Best Moving Companies with Military Discounts

Whether you’re a new army recruit or seasoned soldier tackling a permanent change of station (PCS) or temporary duty (TDY) assignment, we get that you want your move to be as cost-efficient, timely, and painless as possible.

To help you streamline your search for moving help, we compiled a list of moving companies that offer discounts and deals for military members (with proof of service or a veteran ID)—so you don’t have to go far to find moving companies that honor the sacrifices you and your family make.

The brands we researched are available nationwide, but many local moving companies offer military discounts. Check out our list of the best interstate moving companies to get a feel for your options.

Here are the best moving companies for military discounts.

Transferring bases under a personal procured move (PPM)? If you’re doing the DIY route for your military move, good news: you have options.

Budget offers a 20% discount to military members who are on active duty, while Penske takes 10% off truck rentals for both active-duty personnel and veterans.

Budget has the highest military moving discount on our list—a whopping 20% off your truck rental.

Here’s the catch: only active-duty personnel with traveling orders qualify, and the discount doesn’t apply to taxes, fees, damage waivers, and other extra costs.

Want to read our full take on Budget? Our Budget Review breaks down pricing, customer service, and pesky hidden fees.

Are you on active duty, a reservist, or a veteran? If yes, Penske will take 10% off your truck rental, towing equipment, and accessories.

Whether you’re currently a sailor in the navy or were a cadet in the army twenty years back, all you need to do is provide proof of your military or veteran status when you pick up your truck.

(Note: protection plans, fees, and taxes are added on after the discount is applied.)

When it comes to honoring service members, Penske checks all the boxes. It’s a Military Friendly company that recruits, employs, and supports veterans—and it partners with Support Military Families to collect and deliver care packages to military partners and families.

Penske even has its own call center for active-duty personnel and veterans: when you call, you won’t have to shuffle from department to department to speak to someone who understands military moves. Call 844-487-6677 to get in touch with a military moving expert.

 To get the 4-1-1 on all things Penske, check out our Penske Review.

U-Haul does not offer a military discount. However, like we’ve said before, Budget and Penske offer decent discounts and are also on our best moving truck rental companies list.

Moving container and storage companies are military discount gold mines. At least four of Move.org’s best moving container companies offer discounts for armed forces personnel ranging from 10% to $50 off.

Other moving container companies, like Zippy Shell, have also been known to give a little love to military members from time to time.

To show its respect for your past or current service, U-Pack will take $50 off your entire move. U-Pack’s discount applies to your final bill, including protection plans, fuel costs, and other added fees.

This means that, U-Pack’s discount may end up being just as good as—if not better than—discounts that take 10% or 20% off your rental. We’ll break this down in more detail below.

Saving money where you can is especially important if you're paying out of your own pocket for a personally procured move (PPM). A discount from U-Pack or another container moving company can help you stay within your allotted reimbursement amount—and if you spend less, you get to keep the difference.

Not quite convinced? Check out our U-Pack Review.

If you’re on active duty or a veteran, PODS will shave 10% off your local move—including after delivery fees and storage are factored in. You can’t use the 10% off if there’s a bigger discount available, but we’ll take an opportunity to save more money any day of the week.

One thing we like about PODS’s discount is that it applies to storage too. If you move around often with the military, it’s important that you have a place to stow your things from city to city.

This discount can come in handy if you’re moving out of the dorms, off base, or simply into a bigger home. Even though it can’t be combined with other discounts, 10% can still save you a decent chunk of change.

Like many of the discounts on our list, the 10% discount is available at only specific PODS locations, so be sure to call ahead before you book.

Want to know more about PODS? Give our PODS Review a read to learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

SMARTBOX will honor your service with $20 off your next local move or storage needs. It may not seem like much, but you’ll save $20 that can go toward other moving expenses (like bubble wrap and moving boxes).

So whether you’re off to basic training or are about to be deployed, SMARTBOX can help you move and store your belongings safely and securely. The discount is valid for every branch of the military and can be used on both moving and storage services.

FYI, though: if you qualify for the military discount, you can’t combine it with any other SMARTBOX discounts available to you.

Wondering if you should move with SMARTBOX? Read our SMARTBOX Review to learn more about its pricing and services.

CubeSmart offers a 5% military discount on self-storage—and unlike with SMARTBOX, you can use it on top of current discounts. Between discounts for booking online and discounts for referring a friend to CubeSmart, you can save big with combined self-storage discounts.

