house. We pulled the current sample contract, ran reader claim outcomes from our panel, and stress-tested the customer-service number to bring you this update.

How Select Home Warranty plans actually work

In 2026 the company offers three tiers — Bronze Care, Gold Care, Platinum Care. The entry-level plan covers the basics; the mid-tier adds appliances; the top-tier folds in the niceties most homeowners only learn they need after a denied claim (think code-upgrade allowances and free A/C tune-ups).

You also pick a service fee of $75 / $100. This is the per-claim copay, and the math matters more than most buyers realize: a low monthly with a $100 fee can cost more across a year of claims than a higher monthly with a $75 fee.

For most homeowners we surveyed, $75 hit the sweet spot — high enough to keep the premium reasonable, low enough that you don't flinch when the dishwasher dies in March.

Where Select Home Warranty genuinely earns its money

Cheapest plan we tracked, plus free roof-leak coverage on the Platinum plan.

That's competitive with the best of the category, though it varies by metro — major-metro readers reported faster service than rural ones, which tracks across all the major providers.

Read the negative reviews carefully; they cluster on three predictable themes (claim denials, contractor quality, and price increases at renewal). Knowing the patterns helps you avoid the surprises.

Where it falls short

Aggressive coverage caps ($500 on plumbing, $400 on electrical) make big claims sting.

The other watch-out applies industry-wide: the 30-day waiting period before a new policy starts paying claims. Sign up the day your A/C dies and you're paying out of pocket. Plan ahead.

Pricing in 2026

Expect to pay between $44 and $60/month depending on your home size, ZIP code, plan tier, and service-fee selection. Discounts of 5–8% are routinely offered for paying annually, and Select Home Warranty occasionally runs "first-month-free" promotions that we treat as the real price floor.

Available in 47 states (excludes WA, NM, NV).

Who should actually buy this

Select Home Warranty makes the most sense for:

Homeowners who match the "Lowest monthly premium" profile
Anyone who'd rather pay a flat fee than face a surprise four-figure repair bill
Buyers who plan to stay in their home at least three years (a one-year contract rarely pencils out)

If your home is brand new and everything is still under manufacturer warranty, you're paying for risk you don't have yet. Wait a year and revisit.

Bottom line

Select Home Warranty is a credible choice for the right homeowner — but the right homeowner is a narrower group than the marketing suggests. Match the plan to the house, lock in a service fee you can stomach on a bad month, and budget the renewal price increase that always comes in year two. Done that way, the warranty pays for itself the first time the HVAC has a bad week.

See current Select Home Warranty plan pricing

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