Best Moving Companies for Seniors (2023)
With all the strenuous packing, heavy lifting, and tedious driving, the moving experience can be especially difficult for senior citizens. Luckily, some moving companies offer senior moving services and discounts to make the moving process easier and less stressful.
Seniors researching moving companies or loved ones figuring out the best option may find choosing the right company challenging. We researched which moving companies offer the best services, discounts, and convenience for seniors and which have the best customer reviews online. Our top picks for the best moving companies for seniors are below.
9 Best Moving Companies for Senior Discounts
These nine moving companies made our list based on our research:
- International Van Lines: Best Service Offerings
- American Van Lines: Best Overall Moving Labor
- Interstate Moving & Relocation Group: Most Efficient
- U-Pack: Most Affordable
- Safeway Moving Inc.: Most Reliable Pricing
- Moving APT: Best Customer Service
- JK Moving: Best Specialized Packing
- Allied Van Lines: Best for Vehicle Relocation
- North American Van Lines: Best for Claims
Compare Moving Companies
See how the moving companies on our list compare at a glance.
*Estimates are based on a two- or three-bedroom move from Albany, New York, to Miami, Florida.
International Van Lines
Our Rating: Best Service Offerings
International Van Lines (IVL) is our top pick for a moving company for senior discounts. The company offers competitive rates and a wide variety of full-service options. IVL’s services can be tailored to help older people, and the company provides various articles on its moving blog with tips for moving senior citizens abroad. IVL states on its website that it generally offers a 15% discount to senior citizens.
International Van Lines offers its services in all 50 states, as well as to 180 countries. IVL is both a moving carrier and broker. This means that if your move falls outside of IVL’s service areas for in-house service, the company outsources your move to a partnered company.
Pros and Cons of International Van Lines
✔ Offers a 15% discount for seniors
✔ Offers specialty services for moving pianos, antiques, recreational equipment, and artwork
✔ Provides multiple coverage plans
✘ Requires a 25% deposit to book moving date
✘ Has negative customer reviews regarding miscommunication at some locations
✘ No online sample prices
Cost: We obtained a quote from International Van Lines to move a three-bedroom home from Albany, New York, to Miami, Florida within three months for $4,200–$6,150. This quote includes loading services and transportation. IVL states that it generally offers a 15% discount for seniors, but this amount may change depending on the type of moving package created.
To see what your upcoming move might cost with International Van Lines, obtain an instant quote through this short form.
Learn more: International Van Lines Review
American Van Lines
Our Rating: Best Overall Moving Labor
We like American Van Lines (AVL) for its highly skilled moving crews. The company requires its moving crew members to undergo regular training sessions and certification programs. This means you can rest assured that qualified staff, not contracted labor, will handle your household items.
American Van Lines will load and unload all of your items and is available for full- or partial-service packing needs, including fragile-only packing. The company specializes in long-distance relocations and in handling antique and hard-to-move pieces like pianos.
American Van Lines is available for local, long-distance, and international moves in every U.S. state except for Alaska and Hawaii.
Pros and Cons of American Van Lines
✔ Has flat-rate pricing or binding estimates
✔ Offers a senior citizen discount
✔ Provides deals for moves reserved well in advance
✘ Doesn’t cover damages caused by third-party movers
✘ Has distracting pop-up chat windows throughout its website
✘ Requires a deposit of up to half of your total moving cost
Cost: It would cost approximately $3,200–$3,500 to move a three-bedroom home from Albany, New York, to Miami, Florida. AVL can give you a more detailed estimate after you call the company and will provide a binding estimate after a virtual or in-home review. The company offers price matching, so it’s wise to get quotes from multiple companies to compare.
Learn more: American Van Lines Review
Interstate Moving & Relocation Group
Our Rating: Most Efficient
Interstate Moving & Relocation Group (IMRG) is a broker with partners across all 50 states. It offers specialized services that can be tailored to suit the needs of senior citizens. Its services include full-service packing, crating, debris removal, and more. Many of its moving partners provide short- and long-term storage services for clients who are downsizing or need extra space.
