Does Choice Home Warranty Cover Freon? Exclusions and Costs

Choice Home Warranty does not cover Freon or any other refrigerant. The user agreement excludes refrigerant from air conditioning repairs, which means that even on an otherwise covered AC claim, the cost of recharging or topping off your system falls on you. That exclusion sits alongside a second one for incompatibility costs when an older unit gets replaced, and together they shape what you can actually expect the warranty to pay for.

Where the Exclusion Lives in the Contract

Two sections of the user agreement work against a refrigerant claim. Section C, Paragraph 10, which governs AC, heating, and ductwork, lists “labor, refrigerant, and other costs related to failure of components that are covered under manufacturer’s warranty” among its exclusions. Refrigerant line sets are separately excluded from covered components.¹

Section E, Paragraph 6 adds the incompatibility layer. The company is “not responsible for upgrades, modifications, components, parts, or equipment required due to the incompatibility of the existing equipment with the Replacement system,” which the agreement explicitly ties to “differences in technology, refrigerant requirements, or efficiency as mandated by federal, state, or local governments.”¹ If your old R-22 unit is replaced with one that runs on R-410A or R-454B, the cost of making your lines, electrical, and air handling work with the new refrigerant is yours.

There is no separate dollar cap for refrigerant because the policy simply doesn’t cover it. The combined HVAC liability limit is $3,000 per 12-month period, and that applies only to covered repairs.¹ AC coverage itself is included only in the Total Plan; the Basic Plan does not cover air conditioning at all.²

What You Will Pay Out of Pocket for Refrigerant

Because the warranty won’t pay for it, the real question is what a refrigerant recharge costs on your own dime. The answer depends on which refrigerant your system uses.

R-410A, used in systems installed after 2009, runs roughly $40 to $90 per pound. A full recharge typically costs $100 to $320 including labor.³⁴
R-22, used in pre-2010 systems, runs $90 to $250 per pound, with total costs of $180 to $600 or more. Production and importation ended in 2020, so only recycled supply remains.³⁴

Most central systems need two to four pounds for a recharge. Expect a diagnostic fee of $75 to $200 on top of the refrigerant itself. An AC that needs refrigerant almost always has a leak somewhere, so leak detection usually gets added to the bill at $130 to $300. EPA rules allow only certified technicians to handle refrigerants, and recharging a system with a known leak before repairing it is illegal.⁴

How the Exclusion Shows Up in Denied Claims

The contract gives the company several ways to deny a refrigerant-related claim beyond the straight exclusion of the refrigerant itself.

Pre-Existing Conditions

The agreement requires systems to be “in proper working order on the effective date” and excludes “known or unknown pre-existing conditions.” If a technician finds low refrigerant and the company decides the leak predates your policy, the claim gets denied on that basis. Failures attributed to “misuse, abuse, neglect, or physical damage” are also excluded, and the company reserves the right to request maintenance records if you push back.¹

“Not Normal Wear and Tear”

A 2018 complaint shows the pattern. The dispatched technician reported a refrigerant leak in the line set. Choice Home Warranty denied the claim, telling the homeowner: “The only way a leak could develop on the copper is if it was not properly insulated, something pierced through it or excess vibration caused it to rub against another object. A leak of this nature is not a normal wear and tear failure.” The homeowner paid $265 for a leak test the company wouldn’t cover, then had an independent technician conclude there was no leak at all and that the system had been contaminated with nitrogen during the original diagnostic. Total out-of-pocket: $916, including $747 for refrigerant alone.⁵

A 2026 BBB complaint followed a similar arc. A homeowner’s central AC wasn’t cooling, and the technician found low refrigerant plus a restricted evaporator coil. Choice Home Warranty denied the claim, citing “non-condensables” (air and moisture) in the line as evidence that the failure was not normal wear and tear. The homeowner argued the contamination traced back to a prior repair by a Choice-dispatched technician. The company pointed to contract language stating it is not liable for the negligence of its third-party service providers.⁶

Non-Covered Charges on Replacements

When a system does qualify for replacement, homeowners often get hit with “non-covered charges” for modifications. BBB complaints document one case citing $1,600 in such charges on a condenser replacement, covering line set modifications, electrical work, a condenser pad, and disposal.⁷ These sit under the contract’s modification, code upgrade, disposal, and permit exclusions.

