Samsung Appliance Extended Warranty Review — Is It Enough?
Adobe Stock
Best Overall
bhg BUY IT
Best Basic Plan
bhg BUY IT
Best Discounts
bhg BUY IT
Best Coverage Upgrade
bhg BUY IT
Best Plan Variety
bhg BUY IT
Best Membership Perks
bhg BUY IT
An extended warranty sounds like a great idea. You buy a Samsung appliance, and the clerk checking you out at the big box store suggests you purchase a Samsung appliance extended warranty, so you sign up. In fact, a recent study found that about 41 percent of consumers buying a major appliance purchase an extended warranty.
But is purchasing extended warranties for individual items really the best use of your money? In this article, we'll look at the benefits of an extended warranty and consider alternatives that might be a better option.
An extended warranty is a service contract designed to help you cover the cost of repairs due to normal wear and tear that occurs in important household items. Such a warranty can provide you with peace of mind, knowing you'll face limited repair costs in the future.
At Better Homes & Gardens, our research team spends a lot of time investigating warranty products to give you an unbiased evaluation of the best options.
We recommend purchasing a home warranty that covers multiple home systems and appliances rather than spending your money on extended protection for an individual appliance. Our recommendation is American Home Shield, which gives you three options for plans at affordable and customizable rates.
Background of the Samsung Appliance Extended Home Warranty
Samsung is a South Korean conglomerate that is involved in a wide range of industries, from engineering and construction to financial services to hotels. American consumers may be most familiar with the company's Samsung Electronics division, which makes products including Samsung Galaxy cellphones, Samsung QLED televisions, and household appliances such as ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines.
The Samsung appliance extended warranty is called Premium Care. To be eligible for Premium Care, a product must be sold in the United States and covered by the standard limited warranty from Samsung Electronics America Inc.
Consumers are offered the option to buy the extended warranty when they purchase a Samsung appliance, and they must enroll the product in Premium Care when they purchase the item if they want the extended warranty.
Samsung Extended Warranty Plans
Samsung offers a Premium Care extended warranty for its home appliances. In most cases, consumers can purchase the warranty for a 3-year or 5-year term.
Samsung also offers the following:
A Premium Care plan for televisions that lasts either 2 years or 4 years.
A Premium Care plan for mobile devices is a monthly subscription plan where you are charged each month until you cancel.
The cost of the Samsung appliance protection plan depends on the type of product you purchased and the price of the item. Samsung reserves the right to change the pricing at its discretion.
Owners of Samsung mobile devices pay $11.99 a month for the extended warranty.
With Samsung Premium Care, you get the peace of mind of knowing you'll be covered for repair costs even after the manufacturer's warranty period on your home appliance expires. The company will send a certified technician to make authorized repairs, and the coverage includes accidental damage that results from power surges.
The Samsung appliance extended warranty covers 100% of the parts and labor charges for repair or replacement for breakdowns that result from normal wear and tear after the manufacturer's warranty expires.
Extra benefits
Consumers who purchase Premium Care may be eligible for Samsung's in-home onboarding service. For this service, a Samsung representative will come to your home to help you learn how to operate your new appliance. While there, the representative may:
Help with the initial set-up of the appliance.
Demonstrate key features and functions.
Provide quick tips to help with troubleshooting.
Answer questions about your eligible product.
The onboarding service isn't an installation service – the representative won't mount your TV on the wall, for instance. It's also not a repair visit.
You may receive up to two onboarding sessions per eligible product, but these visits must occur in the 365 days immediately after you purchase the item. These sessions last no more than 60 minutes. Samsung provides a toll-free number for you to schedule an appointment.
Samsung Appliance Extended Warranty Cost
The cost of a Samsung appliance extended warranty varies, depending upon the item you purchase and the length of warranty you want.
According to Samsung's website, the cost of a warranty covers a wide range.
For a dishwasher: the 3-year plan costs $114.99 and the 5-year plan costs $179.99.
For a range: the 3-year plan costs $149.99 and the 5-year plan costs $229.99.
For a refrigerator: a 3-year plan costs $249.99.
You may have the option of making monthly payments instead of paying in full. If you fail to make a monthly payment, the protection plan will be canceled.
The service contract covers parts and labor needed to return the product to normal working condition. It covers breakdowns that result from normal wear or tear. If there is a deductible, it will be listed in the benefits summary page.
Because an extended warranty is a service contract, it's important to read the contract document and understand the terms and conditions before you sign up for the service.
To make a claim on your Samsung protection plan, you must call a toll-free number, which is available from 8 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.
The total amount the warranty will cover for repairs or replacements is the purchase price you paid for the appliance. The company will provide a replacement product that is of similar kind and quality to the appliance you purchased. It may provide cash or a gift card in place of a product. Delivery and installation fees are not included.
The warranty covers costs associated with the loss of food if your covered refrigerator or freezer doesn't cool properly. That coverage is capped at $500, and food losses resulting from a power interruption aren't eligible.
The warranty also has a "no lemon" guarantee. If the same component fails three times or the product needs a fourth repair, the company may issue a replacement product. However, product failures that occurred when the appliance was under the original manufacturer's warranty do not count toward the totals needed for the no lemon guarantee to kick in.
The Samsung appliance extended warranty does list multiple exclusions, including:
Major appliances that are more than 10 years old.
Appliances used in any location beyond a residence, including a rental property.
Service required because of repairs made by an unauthorized service provider.
Service required because of improper installation.