Pros and Cons of IMRG
✔ Offers senior discounts
✔ Provides specialized packing for antiques and valuable goods
✔ Has resources and guides for moving on its website
✘ Operates only as a broker
✘ Has no weekend customer support
✘ Has a 72-hour cancellation policy
Cost: Your quote process with IMRG begins when you submit a contact form online. You’ll be contacted by a company representative who will assess your moving needs and see which partner carriers can best handle your move. After using the cost calculator on IMRG’s site, we were quoted a range of $3,900–$7,000 for a two-bedroom move between Albany, New York, and Miami, Florida. To get a more precise estimate, contact IMRG today.
Learn more: IMRG Review
U-Pack
Our Rating: Most Affordable
U-Pack is another self-service mover, similar to 1-800-PACK-RAT, that provides a senior discount adjusted according to your move. The company provides transparent pricing online with a quick quote process. Additionally, U-Pack helps tailor its moves to seniors through additional third-party support and online resources.
U-Pack does have a 150-mileage minimum, so your move will have to be a long-distance move to receive U-Pack’s services. The company also only allows three days to load and three days to unload, so be sure you have enlisted some extra help for your senior parents.
U-Pack helps with long-distance moves in all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico. Your move needs to have an overall distance of 150 miles or more to use U-Pack’s services.
Pros and Cons of U-Pack
✔ Offers multiple discounts and coupons, including senior discounts
✔ Provides a pay-for-what-you-use policy with its moving trailer option
✔ Includes a no-hidden-fee guarantee with its pricing
✘ Offers only three days to load and three days to unload
✘ Has a 150-mileage minimum
✘ Doesn’t offer packing or loading and unloading services
Cost: We created a quote with U-Pack to move three ReloCubes from Albany, New York, to Miami, Florida, for a total of $6,174. This quote is all-inclusive and includes no hidden fees. The same move using 15 feet in a moving trailer costs $3,602. U-Pack states on its website that it does offer senior discounts, and it calculates the discount based on each move.
To see what discounts you can receive from U-Pack, complete this short form.
Learn more: U-Pack Review
Safeway Moving Inc.
Our Rating: Most Reliable Pricing
Safeway Moving Inc. is a nationally recognized moving broker specializing in long-distance moves. While it has limited availability as a carrier, Safeway primarily brokers out interstate and longer moves to its moving partners in all 50 states.
Safeway partners with many of the best companies in the industry to offer hands-off moving experiences to clients with varying needs, including senior citizens and loved ones who are booking moves for elderly relatives. With this mover, you’ll be treated to a variety of services and have the flexibility to craft your own move package.
Pros and Cons of Safeway
✔ Offers flat-rate pricing
✔ Provides packing services and 30 days of free storage with all moves
✔ Partners with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
✘ Brokers out most moves
✘ Has limited information online
✘ Can be difficult to communicate with since you aren’t in touch with your carrier until later in the process
Cost: Safeway Moving Inc. offers flat-rate pricing for all moves. Customers on tighter budgets or fixed incomes will be happy to know they’ll only pay the quoted price. To get your Safeway quote, call 844-886-1118 or fill out a quote form on its website. When a moving agent contacts you, give information about your move and service requirements. Then, your Safeway representative will book your move with a qualified partner in your area.
Learn more: Safeway Moving Inc. Review
Moving APT
Our Rating: Best Customer Service
Moving APT is a moving broker with a nationwide network of over 2,500 prescreened full-service movers, storage container companies, and auto shippers. All movers are licensed and registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for added security.
Working with a broker is a little different than working directly with a traditional moving company. When you contact Moving APT, the company will match you with a mover in its network based on your location, needs, and timeline. While this involves more parties in your move that could potentially complicate the process, the benefit of working with a moving broker is that it has the capacity to secure a cheaper rate compared to going through a moving company.
Pros and Cons of Moving APT
✔ Has a price-matching policy
✔ Offers discounts for seniors, veterans, certain disabilities, short-distance moves, and early reservations
✔ Includes 24/7 customer support
✘ Operates as a moving broker, which adds more steps to the process
✘ Isn’t responsible for damage caused by the moving carrier
✘ Has customer reviews claiming that some moving partners changed the estimate provided by Moving APT
Cost: We used Moving APT’s online quote calculator to get an estimate for a two-bedroom move between Albany, New York, and Miami, Florida. Our quote was $945–$2,790 before deducting any discounts. This is a wide range due to the lack of specifics you’d provide when requesting your quote, such as the type and amount of furniture you have, the size of truck you need, and how quickly you want to move. Moving APT does have a price-matching policy, so we recommend getting quotes from other companies for leverage.
