7 Best Interstate Moving Companies for May 2022

International Van Lines

• Service Model: Full service
• Specialty Services: Yes
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit site

While International Van Lines (IVL) specializes in international moves, it can accommodate domestic interstate relocations as well. IVL has handled more than 500,000 moves in the United States since its inception in 2000 and offers a number of add-on services—such as vehicle shipping, custom crating, and storage—that support interstate moving.

International Van Lines is both a broker and a carrier, meaning it has its own fleet of trucks and moving crews but also partners with other moving companies to serve customers outside of its main service regions. International Van Lines’ extensive network of providers allows customers to more efficiently locate a local mover, with the added benefit of having the relocation backed by IVL’s customer support. Another benefit of IVL is that it offers comprehensive all-risk coverage, which reimburses you for the full value you claim on damaged or lost belongings at a cost of 4% of the declared value.

However, it’s important to note that procedures, policies, and customer service vary by company in IVL’s network, so your experience may differ depending on your location and the provider assigned to your move.

Cost: According to International Van Lines’ online moving calculator, it would cost between $6,000 and $8,700 to move a four-bedroom home from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to San Diego in early May. International Van Lines will provide you with a more detailed estimate once you complete an online quote form or contact a representative by phone.

IVL is transparent about associated fees that will not be included in your moving estimate, providing a breakdown and explanation of those fees on its website. For example, IVL charges a one-time fee of $75 if crews must move items using an elevator and a per-flight fee of $75 for moves involving stairs.

To reserve a moving date, customers must pay 25% of the total cost of the move. IVL accepts cash and credit cards. Additionally, active and retired military are eligible for 10%–15% off the total cost of their move with International Van Lines.

50 states

American Van Lines

• Service Model: Full service
• Specialty Services: Yes
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit site

American Van Lines is among our top picks because of its expertise in handling antiques, fine art, and other high-value or fragile items. American Van Lines has experienced full-time moving crews, the members of which have an average of 10 years of experience, according to the company’s website. The company requires all of its movers to complete ongoing education and annual training—including coaching for moving items like pianos, fitness equipment, and one-of-a-kind art pieces—at onsite training facilities.

While some providers coordinate interstate moves with other companies in their networks, American Van Lines handles all long-distance moves directly. This means you work directly with the company, as opposed to a third-party agent, helping to reduce communication issues or delays.

American Van Lines is equipped to meet the needs of those seeking full-service options, such as packing and unpacking and crating of electronics, and those seeking partial assistance with tasks such as loading, transport, and unloading. The company also offers a variety of add-on services, many of which are particularly useful for those making interstate relocations. These services include vehicle shipping, short- and long-term storage options, and furniture disassembly and reassembly.

Cost: American Van Lines does not provide an instant quote online or by phone. The company will first review your detailed inventory and calculate the cost of moving your items to your new location before giving you a detailed binding estimate. You can, however, get a general idea of American Van Lines’ pricing model on the company’s website.

For example, American Van Lines has a deal on moves from Dallas to Denver. According to the company’s website, moving from Dallas to Denver would be $6,191 for a three-bedroom home and $8,178 for a four-bedroom home.

American Van Lines will match competitors’ prices but requires a steep up-front deposit of up to 50% of your total move cost. The company accepts cash, credit cards, and check payments.

48 states (not available in Alaska or Hawaii)

JK Moving

• Service Model: Full service
• Specialty Services: Yes
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit site

JK Moving is our overall pick for interstate moving thanks to its personalized approach to full-service relocations. The company can handle out-of-state moves of all sizes and distances, and it provides packing, unpacking, loading, and unloading services.

With the help of an assigned moving coordinator, you can customize your move by selecting from an extensive menu of specialty services, such as vehicle shipping, crating of TVs and other electronics, and temporary or long-term storage. JK Moving also offers optional full-value protection, which fully compensates you for any damaged or lost items at a cost of 4% of each item’s total value. Full-replacement coverage is adjustable with JK Moving, which means your plan will align with the approximate value of your belongings rather than a flat rate based on weight.

Cost: JK Moving does not provide instant quotes online or by phone. The company will deliver an estimate after completing a virtual or in-person home assessment. Home assessments include a review of your household items to identify any hard-to-move pieces or difficult access points, such as a narrow hallway or steep front-porch staircase.

Ballpark Estimate: However, when we called a JK Moving representative, we were able to get a ballpark moving estimate of $7,500 to move the contents of a two-bedroom home approximately 750 miles—roughly the distance from Tacoma, Washington, to San Francisco. While the company does not provide figures for moving contents from homes of four bedrooms or more without an in-home visit, the estimate for the two-bedroom home includes furniture disassembly, wrapping, and padding as well as loading and unloading all household items and full-replacement valuation coverage.

In-House Financing: JK Moving provides in-house financing through a partnership with Enhancify, which offers rates as low as 0% same-as-cash.* According to the company’s website, the application process is quick and takes less than one minute to view your interest rate options. Of course, you should review your rate and read the fine print so you don’t end up paying more for your move in the long run.

Payment Options: JK Moving accepts credit cards, cash, and checks and requires a $250 up-front deposit to secure a moving date.

*Subject to credit approval

50 states

North American Van Lines

• Service Model: Full service
• Specialty Services: Yes
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit site

North American Van Lines (NAVL) can accommodate cross-country moves of all sizes. In addition to providing services as a carrier, the company partners with a network of more than 500 local moving agents to offer services nationwide. If NAVL cannot directly assist you, the company will coordinate your relocation with a local mover in its network.