Samsung Appliance Extended Warranty Quote Process
If you purchase a Samsung appliance from a retailer, you'll be offered an extended warranty during the checkout process.
You can find out how much the extended warranty costs by clicking through some pages at Samsung.com.
Go to Samsung.com and click Appliances & Smart Homes from the menu across the top of the page
Select the type of appliance you want to buy – such as range or dishwasher – from the dropdown menu. Then select the model you're interested in.
Click the "Buy Now" button.
The next page will ask for your zip code. When you provide it, you'll be asked if you want to pay for installation and to haul away the old appliance. Click "Next" and you'll go to the page where you can purchase Premium Care. The prices will be listed on that page.
At this point, you can simply close the browser page if you just wanted to see how much the extended warranty would cost.
The Samsung Appliance Extended Warranty Claims Process
The only way to make a claim is to call the service center during its open hours. Those hours are:
Weekdays: 8 a.m. to midnight (EST)
Weekends: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (EST)
You may be required to produce your sales receipt for the appliance and your service plan to receive warranty service.
Our Verdict on the Samsung Appliance Extended Warranty
The Samsung appliance extended warranty offers you peace of mind if you're concerned about mechanical breakdowns due to normal wear and tear. The protection plan also offers a few perks you don't normally find in a service contract, such as:
Coverage for electrical surges.
In-person tutorials on how to use the equipment.
Coverage up to the price you paid for your appliance.
However, there are some negatives to the warranty:
You normally have to sign up for the coverage as you're buying the item.
You must submit claims by phone, with no online option.
The claims office is not open 24/7 as it is with most home warranty companies.
The coverage can be pricey, especially if you have contracts on more than one Samsung appliance.
Because of this, our research team believes that purchasing a home warranty is a better option than purchasing an individual extended warranty for each Samsung appliance you own.
With a home warranty, you get coverage on a wide range of appliances and home systems, not just one specific appliance. The average price of a home warranty is around $300 to $600 a year, with basic plans on the lower end and more comprehensive plans at the higher end of that price range. If your home warranty covers 15 to 20 appliances and systems, which is pretty typical, you're paying the equivalent of $20 to $30 per year per appliance or system, compared to $36 to $83 per year, depending upon the appliance and term, for the Samsung service plan.
Our Recommended Provider: American Home Shield
When it comes to coverage of home appliances, our research team has found that the best home warranty provider is American Home Shield.
American Home Shield offers three different home warranty plans, including ShieldSilver™, which covers just systems, and ShieldGold™ and ShieldPlatinum™, which cover those systems in addition to appliances with a $3,000–$6,000 coverage limit per item. These combination plans cover 10 appliances:
Refrigerator
Clothes washer
Clothes dryer
Oven
Range/cooktop
Dishwasher
Built-in microwave oven
Trash compactor
Garage door opener
Water dispenser
Here's how an American Home Shield (AHS) home warranty compares with a Samsung appliance extended warranty:
Plans available: 3 (American Home Shield) v. 1 (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Number of appliances/systems covered: 10-20+ (American Home Shield) v. 1 (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Add-on options: Yes (American Home Shield) v. No (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Price per year: $240-$780 (American Home Shield) v. $36-$83 (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Make a claim hours: Phone or online 24/7 (American Home Shield) v. Phone only during business hours (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Coverage available: Whenever you choose (American Home Shield) v. Only at time of purchase (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Age of appliance covered: No limit (American Home Shield) v. 10 years old (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Power surge coverage available: No (American Home Shield) v. Yes (Samsung Extended Warranty)
Excludes improper installation: Yes (both American Home Shield and Samsung Extended Warranty)
While you may be most prone to think about how long an appliance will last when you first purchase it, appliances come with a manufacturer's warranty that protects against failure due to manufacturing defects in the first years. In fact, Samsung offers a standard one-year parts and labor warranty on its refrigerators, for instance, and five years parts-and-labor warranty on the sealed refrigeration system.
But as appliances and home systems age, they inevitably experience wear and tear. As the years add up, this wear and tear is more likely to result in a mechanical breakdown.
It's not feasible to maintain individual extended warranties on every appliance in your home for the life of that appliance. That's why a home warranty is a better choice. With a home warranty, you can cover the most important big-ticket appliances in your home, no matter their age or manufacturer. With a home warranty, you only have to pay for one service, and you don't have to keep up with multiple warranties offered by different manufacturers.
If you'd like the peace of mind that comes with knowing all your major home appliances are covered for mechanical breakdowns from normal wear and tear, get a free quote from American Home Shield.
Home Warranty Rating Methodology
The Home Service Research Team at Better Homes & Gardens strives to provide unbiased and objective reviews to readers by compiling relevant information on home warranty companies and rating the providers on a variety of factors.
Here's what our review process looks like:
We examine each provider's website to determine plan details, coverage, customer service offerings, and other benefits. We also speak with company representatives to get more insight on plan details.
We read sample contracts from each home warranty company to analyze and compare coverage details, limits, and exclusions.
We read at least 100 third-party customer reviews for each home warranty company to determine the real-life benefits and drawbacks of each provider.
We gather cost information for a variety of home warranty plans in different states by completing online quote forms and speaking with sales representatives to simulate the quote process.
We revisit each company's offerings on a seasonal basis, ensuring that we include the most up-to-date information in our reviews.
We also created a 100-point rating system to score companies based on objective factors, such as plan options, coverage, and customer service:
Overall, the Home Service Research Team has reviewed over 70 home warranty companies to select the top-rated providers in the industry.
