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Brogan Woodburn is a writer for USA TODAY Homefront and has read dozens of extended auto warranty contracts, including the fine print that will tell you whether your car insurance covers slashed tires or can get you a new engine replacement. His editorial experience in the auto industry includes work that appears on MarketWatch and Motor1.com.
Brogan is based in Prineville, Oregon, and enjoys exploring the outdoors in his free time. Having studied guitar at Berklee College of Music, he also performs classical guitar for local events and weddings.
Most third-party extended car warranty plans involve two companies: a broker and an administrator. The warranty broker is the company that sells plans to customers, and the administrator is the company that approves repairs and pays for claims.
American Auto Shield is an administrator that partners with multiple warranty brokers, including Carchex and CarShield. That means American Auto Shield doesn’t sell plans to the public. However, it’s responsible for part of the customer experience of its brokers.
For example, if you have a CarShield plan and take your car in for repairs, the repair shop will contact American Auto Shield to approve the claim. American Auto Shield may send an inspector to verify the damage is covered. If you have any issues, you’ll deal with American Auto Shield’s customer service team.
Endurance offers coverage for up to 8 years or 200,000 miles, but it only offers long-term plans.
American Auto Shield administers extended auto warranty plans for some of the industry’s largest providers, such as CarShield and Carchex.
American Auto Shield offers seven coverage options, including two specialty electric vehicle plans. This is more variety than other companies in the industry offer. Also, not all extended warranty companies cover electric vehicle components like the electric vehicle (EV) drive unit or high-voltage battery. With EVs becoming more popular, options that cover these components are a plus.
You can’t purchase an American Auto Shield plan without going through a broker such as Carchex or CarShield. Each company has its own pricing policies, and you’ll find slightly different coverage options from each one. After analyzing American Auto Shield reviews, we found some customers had issues getting claims covered fully.
CarShield and Carchex, which sell American Auto Shield plans, rank among our top picks for car warranties. That said, Endurance is our first choice overall. Endurance administers its own contracts, which can speed up the claims process. Compare our top picks below.
American Auto Shield offers plenty of coverage options, from powertrain to bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage. However, the exact extended car warranty plans on offer depend on the broker you’re shopping through.
The company partners with brokers, dealerships, agents and other organizations to sell plans. It also offers plans for motorcycles and ATVs. Here are the company’s main vehicle service contracts.
American Auto Shield can cover vehicles with up to 250,000 miles, making its plans applicable to a wide variety of vehicles. Customers can also go to any licensed automotive repair facility for covered repairs. If that isn’t enough to get you on board, you can upgrade your coverage with these plan customizations:
The best extended car warranty companies provide additional benefits beyond standard coverage. American Auto Shield offers roadside assistance, rental car coverage and trip interruption.
No extended warranty covers every breakdown or situation. Here are the common exclusions from American Auto Shield’s plans:
You should always check your contract for a complete list of exclusions.
After you buy an American Auto Shield plan through a broker, you have some options for cancellation or transfer through the administrator.
You can cancel an American Auto Shield warranty within 30 days for a full refund. After that, you’ll get a prorated refund. You must submit a written cancellation request to American Auto Shield no matter whether you bought the plan from CarShield, Carchex or another warranty broker.
You can also transfer an extended warranty to a secondary owner for a $50 fee.
How much you pay for an American Auto Shield warranty depends on the broker’s pricing model. American Auto Shield doesn’t offer direct quotes to consumers. If you’re looking for a plan from this administrator, we recommend checking out quotes from brokers like CarShield and Carchex.
Our team compared quotes from these companies and found that CarShield's monthly payments range from $120–$140, and Carchex's monthly payments range from $130–$150. Costs depend on your vehicle, its condition and the deductible you select.
That said, both companies offer discounts in our experience for things like being a first-time customer or a member of the military. You may also get lower rates by telling the salesperson you’re shopping around and have other quotes.
American Auto Shield’s star ratings on Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot reflect the claims experience. I analyzed more than 100 reviews on each platform to find common patterns of praise and complaint.
More than 500 American Auto Shield reviews are on BBB, resulting in a rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars. Customers on Trustpilot rate it 3.9 out of 5 stars. These are relatively high customer review scores for the extended warranty industry.
Most positive reviews are about roadside assistance coverage or the customer support team, though some customers said warranty claims were covered, as well. A few customers have had issues with claims being partially covered or not at all. This can happen with any extended warranty, which is why it’s important to read the fine print of your contract.
Yes, American Auto Shield covers warranty claims. The company’s process involves a claims adjuster evaluating the repair and resolving the claim.
Some customers have run into issues getting car repairs covered. However, this complaint is typical of almost any auto warranty provider. For example, a customer might not understand the full list of exclusions before purchasing a plan and feel frustration when something they thought should be covered is not.
American Auto Shield is a reliable administrator for companies like Carchex and CarShield. These two extended warranty companies are among our top picks for the industry, so we recommend comparing quotes from both to see which offers better coverage for your situation. Shop around for quotes from other providers as well to find the best price and coverage for you.
We analyze, rate and rank top vehicle service contract providers to help you discover the right one for your needs. The best auto service contract companies offer transparency, affordability and expansive coverage options, among other qualities.
We rate companies using our objective scoring methodology. We assess brands on factors that are important to consumers like you — including cost, coverage, market standing, trustworthiness and customer experience. After scoring companies on a 100-point scale, we simplify final scores into the 5-star ratings you see in our content.
BBB and Trustpilot scores accurate as of March 2024.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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