Here’s how it works: Let’s say CubeSmart has a 15% seasonal discount during the holidays. For a large storage unit that normally goes for $150 per month, CubeSmart’s seasonal discount would take $22.50 on the storage unit’s rate (not the final bill). The 5% military discount would save you an additional $7.50 off the rental rate.

In total, you could save up to $30.00 on the rate per month (again, not including taxes and extra fees) which brings the storage unit rate down to $120.

The only downside? The discount is available to only active military members—not veterans.

If you’re currently on active duty, use our CubeSmart Review to see if this is the right company for your next move.

We’ll be honest, full-service moving companies that offer decent discounted rates for military members are few and far between. North American Van Lines is the only nationwide company we’ve seen. But some local full-service movers offer military deals, so be sure to search the companies in your ZIP code.

Full-value protection (FVP) is a premium type of moving coverage you usually pay extra for. 

Plus, if you’re a Disabled American Veterans (DAV) or VetRewards member, North American offers up to $100,000 of FVP (with $0 deductible).

Whether you’re relocating overseas or moving a few states away, packing up your life and moving can be stressful—especially with the possibility that your possessions could break during the journey. With FVP, you don’t have to worry about spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars to repair or replace damaged items.

In addition to offering free FVP, some North American locations offer military discounts on packing, moving and storage services, tariff rates (fees to cross state lines), and protection plans.

You’ll need to call your local North American office to get more info about discounts and to see if you’re eligible—not every location offers the same discount options.

If you want to know more about the company before picking up the phone, give our North American Review a glance.

Short answer: it depends on the discount and how much your move costs. In general, percentage discounts save you more if your move is more expensive, while cash discounts make a bigger dent on cheaper moves.

Let’s compare a move that costs $100 with one that costs $1,000. Here’s how the two types of discounts would apply.

With PODS, which shaves 10% off your container rental, you’d save big on the $1,000 move, but not as much on the $100 move.

With a discount that takes a fixed dollar amount off your final total, you’d end up saving a higher percentage on the $100 move. U-Pack’s $50 discount wouldn’t put a huge dent in the $1,000 move.

Of course, if the discounts are close to even, be sure to add up any fees that might apply to see which company’s final total is cheaper.

No matter the discount, you can still take that extra cash and use it toward other parts of your move—like hiring someone from TaskRabbit or Hire a Helper to help you haul your things to and from your truck or container.

The amount of your move that the military covers is based on the allotted amount you’re allowed to take based on your rank, plus how far you’re moving.

If you’re not sure what and how much you’re allowed to move (or what the military will pay for), check out the Defense Department’s entitlement calculator. It covers everything from pets to POVs.

This depends on your budget and how big of a time crunch you’re on. For instance, if you have orders to move ASAP, you’re moving a long distance, or you don’t have family and friends to help you pack, it likely makes sense to hire full-service movers.

If you’re allotted a smaller moving budget, however, the money-saving option would be to move via rental truck or a moving container so you don’t end up paying out of your own pocket. These options are cheaper but less convenient.

For a more in-depth answer to this question, cruise on over to our Should I Hire a Mover? article.

We found the best nationwide moving companies for military discounts, but it’s worth calling your local moving company to see what they offer too.

These are the big-name moving companies that offer military discounts:

• Budget: 20% off truck rentals
• Penske: 10% off truck rentals
• PODS: 10% off moves
• U-Pack: $50 off moves
• SMARTBOX: $20 off moves
• CubeSmart: 5% off self-storage
• North American Van Lines: Full-value protection included on moves plus discounts on other services

Remember, even if a moving company advertises a military discount, that doesn’t guarantee that every location offers the same discounted rate—so ask about this while you’re shopping around!

• Move.mil, “Moving with the Military Overview”
• Move.mil, “Your Personally Procured Move (PPM)”
• Move.mil, “Personally Procured Move (PPM) Estimator”
• Move.mil, “Entitlements”
• Navy Federal, “Offers and Discounts”
• Navy Federal, “RealtyPlus®”
• Support Military Families
• USAA, “Shopping and Discounts”
• Disabled American Veterans
• TaskRabbit
• Hire A Helper, “The Military Move Guide”
• The Home Depot, “Home Depots Official Military Discount Policy”
• Move.org, “Should I Move Myself or Hire a Mover?”