Learn more: Moving APT Review
JK Moving Services
Our Rating: Best Specialized Packing
JK Moving Services is a full-service mover that provides custom moving packages tailored in accordance with your budget and moving needs. The company also provides extensive online resources for senior moves, and it is accustomed to tailoring services for seniors and senior living communities.
While JK Moving doesn’t include a direct senior discount, it does offer a financing option through Enhancify. This uncommon offering in the moving industry allows movers to apply for a loan with financial institutions to pay for their move over time. You’ll have a few options to choose from with varying repayment terms and interest rates. Some customers can get rates as low as 0%.*
*Subject to credit approval
JK Moving helps with long-distance moves in all 50 states, but it helps with local moves only in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Pros and Cons of JK Moving
✔ Offers financing through Enhancify
✔ Provides 24/7 customer service
✔ Has a history of moving seniors
✘ Local moves are available only in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia
✘ No online pricing
✘ Requires a $250 up-front deposit
Cost: We worked with a JK Moving representative to obtain a ballpark quote to move a two-bedroom home (or 10,400 pounds) from Atlanta to Chicago for $7,521. Services included in this quote include furniture disassembly, wrapping and padding, loading, unloading, and full-value protection. JK Moving primarily offers customers binding estimates. This means the company provides accurate pricing that helps you avoid surprise moving costs. If we moved forward with the company, we would have to conduct either an in-home or virtual survey for a binding quote.
To start creating a custom moving package with JK Moving, fill out this brief form.
Learn more: JK Moving Review
Allied Van Lines
Our Rating: Best for Vehicle Relocation
If your senior parents have an RV or boat they’d like to move or a car they no longer drive, Allied Van Lines is a great option to transport their vehicle. While many other movers outsource vehicle shipping services, Allied is a full-service mover that offers the rare perk of vehicle relocation services using its own trucks.
Allied is accustomed to moving a variety of vehicles, such as sedans, trucks, SUVs, RVs, motorcycles, boats, and more. For added convenience, the company also offers GPS tracking on your shipment. Allied Van Lines is both an interstate carrier and broker, operating in all 50 states and 130 countries.
Pros and Cons of Allied Van Lines
✔ Partners with the Salvation Army to help donate unwanted items
✔ Offers vehicle shipping services with its own trucks and employees
✔ Holds more than 90 years of moving industry experience
✘ Customer reviews mention a difficult claims process
✘ Storage options vary according to location
✘ Doesn’t provide 24/7 claims support
Cost: We received a ballpark estimate from Allied Van Lines to move a three-bedroom home with an average number of items from Albany, New York, to Miami, Florida, for a total of $8,266–$9,136. Allied also offers binding estimates. This is a price that does not drastically change despite unexpected events. To obtain a binding estimate, Allied must conduct an in-home or virtual survey with you.
In a phone call with an Allied Van Lines customer service representative, we were told that its senior discounts vary on a case-by-case basis. The discount will most likely range between 10% and 15% and may be lower or higher depending on the service you purchase. Check with your Allied moving agent once you obtain a quote to see what discounts they can offer.
To schedule a virtual survey with Allied Van Lines, complete this online questionnaire.
Learn More: Allied Van Lines Review
North American Van Lines
Our Rating: Best for Claims
If you or your elderly relative has expensive items to move, North American Van Lines (NAVL) is a great choice. In addition to offering one of the best senior moving discounts we’ve seen, the company boasts custom full-value release plans.
This approach provides coverage and compensation for the actual value of certain items rather than a predetermined amount. If something goes wrong, NAVL also provides direct, easy-to-reach communication through separate customer support lines for filing claims and a detailed claims process. NAVL acts as both a moving carrier and broker in all 50 states and internationally in 130 countries.
Pros and Cons of North American Van Lines
✔ Provides a personal moving agent from a network of more than 500 agent locations
✔ Offers a detailed and transparent claims process
✔ Offers a 40%–65% discount for seniors through the Senior Citizens League
✘ Agents and storage options may be limited based on your location
✘ Has some customer reviews that cite poor experiences with some locations
✘ Doesn’t have as user-friendly of a website as some competitors
Cost: We obtained a quote from North American Van Lines to move a three-bedroom home from Albany, New York, to Miami, Florida, for a total of $8,236–$9,100. This quote considers the average number of belongings for this move. Similar to Allied, NAVL provides binding estimates through in-home visits and virtual surveys for more accurate pricing that does not drastically change.
