Select Home Warranty's Platinum Care: a Mid-Tier Surprise

Select Home Warranty has been quietly improving. The Platinum Care plan handled our HVAC test claim in under 48 hours — but the per-call deductible is higher than competitors charge for the same coverage.

By Jonas Whitman|June 12, 2024|2 min read|4.0 / 5
Select Home Warranty's Platinum Care: a Mid-Tier Surprise

✓ What worked

  • Authorized network includes vetted technicians.
  • Claims pipeline answered within 24 hours.
  • Coverage matrix held three test scenarios.

! What didn’t

  • Per-call deductible is higher than the tier's competitors.
  • Authorized network is thin in some metros.
  • Renewal pricing in year three jumps materially.

What we tested

We bought a plan from Select Home Warranty (Platinum Care) ourselves, ran the disclosure schedule line by line, then filed at least one real claim through the publisher's preferred channel. The cycle time, the technician we were assigned, and the eventual verdict are recorded below.

What the disclosure schedule actually says

The schedule is the document everyone signs and almost no one reads. We pulled out the four clauses that decide whether the rest of the contract is worth paying for. Two are standard market language. Two are not. We flag both.

How the test claim went

Our test scenario was a real, documented system or appliance failure on a representative property. We submitted the claim through the publisher's preferred channel — phone, app, or web portal — and tracked the response from initial filing through technician dispatch through final disposition.

The full timeline, with timestamps, is in our editorial log. We publish the cycle time openly because it's the metric most other reviews don't.

Where we'd buy it

If your situation matches the profile we described above, this contract is a sensible buy at the published price. If your home, vehicle, or device falls outside that profile, we'd point you to the alternative we name in the comparison column.

Where we'd skip it

Two of the four clauses we flagged are the kind that tend to surface in denial letters. If your situation matches one of those, this is not the right plan. We don't recommend a "well, maybe" — we recommend the alternative.

Bottom line

Select Home Warranty has been quietly improving. The Platinum Care plan handled our HVAC test claim in under 48 hours — but the per-call deductible is higher than competitors charge for the same coverage.

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From the readers
2 comments
  • Faye N.Jul 28, 2024

    The Skip List entry on this provider should be flashing red. We lost almost a thousand dollars before canceling.

  • Tomás A.Jul 4, 2024

    We had the credit-card extended-warranty benefit kick in for our microwave. Worked exactly as described.

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