Allied Van Lines Review 2024: Real Customer Experiences
Here’s the bottom line: Allied Van Lines is one of our top full-service moving companies, with fixed pricing, custom crating, and portable storage containers. It gets a lot of praise from customers for its communication, nationwide coverage, and timely moving services.
- Fragile packing
- Storage options
- 24/7 shipment tracking
- Quick & efficient
- Accurate quotes
Allied Van Lines is a great option if you prefer fixed pricing, need custom crating, and want a carrier that uses their own employees.
When Pavan relocated from Michigan to Florida for work, he knew he wanted a full-service moving company that could handle all the details of his cross-country move. After researching movers on moveBuddha, he landed on Allied, who provided him with an exceptional moving experience.
Pavan’s story is one of many that we collected through our Better Moves Project, which allows actual moving customers to detail their experiences with the movers they hired.
Take a look at our Allied Van Lines review to learn more about customers’ experiences with Allied, compare it to competitors, and get our take.
Pros & Cons of Allied Van Lines
- One of our top picks for international moving services
- 24/7 shipment tracking tool
- Program for customers to donate unwanted items to the Salvation Army
- Portable storage containers similar to PODS and 1-800-PACK-RAT
- Instaquote tool doesn’t provide a quote, requiring a callback from a representative
- Customers have reported technical issues with the Allied claims process
- Can be more expensive than some competitors, on average
Jump to the info you’re looking for:
Our track record
Each year, 400,000+ people trust our moving recommendations. Here are a few reasons why:
- Founded in 2015
- 2,500+ moving companies analyzed
- $50,000 in moving & auto transport grants delivered
- Up-to-date pricing info & industry data
- Fact-checked for accuracy
What customers had to say about Allied Van Lines
While the majority of Allied’s reviews are positive, and many customers would work with the company again, they do have some negative reviews, mostly connected to lost or damaged items. We don’t think this should discourage you, though.
At moveBuddha, we’ve worked with dozens of customers who chose Allied Moving, and most would recommend Allied to others.
Throughout his move with Allied from Michigan to Florida, Pavan was pleased with Allied and Rose Moving & Storage who was assigned to help with his relocation.
Pavan’s personal move coordinator reached out before and after every step of the process, ensuring he was prepared and informed throughout his move from Michigan to Florida. Similarly, Stephanie rated Berger Allied’s communication as a perfect 5 out of 5, noting that the team answered all her questions and kept her at ease from start to finish.
Both Pavan and Stephanie’s moves were handled with care, although there were some minor damages. Pavan noted only a small dent in his stainless steel trash can and a TV stand wheel with ball bearings that had fallen out.
Stephanie’s items had a few small dings, which she plans to address through Allied’s reimbursement process, but she emphasized that her antiques remained intact and that the damages were minor overall.
Here’s Stephanie’s overall review of Berger Allied, the Allied Van Lines agent that handled her move from Austin, Texas to Los Angeles:
Allied Van Lines pricing
Based on moving quotes we’ve obtained, Allied Van Lines typically charges $50–$200 per hour for local moves, but long-distance moves are priced differently.
Like any moving company, Allied’s moving costs depend on the scope of your move, including:
- The total weight of your belongings
- The distance your items need to travel
- The services you select
- The time of year
- Any additional insurance coverage you need
Both Pavan and Stephanie found Allied’s pricing to be transparent and fair. Pavan’s final cost was lower than his original estimate, and Stephanie’s binding quote didn’t change, even though the actual weight of her move exceeded the estimate.
Here are the estimates Pavan got from each of the moving companies he considered:
| Company | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Allied Van Lines | $9,081 |
| Safeway Moving | $7,653 |
| JK Moving Services | $6,995 |
Allied has a convenient long-distance moving estimator tool to help you establish your moving budget, or you can use our moving cost estimator.
We’ve pulled some additional sample quotes to help you better gauge Allied Van Lines’ prices. However, we always encourage you to get your own quotes—it’s free and there’s no obligation. If you find a better price elsewhere, Allied may even be willing to negotiate with you.
| Move Distance | Move Size | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Within the same city | 2–3 bedrooms | $2,300 |
| 1,000 miles | 2–3 bedrooms | $4,300 |
| 2,500 miles | 2–3 bedrooms | $6,300 |
Allied Van Lines services
Allied Van Lines offers a full range of competitive local and long-distance service options.
Here are a few highlights:
- Household moving: The Allied Personal Moving Plan program is customized specifically to each customer’s needs. Household moves include basic furniture disassembly and reassembly.
- International moving: AVL has completed international moves within 135 countries. The Allied International Advantage plan includes GPS shipment tracking and a streamlined customs-clearing process.