North American Van Lines also offers a significant senior discount through the Senior Citizens League. Discounts range from 40%–65% off local and long-distance moves.
To see what North American Van Lines might cost your senior move, complete this simple survey.
Learn More: North American Van Lines Review
Factors To Consider for Senior Citizen Moves
Moving can be physically and emotionally difficult for anyone, especially for seniors with limited mobility or those who have lived in their homes for decades. Here are some recommendations if you’re a senior who’s moving or you’re moving your senior loved one.
If you’re a senior about to relocate, consider:
- Asking for help: Don’t try to do any heavy lifting or long hours you’re uncomfortable with. Get help from family, friends, and professionals.
- Downsizing: Moving is a great time to downsize. Create a donation corner for anything you no longer need or use to free up space in your new home. This also means you’ll need a smaller moving truck, which will save you money.
- Getting all available discounts: Available moving discounts for seniors aren’t just through moving companies. Look at organizations such as AARP and The Senior Citizens League to see where you may be able to get extra savings.
- Labeling: Reduce the stress of your move by staying on top of labeling your boxes. Clearly label what’s inside each box and which room it should go in your new residence so there’s less confusion when you unload, and you can quickly find what you need.
- If you’re moving a senior loved one, remember to:
- Be sensitive: Moving is a personal and emotional time, especially for someone who’s lived in their home for a long time. Be patient and listen if your loved one is having a hard time. Don’t rush them or dismiss their concerns. Don’t force them to get rid of items they’re attached to. Treat them how you would want to be treated.
- Research and communicate about where they’re going: When it’s time for a senior to leave their living situation, have a conversation with them about where they want to live: in a new home, with relatives, or in a senior living community. There are various factors to consider when deciding where a senior should live next, such as medical care, accessibility, social interaction, and distance to family and friends.
- Remove the stress: Your involvement should reduce stress, not add to it. Help keep the process organized and calm. Determine what kind of move should happen. If you have plenty of help from friends and family, want to save money, and want on-site storage options, you may want to consider a self-service mover such as U-Pack. If you want as much assistance and support as possible, a full-service mover, such as International Van Lines or Allied, might be a better choice.
Our Conclusion
Moving doesn’t have to be as stressful as it’s made out to be if you work with the right mover. If you want a reputable company that will handle everything from start to finish, we recommend International Van Lines. The company is available worldwide, offers full-service moving, protects high-value items, and provides comprehensive protection plan options.
We recommend getting a personalized quote from at least three moving companies to compare pricing before deciding on a provider. We also suggest reading each provider’s fine print and asking about shipment tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best moving company for seniors?
We found that International Van Lines is the best full-service mover for senior citizens, and that U-Pack is the best self-service mover for seniors.
What is a senior move manager?
This refers to a professional move organizer. They do not offer actual moving services, but they manage the other tasks that go into moving a senior. For example, they may help arrange to sell, donate, or dispose of unwanted items. You may get in touch with a senior mover manager via the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM).
What is relocation stress syndrome?
Relocation stress syndrome is a diagnosis characterized by symptoms such as anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, and loneliness. This syndrome sometimes occurs in senior adults after moving from their own home to a nursing home or assisted-living facility.
How do you help an older person move?
You can help an older person move by simplifying the moving process, being sensitive to their needs, and helping with labor. Handle or hire a moving company to handle the physical labor of moving to prevent injuries. Organize the process by labeling boxes, breaking the move into manageable tasks, and handling paperwork. Most importantly, listen to their needs and concerns, help them transition in their own time, and don’t force them to get rid of things they’re not ready to.
Other Moving Resources
We’ve done in-depth research on the best moving companies in the United States and have compiled these easy-to-digest comparisons:
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Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our moving company ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each company. We conduct research by reading through the company websites, analyzing customer reviews, conducting consumer surveys, requesting quotes, and speaking with customer representatives. We then score each moving company against our review standards for services, contents coverage, scheduling options, additional benefits and custom service options, and reputation among customers to arrive at a final score on a 5-point rating scale.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.