Identical appliances in different homes can cost very different amounts to keep running. The difference usually lies in how each unit is used, not in its make or model. Before you compare any contract's terms, estimate how hard your unit will work, because that estimate shapes how often you are likely to need a claim or a visit.
What drives wear
Hours of running each day, the number of cycles, and the load the unit carries all affect wear. A full household, a large family, pets, heavy cooking, or a workshop each change the load. Location and climate, water quality, the stability of the power supply, and the age of the unit when it was installed matter as well. A unit kept at its highest setting year-round is a different job from the same unit kept at a moderate setting.
Write the estimate down
Note the hours or cycles each day, the load, the room or site conditions, and any repair or service the unit has already had. Keep the note beside the contract. A written estimate lets you ask the seller whether the terms fit your actual use rather than a generic use.
What the estimate does not tell you
An estimate of use is not a price. It does not show what a contract will charge, what a visit will cost, or how a claim will be handled. Those details come from the contract and from the service provider's written terms, and they should be compared line by line. Ask whether any charge rises with use, with age, or with the number of claims made during a term.
Where the state's rules fit
State pages on this site describe who regulates these contracts and what the rules say in plain words. They do not set prices and they do not rank any contract. The Alabama rules and roster page is at https://statecoverageindex.com/alabama.html. Read the page for the rules that apply where you live, then check your contract for its charges.