- Cross-country moving: In addition to local and interstate moves, Allied handles residential and commercial long-distance and cross-country moves in all U.S. states.
- Military moves: Allied specializes in military moves, assisting families with their Personally Procured Moves (PPMs). Their ability to handle most international moves and storage solutions make Allied a popular choice for people in the Armed Forces.
- Packing & loading: Allied can provide labor for packing and loading your belongings on shipping or storage containers.
- Corporate relocation: Allied offers corporate moving packages with additional services like packing or temporary storage units. Corporate options vary depending on the availability of local movers.
- Storage services: Allied provides temporary storage in transit, where the belongings remain in a trailer for up to 90 days. After 90 days, they offer long-term storage options when necessary.
- Vehicle transportation: Allied can safely transport cars, boats, and other vehicles, and the entire process is generally completed in three to seven days.
- Moving containers: Allied Express is a storage container unit option similar to those offered by PODS and U-Pack. The difference between Allied Express and its competitors is AVL’s containers include two to four professional movers to load and unload your belongings.
- Packing & supplies: Specialized supplies are available to transport large or bulky items like mirrors and mattresses. You can purchase packing supplies like bubble wrap even if you don’t opt for packing services.
- Insurance coverage options: Allied includes basic liability coverage for lost, damaged, or broken items, which compensates you $0.60 per pound per item. You can also get a more comprehensive protection plan for full-valuation coverage at an extra cost, earning our vote as the best for contents coverage.
rating
4.75 / 5
89% of users select this mover
How Allied Van Lines stacks up against the competition
Allied Van Lines is a reputable company with an extensive lineup of services, but it might not be the best fit for every move. Compare it to a few of our other best long-distance moving companies here.
| Company | Our Rating | BBB Score | State Availability | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Van Lines | 4.75/5 stars | A+ | 50 | Contents coverage |
| Safeway Moving | 4.85/5 stars | B- | 50 | Overall value |
| Mayzlin Relocation | 4.9/5 stars | A- | 48 (not in AK or HI) | Personalized service |
| American Van Lines | 4.5/5 stars | A | 48 (not in AK or HI) | Moving experience |
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rating
4.75 / 5
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Allied Van Lines vs. Safeway Moving
Safeway Moving and Allied Van Lines both stand out in the moving industry for their commitment to giving back. The company donates a portion of its profits to St. Jude’s Hospital every year, and Allied Van Lines donates unwanted items to the Salvation Army.
Both Safeway and Allied Van Lines offer full-service moving solutions for long-distance and interstate moves, including packing, loading, and transport. Safeway is a bit more competitive in the pricing category and will match lower quotes from competitors. Allied Van Lines suggests they’re open to negotiating but they don’t have a direct price matching policy.
Safeway Moving might be a better fit if pricing is your biggest priority, whereas Allied Van Lines may be a better fit if you value communication and easy GPS tracking for your items.
Laurel was happy with what she paid for her move with Safeway, and she was impressed with how Safeway handled her more delicate belongings.
Allied Van Lines vs. Mayzlin Relocation
Mayzlin Relocation operates solely as a carrier, so every time you book moving services, you’re hiring employees hired and trained to uphold Mayzlin’s best practices.
While Allied boasts one of the longest operating tenures in the entire moving industry, Mayzlin is a relative newcomer and, as a result, much less known. Despite its newer status, it’s a family-owned and operated business with a 24/7 customer service department. Allied Van Lines offers this same availability, but they don’t always quickly resolve issues, as indicated by reviews citing slow claims processes.
Mayzlin really shines for its cancellation policy. While the company requires a 25% deposit upfront, you can receive every dollar back if you cancel within seven days of your move. That’s substantially more flexible than other moving companies.
We’d recommend Allied Van Lines to customers moving outside the lower 48 states, but we’d recommend Mayzlin Relocation to customers who may have last-minute changes of plans and need a flexible cancellation policy.
Jana loved Mayzlin’s clear line of communication, professionalism, and careful handling of her artwork.
Allied Van Lines vs. North American Van Lines
While North American Van Lines (NAVL) and Allied Van Lines cover the same service area and offer many of the same services, Allied Van Lines’ tenure in the moving industry is much longer.
But NAVL still has a reliable reputation—as evidenced by customer reviews, including that of Better Moves Project participant Marcie’s moving experience, and its Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating.
Both companies offer binding quote options, but NAVL requires an in-home estimate. Allied Van Lines is the better choice if you’re set on working with a provider that solely uses its own employees, but be aware that availability may be more limited as a result.
NAVL is an excellent option if you don’t mind subcontractors in exchange for more readily available movers.
Marcie was quick to recommend NAVL after they honored her binding estimate despite the weight of her belongings being higher than anticipated.
