7 Best Flat-Rate Moving Companies

Moving can be expensive, but different pricing structures can give you a better idea of what to expect. Flat-rate moving companies provide a pricing estimate upfront. That means it won’t change during the moving process unless you add services or more items than originally estimated.

Flat-fee movers can make it easier to budget for your move, as well. However, not all moving companies fit all situations.

Keep reading to find out more about our best flat-rate moving companies and how they stand out among all the competition across the industry.

Our research into the top flat-fee movers will help you make an informed decision that fits your budget, required moving services, and anything else that may arise during the moving process.

The 7 best flat-rate moving companies

We’ve diligently researched, combed customer reviews, and pulled the best flat-rate moving companies so you can choose the right professional movers for your needs.

• Best quote process: Safeway Moving
• Best discounts: American Van Lines
• Best insurance coverage: International Van Lines
• Most experienced: AirVan North American Van Lines
• Best for high-end moves: JK Moving Services
• Best for larger container moves: U-Pack
• Best for bulk items: PODS

Comparing the best flat-fee movers

Compare the best flat-rate movers to find the best fit for your moving needs.

Our reviews of the best flat-rate moving companies

Dive into our best flat-rate moving companies to find moving services that work well for your new home and budget.

Best quote process: Safeway Moving

Safeway Moving may be newer to the moving industry than some of the veterans on this list, but it has highly competitive pricing and a compelling suite of services. Its pricing is so competitive that it will price match any quote for the same services you receive from a different provider.

Safeway is a full-service moving company. Its wide range of services include long-distance moves, crating for specialty items, loading/unloading, packing/unpacking, and professional transport of your household goods. You can keep your items in a storage unit for up to 30 days for free if you aren’t moving into your new home right away.

While its triple-check verification process ensures you’ll receive an accurate quote, you’ll have to speak to an actual representative to receive your estimate. The company doesn’t offer online quotes.

Read our full Safeway Moving review

Best discounts: American Van Lines

American Van Lines (AVL) provides local and long-distance moves in the contiguous United States. The company has nearly 30 years of experience servicing local, long-distance, international, military, and commercial moving needs.

Their employees are trained in-house to provide exemplary service that you can trust to handle your fine art, antiques, and treasured household goods. Even with its far reach, the company remains family-owned and prioritizes a personalized customer experience. As such, its customer service is limited to business hours.

Because they only offer binding estimates, customers can feel confident that their quote rate will be exactly what they pay on moving day. American Van Lines also offers discounts for military members and senior citizens.

Read our full American Van Lines review

Best insurance coverage: International Van Lines

International Van Lines (IVL) is among our favorite interstate moving companies. Like AVL, its full-time workers are trained to uphold a standard of excellence that instills confidence.

Even so, customers can submit an itemized valued inventory list of all their household goods and replacement value, which can give them access to additional recourse if any items are damaged in transit.

While it provides local, long-distance, and international moving services, it doesn’t maintain physical locations in many areas, so it can feel impersonal compared to local movers.

IVL’s vast network of movers allows it to service most local moves with only a 48-hour lead time.

Read our full International Van Lines review

Most experienced: AirVan North American Van Lines

AirVan North American Van Lines has the most years of experience of any company on this list. Its deep legacy in the industry has helped it stand out in a few ways.

It offers the typical local and long-distance moving services, and you can utilize its auto transport services. Once your items are in their movers hands, you can use satellite tracking through the WorldTrac system to keep an eye on your items and plan for delivery.

The company’s interactive driving simulator trains its drivers to anticipate potential issues and delays. However, AirVan North American Van Lines is operated independently by agents across the country, so the quality of service can vary by location.

We also recommend you use a third party if you have items that require special handling.

Read our full AirVan North American Van Lines review

Best for high-end moves: JK Moving Services

JK Moving Services is a high-end moving company with a significant price tag to match, but it’s our opinion that you get what you pay for. Even with high-budget moves, flat-rate moving has its place. JK Moving Services helps minimize some of the moving costs by offering low-interest financing options through its partner, Enhancify.

JK Moving ensures accurate pricing with various quote options. You can use the self-survey option through the company’s AI-supported mobile app, schedule an in-home consultation, or request a virtual estimate.

Leading up to your move, JK’s customer service representatives prioritize proactive communication and reduced waste.

Read our full JK Moving Services review

Best for larger container moves: U-Pack

U-Pack offers a large suite of container and freight trailer sizes to accommodate moves of all sizes. Customers can conveniently request quotes online and the service will default to the lowest-priced option that meets all their needs.

While it’s not a full-service moving company like some of the others on this list, you can elect loading and unloading help during the quote process. Once you finalize your quote, it is binding and includes all applicable taxes and fees, which not all companies display transparently.