NAVL has three main packing options for long-distance moves: full-service, fragile-only, and DIY. Those opting for a DIY move can purchase moving supplies directly through the company. Standard supplies available with NAVL include packing paper, tape, padding, stretch wrap, boxes, and cartons. Other options include lightweight boxes, divided cartons for dishware and mirrors, and mattress boxes.

Full-service and fragile-only packages can be further customized through a variety of add-ons, such as the crating of electronics and fragile, rare, expensive pieces of art; transporting your car, truck, SUV, van, or boat; and specialized storage services. One particularly helpful optional service is the disconnection and reconnection of your major appliances, eliminating the need to hire an additional company or handyman for that job.

Cost: Using the North American Van Lines online moving estimator tool, we received a quote of $5,616 to $6,179 to move a three-bedroom home from Charleston, South Carolina, to New Orleans in late April.

Note: NAVL does not provide online quotes for homes with four or more bedrooms. However, we called a customer service representative for more information and got a starting price of approximately $6,330 to move the contents of a four-bedroom house the same distance used in the original three-bedroom quote. Both estimates include packing, unpacking, loading and unloading, shipment tracking, and basic carrier liability coverage at 60 cents per pound for each item.

You can receive a binding estimate with NAVL following an in-person or virtual walk-through, which will include itemizing all belongings you plan to include in your move.

North American Van Lines accepts cash, credit cards, and certified checks. No up-front deposit is required to reserve a moving date.

50 states

Allied Van Lines

• Service Model: Full service
• Specialty Services: Yes
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit site

As the longest-running moving company in the United States, Allied Van Lines (AVL) partners with more than 500 local moving providers in all 50 states and more than 130 countries to expertly handle interstate moves. Similar to JK Moving, Allied has personal moving coordinators to assist customers during their move.

Allied is a full-service company that also accommodates partial moves through its a la carte approach to moving. Basic-price moves include an assigned relocation consultant, loading, transport, and unloading of your items, and minimum protection coverage. Services such as full-valuation coverage, packing and unpacking, and fragile-only packing are available to add. Fragile-only packing could be an appealing alternative for those who want assistance with breakable or valuable items such as antiques and heirlooms.

If your move is relatively small, you may want to consider Allied’s moving-and-storage container service, Allied Express. Allied Express is similar to self-service portable container companies like 1-800-PACK-RAT but includes a two- to four-member moving crew standard to assist you.

Cost: Using Allied Van Lines’ online moving calculator, it would cost between $5,773 and $6,368 to move items from a three-bedroom home in Boston to Montpelier, Vermont, in mid-July. That instant quote includes packing and unpacking services, loading and unloading, shipment tracking, basic carrier liability coverage, item transport, and associated fuel and toll charges.

Allied Van Lines does not provide instant quotes online or by phone for homes larger than three bedrooms. You can schedule an in-person or virtual home survey through Allied’s website and an assessment specialist will review the layout of your house as well as your belongings. That information will be factored in along with the location and date of your move to determine the flat-rate price you will pay on moving day.

Allied Van Lines does not require an up-front deposit and accepts cash, credit cards, and certified checks.

50 States

1-800-PACK-RAT

• Service Model: Self service
• Specialty Services: No
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit site

If you prefer to handle all aspects of the relocation process on your own, we recommend 1-800-PACK-RAT as the top overall choice for self-service moving. The company will deliver waterproof steel portable storage containers to your home.

After you’ve loaded your container, PACK-RAT will pick it up and deliver it to your new destination. 1-800-PACK-RAT containers can be filled within 30 days of the initial delivery, making the company a good option for those who want to move at their own pace.

Cost: Using 1-800-PACK-RAT’s online tool, we received a free quote of $2,034 for a 16-foot container delivered to a home in Kansas City, Missouri, and moved to Montgomery, Alabama. A 16-foot container holds up to 6,000 pounds, which is about two or three rooms of furniture and other items. The contents of a four-bedroom home typically weigh a total of 14,000 pounds, so at least one additional container would be required to accommodate a relocation of that size.

Moving quotes include drop-off and pick-up of the container at your current residence and delivery to the new residence, as well as a security lock and coverage of up to $10,000 on your items.

State Availability: 30 states

Not available in:

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.

uShip

• Service Model: Self service
• Specialty Services: No
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit site

Primarily a vehicle shipping company, uShip can be a cost-effective alternative for the transport of household items, heavy equipment, jacuzzis and spas, and animals.

An online marketplace, uShip allows customers to list their vehicles or other shipments and connect with third-party carriers that have created free uShip profiles. After posting your request, you can let uShip recommend providers with positive customer reviews or you can handle the process yourself by accepting bids from providers and choosing the one that best fits your needs. The company also has a mobile app for tracking your shipment.

The company provides open and enclosed vehicle carriers. An enclosed carrier protects vehicles from the elements and is a good option if you need to ship a high-value or classic car and don’t want it damaged by wind, rain, hail, or other conditions. Open carriers, which transport multiple cars at once, are less expensive than enclosed carriers but can expose vehicles to the elements and potential roadway hazards.

After analyzing dozens of consumer reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we determined that uShip customers found the company’s online platform to be user-friendly. Multiple customers also commented on the simplicity of the bidding and booking process.

Cost: We received a general estimate of $802 to ship a 15-foot power boat from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Syracuse, New York, using uShip’s online quote tool. A list of prior bookings on the company’s website show a range of $500–$1,200 for similar shipments.

To receive bids, you must first create a uShip profile and list your shipping request. uShip handles all payments to third-party providers and accepts all major credit cards.

50 states