The denial pattern around AC and appliance claims has drawn regulatory action, including a 2019 FTC administrative complaint that resulted in a $100 million settlement judgment with $30.9 million set aside as a restitution fund, and a $11.8 million settlement with the Arizona Attorney General in February 2026.⁸⁹ The company has denied the allegations and did not admit wrongdoing in the Arizona settlement.¹⁰

Why the Refrigerant Transition Makes the Exclusion Worse

Two regulatory shifts have changed the math for older systems. R-22 can no longer be manufactured or imported. Recycled supply stays legal for repairs through 2029, with a full phase-out in 2030, but scarcity has pushed prices well above newer refrigerants.¹¹ An R-22 system can’t simply be recharged with R-410A, because the two use different oils and operating pressures.¹²

The second shift is R-454B. As of January 2025, new residential AC and heat pump equipment can no longer be manufactured using R-410A, and installation of new R-410A systems is prohibited as of January 2026. New installs must use R-454B or R-32, both of which are mildly flammable and require different components. New R-454B systems run roughly 5 to 10 percent more than their R-410A predecessors.¹³

When your old unit fails and Choice Home Warranty authorizes a replacement, the new unit will run on a different refrigerant than what you had. Line set changes, electrical upgrades, or air handler modifications needed to make it work fall under the Section E incompatibility exclusion.¹ Existing R-410A systems remain legal and serviceable, and replacement parts are expected to stay available, so there’s no need to replace a working unit just because the rules have shifted.¹³

How Other Warranty Companies Handle Refrigerant

Not every home warranty excludes refrigerant, and if you have an older system, the difference is worth real money.

American Home Shield includes AC refrigerant coverage in all three plans. ShieldSilver and ShieldGold cover refrigerant at $10 per pound; ShieldPlatinum covers the full cost with no stated per-pound limit. AC repairs under any AHS plan are covered up to $5,000.¹⁴

Old Republic Home Protection covers adding refrigerant, including R-22, as part of a covered AC repair. It also covers converting an R-22 system to R-410A when replacement is necessary, including modifications to the plenum, indoor electrical, air handling transition, duct connections, and metering devices.¹¹

Coverage varies widely, so before buying any home warranty, read the specific contract language on refrigerant, modifications, and code upgrades. That one step saves the most grief when the AC quits in July.

If You File an AC Claim Anyway

The claim process starts online or by phone, ideally within 24 hours of noticing the problem.¹⁵ The company begins contacting a service provider within four hours, though it can take more than 48 hours for one to accept the assignment.¹

A $100 service fee is charged for each visit, payable directly to the technician. You pay it even if the claim is denied, and you can’t pick your own technician. If a repair fails within 30 days, the follow-up visit doesn’t carry a new service fee.¹⁶

When a system is beyond repair, the company may offer cash instead of replacement equipment. That payment is based on its own discounted procurement cost, which is often lower than retail.¹⁶ Replacements are limited to builder’s standard grade equipment, with no guarantee of matching brand, dimensions, or color.¹ Whatever the outcome, the refrigerant itself is still yours to pay for.

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Choice Home Warranty. User Agreement
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CNBC Select. Choice Home Warranty Review
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Trane. AC Refrigerant Recharge Pricing
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HomeGuide. AC Freon Cost Recharge Refill
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Kevin Douglas. The Pains of Choice Home Warranty
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Better Business Bureau. Choice Home Warranty Complaints
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Better Business Bureau. Choice Home Warranty Complaints
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Lawfold. Choice Home Warranty Lawsuit
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Arizona Attorney General. Attorney General Mayes Announces $11.8 Million Settlement With Choice Home Warranty
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Claim Depot. Choice Home Warranty Settlement
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Old Republic Home Protection. R-22 Freon Phaseout
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First American Home Warranty. Refrigerant Changes
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Cool Season HVAC. R-454B Refrigerant in Cumming, GA
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American Home Shield. Air Conditioners
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Choice Home Warranty. Home Warranty Las Vegas
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