It also includes a ramp for loading and unloading, load locks, and bulkheads (for freight trailers). Professional drivers will handle the delivery of your ReloCube or freight trailer, but its substantial size may make it difficult for densely populated urban areas.

Its freight trailer option is 28 feet, which is larger than the typical 26-foot box trucks provided by similar companies.

Read our full U-Pack review

Best for bulk items: PODS

PODS is another moving container option, but it stands out for its affordability and flexibility. It can accommodate container reservations with 30 days’ notice, but you can easily change or update your reservation anytime.

When you book with PODS, you are paying for storage container rental only, which means the number of items you have and their weight won’t be a factor in your total cost. For this reason, it’s an excellent option if you have a lot of specialty equipment, large furniture, or a large volume of boxes.

Read our full PODS review

What to look for in a flat-rate mover

While shopping for a flat-rate mover, you should keep a few things in mind.

Binding estimates

A binding estimate is a free quote that remains fixed regardless of what happens on moving day. There are only a few things that can change a binding estimate. Your binding estimate may change if you add additional services, such as packing or unpacking specialty items.

It may also change if your inventory is incomplete and the movers end up moving more items than intended.

Licenses and insurance

All interstate moving companies have legal licensing and insurance requirements they must uphold. Reputable moving companies will have a USDOT number proving they comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

It’s also a good signal if a flat-fee mover offers additional insurance coverage options as part of its services.

Reviews and reputation

The best interstate moving companies have customer reviews to support their advertising claims. Look up all the moving companies you consider working with on reputable review aggregators such as Yelp, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google Reviews, and Trustpilot.

Ask your friends and family for referrals and check out our moving experiences from the Better Moves Project to get a better idea of the companies real-life people love.

Providers with many years of experience should have a well-established online presence with a history of good feedback.

Flat-fee movers cost

Several factors impact the total cost of your move. Understanding how flat-fee moving works can give you peace of mind when you build your budget.

Factors that affect the cost

• Distance traveled: Point black, cross-country moves will cost more than local moves every time. International moving can be a different beast entirely. When providing a moving quote, flat-fee moving companies will consider the distance between your origin and destination location.
• Required services: If you require packing supplies, storage services, or you have specialty items, your moving costs may be higher than a lower-demand move.
• Total weight of your household goods: If you have many bulk items, such as appliances or large furniture, you will certainly pay more than someone with a few light boxes. Shop around, because moving companies may estimate the weight of your items differently.
• Size of your home: Movers should estimate the amount of work required to complete the project, so multiple-bedroom homes, lots of stairs, or difficult parking situations will likely require additional labor.

Use our moving cost calculator to better understand your moving costs so you’re not going into the moving process blind.

When hiring flat-rate movers makes sense

Flat-rate movers make sense when you want to know exactly how much you can expect to pay for your move and are willing to pay more for that convenience. Because flat-rate movers typically offer a binding quote option, they’ll factor delays and other potential issues into the total cost.

Just like flat-fee moving prices won’t go up if they exceed the estimated time, they won’t go down if movers are more efficient than expected. Flat-rate moving also tends to keep the prices down for other projects because the overhead is already accounted for in the cost structure.

Flat-rate movers make the most sense if you move a significant volume of household goods and long-distance moves because delays are most likely to occur.

Flat-fee movers FAQs

What is a flat-fee mover?

A flat-fee mover is a moving service that includes mileage, tolls, and fuel charges in its estimated moving costs. Flat-rate movers usually conduct a thorough in-home estimate to calculate the number of boxes, total weight of your household goods, and any extra packing services, such as crating and disassembly/reassembly, you may need.

Other moving companies may charge an hourly rate, which carries the risk of increasing your estimate if your movers exceed the estimated time. Hourly rates are often advertised as comparatively low for the moving industry, but you may get caught with hidden fees at the last minute.

Is hourly moving or flat-rate moving cheaper?

Hourly moving can be cheaper than flat-rate moving for simple and local moves, but ultimately you won’t know your moving costs until your belongings make it to your new home. Flat-rate pricing can be a better option for long-distance relocations or any moves requiring additional services because your moving quote will include everything upfront.

We recommend requesting at least three quotes from the best flat rate moving companies before beginning the moving process, so you can ensure you are getting the best price for your required services. The best movers provide free quotes with complete transparency.

Can a flat-rate mover still charge hidden fees?

Some flat-rate movers are more honest than others, so it’s important to ask questions about any additional fees you might expect during the moving process. It can also depend on the type of estimate you select.

For example, a non-binding estimate is subject to change, whereas a binding estimate will remain fixed through your moving date. You can preempt hidden fees by reading customer reviews and handling packing independently.