How moving with Allied Van Lines works
Allied claims that its customer service works as hard as possible to customize your move to suit your exact needs. Let’s take a quick glance at what moving with Allied Van Lines looks like.
Getting a quote
The Allied Van Lines website has a free quote tool, but it isn’t instant. You’ll put in your phone number and a sales rep will call you to give you an estimate.
Allied specializes in moving packages, meaning every move booked with them is tailored and unique. This is one of the reasons they do not provide instant quotes on their website.
If you live in an area with an Allied Van Lines sales rep, they may need to come to your home in order to provide a binding quote. Otherwise, an agent can schedule a virtual survey of your home to give you a fixed price that won’t change on moving day.
Once you sign your quote, your move is booked. Most customers report that the binding quote is the accurate price for the move and customers rarely end up paying more upon completing their move.
You don’t have to put down a deposit when you hire Allied Van Lines.
Booking and moving
Allied Van Lines will arrive to pack your belongings on the day before your move. If you’re packing your own things, the truck will arrive on your moving day with a team ready to load your belongings. They’ll catalog all your items as they are loaded to ensure nothing gets lost.
Once everything is loaded, your items will begin their journey to your new home. Depending on your storage needs, they will head to your new home directly or go to a temporary storage facility.
While your truck is in transit, you will be able to track your items on their tracking app anytime of the day or night.
When the delivery day comes, your truck will arrive at your new home and all items will be recorded as they are offloaded, ensuring you receive everything that was put on the truck at your old home. If you booked unpacking services, the moving team will help you unpack.
Stephanie’s packers and movers were on time, and her belongings arrived at her new home as scheduled. Pavan experienced the same reliability, with his items arriving in Florida right on schedule, seven days after being picked up in Michigan.
Most customers who move with Allied Van Lines report that their items arrived early or on time, but Allied doesn’t have a specific delivery date guarantee. S
ome customers reported working with the same team for the entire move, but those who used the short-term storage options often had different teams helping them load and unload their belongings.
FAQ
Does Allied Van Lines serve all 50 states?
Allied Van Lines is one of the few moving companies that can help with your move to Alaska or Hawaii. They even have local offices, so an agent can come out in person to give a quote in most of the major cities.
In Hawaii, Allied Van Lines can help with both local moves and shipping items to the mainland.
Are Allied Van Lines and North American Van Lines the same company?
No, Allied Van Lines and North American Van Lines are not the same company. They’re both owned by Sirva but maintain separate fleets.
What is considered a long-distance move?
A long-distance move is a move that spans more than 400 miles. But moving 200 miles can also feel like a long-distance move and you may want to look at a long-haul moving company for any move over 200 miles.
Is Allied Van Lines a broker?
No, Allied Van Lines is not a broker. The company acts as a carrier, meaning you will deal directly with the company for the entirety of your move, not a third-party provider. However, when it comes to international moves, Allied may partner with another moving company to help complete your relocation.
Is Allied Van Lines legit?
Yes, Allied Van Lines is legit. It’s been in business since 1928 and maintains Better Business accreditation and a B rating. It also holds all relevant Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration credentials and its USDOT number is readily displayed on its website.
However, some of the worst moving companies out there tend to give their services similar names as reputable ones, so it’s always important to check their accreditations and credentials.
Our rating methodology
At moveBuddha, we’re committed to providing accurate and reliable ratings and information so you can select the best moving company for your needs. Our rigorous moving company methodology is designed to help you confidently make your decision.
Here’s how we evaluate Mayzlin Relocation and other full-service movers:
- Customer satisfaction (30%): We rely heavily on the first-hand experiences of our Better Moves Project participants, as they have no incentive to make positive or negative comments. We also evaluate third-party reviews from the BBB, Google, TrustPilot, and other trusted sites.
- Standard services (20%): We look at which offerings a full-service mover provides as part of its base contract, in comparison to which services will result in an extra fee.
- Reputation (15%): We investigate the company’s industry ratings with the BBB and other services, as well as whether it is properly registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation. We also look at how accurate the company’s estimating process is.
- Add-on services (10%): This covers any add-on services a company offers to streamline a move, such as packing and unpacking, custom crating, or storage options.
- Availability (10%): We look at whether a moving company offers nationwide service, or if it is only available in select states. We also evaluate the availability of its local and long-distance moving services.
- Type of mover (5%): The type of mover you work with (such as a full-service mover or a moving container company) will impact the services it can provide.
- Payment (5%): Does the company make it easy to submit payment, preferably by offering multiple payment options?
- Scheduling (5%): How easy is it to schedule your move, and how much lead time is needed? How a mover handles delivery windows and delays is also considered.
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