What Does ADT’s Quality Service Plan Cover? Cost and Exclusions

The ADT Quality Service Plan is an optional extended warranty that pays for ADT to repair or replace ADT-supplied security equipment that fails from normal wear or malfunction, picking up where the standard 90-day warranty ends and running for the life of the monitoring contract.¹ It comes in three tiers, costs roughly $8 to $20 a month depending on the tier, and still charges an on-site fee for each technician visit. Batteries, wiring, and anything ADT didn’t supply are not covered.

What the Plan Covers

At its core, the QSP pays for repair or replacement of ADT-supplied equipment that stops working from ordinary wear and tear or malfunction. Replacement parts can be new or refurbished.¹ The three tiers divide coverage by device type:

Essential covers security and life safety devices: door and window sensors, motion detectors, keypads, and smoke or carbon monoxide detectors (subject to a five-year age limit on the smoke and CO detectors).
Comprehensive adds automation and video devices, including cameras, video doorbells, smart locks, and ADT-supplied smart-home components.
Advanced covers the same devices as Comprehensive and adds an annual virtual preventative maintenance checkup, an annual smart home consultation, and equipment discounts after the first year of continuous service.¹

All three tiers include virtual installation and service support, so ADT can walk you through some troubleshooting remotely before sending a technician out.¹

What the Plan Does Not Cover

The exclusion list is long, and it catches people who expect the QSP to work like a bumper-to-bumper warranty. The most important carve-outs:

Batteries of any kind, including sensor batteries, panel backup batteries, and smoke detector batteries. Replacing them is on you.²
Wiring. The initial 90-day warranty covers wiring defects; the QSP explicitly does not.¹
Any device not supplied by ADT, even if ADT installed it. Household systems connected for automation purposes, including existing thermostats, HVAC units, lighting, garage door openers, blinds, and appliances, are also excluded.¹
Smoke or carbon monoxide detectors that have been installed for more than five years.¹
Discontinued or unsupported equipment. If the manufacturer no longer supports a product, ADT will not cover it, and you may have to buy a replacement at your own expense without any reduction in your monitoring bill.³
Damage from accidents, theft, natural disasters, electrical surges, power outages, acts of war or terrorism, and unauthorized alterations to the system or premises.¹
User error. If a technician finds the problem was a door you left open, instructions you didn’t follow, or settings you adjusted improperly, the visit isn’t covered.²
Communication problems: phone line trouble, VoIP or cellular disruptions, internet outages, and power interruptions.¹
Specialty components: window foil, security screens, exterior-mounted devices other than outdoor cameras, doorbells, and door locks, and PROM chips.¹
Anything ADT gave you as a promotional item or free add-on.¹

If a service call turns out to involve something excluded, ADT will still do the work, but you pay the current labor rate plus parts.

What It Costs

ADT does not publish QSP pricing prominently. One third-party source puts the plan at roughly $7 a month,⁴ and ADT’s own billing FAQ describes the cost as “a few dollars each month.”⁵ On the ADT+ platform, the tiered pricing is more specific: Essential around $8 a month, Comprehensive around $13, and Advanced around $20.⁶

If your equipment package is on the larger side, you may also see a Supplemental QSP charge added automatically. When the pre-discount equipment total exceeds $1,000, the supplemental fee can add anywhere from $2 to $42 a month depending on the total.⁶ ADT reserves the right to change QSP pricing at any time by posting updates to MyADT.com.¹

Having the QSP does not mean free technician visits. ADT’s current residential services contract states a non-refundable on-site assessment charge of $99 per service call booking, plus any applicable fuel surcharge.¹ ADT’s help center separately lists the fee as typically $59.99 per visit.⁷ Older monitoring contracts reference a $25 trip fee after the initial contract term.⁸ The amount varies by location and contract version, so check your own agreement or MyADT.com for the figure that applies to you. Scheduling a remote assistance appointment through ADT’s chat or self-service tools at adt.com/help can sometimes resolve the issue without a visit, and therefore without the fee.

How It Differs From the Free 90-Day Warranty

Every professionally installed ADT system comes with a 90-day limited warranty from the installation date. During that window, ADT repairs or replaces defective parts and makes mechanical adjustments at no charge, and the coverage includes wiring. Service calls during normal business hours are free.¹ Once those 90 days expire, you pay for all repairs unless you have the QSP.

The QSP extends that protection for the full contract term, with two differences that matter. It excludes wiring, and it charges the on-site assessment fee for each visit. Both warranties exclude batteries and share the same list of damage-based exclusions.

Enrolling, Canceling, and Calling for Service

Enrollment requires a phone call. Existing customers contact ADT at 800-238-7085 or the number on the Contact ADT page; there is no self-service online option.⁹⁵ If you add the QSP after your original installation, ADT requires that the system be in good working condition at the time of purchase.¹

Coverage starts on the date the system is installed, operational, and communicating with ADT’s Customer Monitoring Center. It runs for the length of the contract and then auto-renews for successive 30-day terms at ADT’s then-current rate. Either party can cancel by giving written notice at least 30 days before the end of the current term, with no early termination penalty during a 30-day renewal period.¹

When something breaks, call 800-ADT-ASAP (800-238-2727). ADT performs QSP work during normal business hours only. Service requested outside those hours is billed at standard labor and parts rates even for QSP subscribers.² Test your sensors weekly and check the owner’s manual before calling, because a visit traced back to user error won’t be covered.

Is It Worth It

Whether the QSP pays off depends mostly on how much equipment you have. A basic starter kit with a panel and a few sensors carries low replacement costs, and the combination of a monthly fee plus a per-visit assessment charge can be hard to justify. A system with multiple cameras, smart locks, video doorbells, and automation devices represents far more expensive equipment at risk, and the Comprehensive or Advanced tiers start to look more defensible.

The on-site assessment fee is the detail most likely to surprise subscribers. Paying $8 to $20 a month and then $59.99 to $99 for each technician visit means the QSP works more like a repair discount than free maintenance. If you can resolve problems through ADT’s remote support channels, you avoid the visit fee entirely, which makes the virtual support included in every tier a real part of what you’re paying for.

1
ADT. Residential Services Contract
2
ADT. ADT Residential Contract (California)
3
ADT Help. Warranty
4
SafeHome.org. ADT Home Security Review
5
ADT Help. Billing FAQs
6
SHS Energy Management. ADT Monthly Monitoring Rates for Residential Protection
7
ADT Help. What Is an On-Site Assessment Charge
8
ADT. Monitoring Terms and Conditions
9
ADT. Quality Service Plan