First American Home Warranty Review (2026)
Best for: Homeowners who want a low service call fee
Our Verdict
First American Home Warranty stands out with an A BBB rating and one of the lowest service fees at $75. Their straightforward plans and reliable contractor network make them a solid mid-tier option.
Coverage at a Glance
First American Home Warranty protects the systems and appliances responsible for the most expensive home breakdowns, with per-item coverage up to $3,500.
Pros
- Low $75 service call fee
- A BBB rating
- 40+ years in business
- Simple, easy-to-understand plans
- No coverage limits on most items
Cons
- Only available in 35 states
- Fewer add-on options than competitors
- No online claim filing
- Customer service hours limited
First American Home Warranty Plans & Pricing
Basic Plan
Core system & appliance coverage
- Heating
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Water heater
- Kitchen appliances
- Dishwasher
Premier Plan
Comprehensive protection
- Everything in Basic
- Air conditioning
- Washer & dryer
- Refrigerator
- Garage door opener
What First American Home Warranty Covers
Coverage caps of $3,500 per item apply. Pre-existing conditions and improper installations are excluded — as with all providers.
Filing a Claim with First American Home Warranty
Claims can be filed 24/7 by phone or through the online portal. Most First American Home Warranty claims are reviewed within 24–48 hours, and you pay the $75 service fee only when the technician arrives — regardless of how expensive the repair turns out to be.
How First American Home Warranty Pricing Compares
- Starting monthly price$42 (+$7 vs. $35 avg)
- Service call fee$75 (industry avg $90)
- Per-item coverage cap$3,500 (avg $8,083)
Averages computed across the 6 major providers in our review set. Try the cost calculator for your home's estimate.
Who Should Choose First American Home Warranty?
- ✓Homeowners who want a low service call fee — this is where First American Home Warranty beats every alternative we tested.
- ✓Trust-first shoppers: a A BBB rating and 42 years in business signal staying power.
- ✗Skip it if: only available in 35 states is a dealbreaker for you — see our alternatives below.
What 12,847 Customers Say
Aggregated across the BBB, Trustpilot, Google, and Consumer Affairs, First American Home Warranty earns a mixed-to-positive 4/5 average from 12,847 verified reviews. Positive reviews consistently mention $75 service call fee and a bbb rating.
Critical reviews most often cite fewer add-on options than competitors — a pattern common across the industry, but worth weighing if you expect frequent claims. The company's A BBB rating reflects its complaint-resolution track record over 42 years.
Company Background: 42 Years in the Industry
First American Home Warranty entered the home warranty market in 1984, which makes it one of the longest-operating providers in the country — a meaningful signal in an industry where undercapitalized entrants regularly collapse mid-contract, leaving customers with unpaid claims. Longevity matters in this category for a structural reason: a home warranty is a promise to pay future claims, and that promise is only as good as the company's reserves and reinsurance. 42 years of paid claims through housing booms, busts, and a pandemic is evidence the model holds.
Today the company maintains a A rating with the Better Business Bureau and a 4/5 customer average across 12,847 aggregated reviews. The A-grade BBB standing reflects consistent complaint resolution — the BBB grades responsiveness, not satisfaction, so an A means the company engages with and closes disputes. Its positioning is clear: homeowners who want a low service call fee.
Plan Lineup Analysis: Which Tier Is the Real Value?
First American Home Warranty sells 2 plans, from the Basic Plan at $42/month to the Premier Plan at $58/month. The pricing ladder works the way most providers' do: each step up adds coverage categories rather than raising caps, so the question is whether the added items justify the spread of $192 per year.
Our analysis: the Basic Plan makes sense only when the items it covers represent your entire realistic exposure — core system & appliance coverage. For most households, the failure math favors the broader tier. An uncovered category isn't a small gap; it's the full repair bill the day that category fails. The Premier Plan (comprehensive protection) effectively prices each additional covered category at a few dollars a month, which is far below the per-category cost of standalone coverage or self-insuring.
Annualized, expect $504–$696 per year before add-ons, plus $75 per claim visit. Against the $650 national-average repair, each covered claim nets you roughly $575 — meaning the plan pays for itself at about 1 claim per year, before counting the catastrophic-failure protection that is the real point of coverage.
Where First American Home Warranty Wins — and Where It Doesn't
On price, First American Home Warranty starts $7 above the $35 category average, with a service fee at or below the $90 norm. Its strongest competitive asset is straightforward: $75 service call fee, backed by a bbb rating. Those are the attributes that show up over and over in positive customer reviews, and they align with how the company prices itself.
The honest trade-offs: only available in 35 states, and fewer add-on options than competitors. Whether those matter depends on your profile — a low-claims household buying catastrophic protection will rarely encounter them, while a high-touch user filing several claims a year will. That's the lens our rating applies: First American Home Warranty earns its 4/5 not by being best at everything, but by being the category's "Lowest Service Fee" pick for the buyer it actually targets.