Safeway Moving Inc. 2025 Review

Safeway Moving Inc. is a veteran-owned, full-service moving company specializing in long-distance moves. Known for its price matching, binding quotes, and various discounts—including military-friendly options—it stands out as one of our top interstate movers.

Customers like the 30 days of free storage, and we like the company's commitment to giving back. Safeway services both long-distance and local moves, although its primary business is interstate moves.

Overall, Safeway has many fans, as evidenced by many positive customer reviews; however, we found some inconsistencies related to timely delivery and final costs. Read on to see why Safeway Moving made our list of top recommendations.

Safeway Moving was founded in 2019 with a mission to "provide a smart and efficient solution to your moving needs."¹ The brainchild of an army veteran and a moving industry expert, Safeway has quickly established itself as a trusted name in the moving industry.

Safeway is authorized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to transport property and household goods as a carrier. Guided by core values like integrity, accountability, and compassion, Safeway Moving strives to uphold its founders’ vision of setting a new standard in the moving business.

From our experience, Safeway is generally upfront about its prices and will give you a ballpark estimate over the phone based on your origin-to-destination distance, home size, size of shipment, time of year, and specific service needs—from add-on services to whether or not movers will need to use an elevator.

Safeway provides binding estimates that guarantee your final price won't be more than you were quoted (as long as your inventory, etc. is accurate). And, like most movers, Safeway requires a deposit that's usually around 25% of your total moving quote.

Safeway uses flat rates based on the amount of stuff you're moving and the distance you're going. Although Safeway's quotes are highly customized, we were able to get some ballpark quotes from them for cross-country moves, regional moves, in-state moves, and local moves. Overall, Safeway's quotes seem to be lower than those of many other moving companies, which is backed up by customer reviews.

Moving a three-bedroom home from Minneapolis to Des Moines in a box truck, without unloading, came in around $4,500 to $4,800. More complicated moves, like those that require the movers to consolidate (and keep track of) multiple mover's belongings in order to fill a truck, can cost more due to the number of times the Safeway team has to load and unload your items, and the use of different trailers, trucks, tractors, and shuttles.

"We offer two kinds of quotes. Direct delivery and consolidated transport," a Safeway representative said. "For consolidated transport we will barcode all the consumer's belongings which eliminates lost items since most consumers fear that items will be sent to the wrong home when their items are loaded with another family's. For a three-bedroom home from Salt Lake to New York City a consumer can expect to pay $9,000–$13,000, which includes a shuttle in NYC."

Safeway went on to explain that trailers for moving companies often never enter New York City, so they would bring the items to their New Jersey base and off-load them into a box truck for final delivery.

"The larger the move, the more likely the consumer will receive larger discounts because our need to consolidate other movers into a semi-tractor trailer reduces," the representative continued. "When clients elect for a full tractor move, or when their home has the equivalent weight/volume of a full semi-tractor, then they can expect to pay about $13,000 to $14,000 for a cross country move. We service all moves; however, a full tractor move makes it much easier for us to do a live load and avoid labor costs associated with having to organize a consolidated move."

Safeway also told us that local moves in large cities, like New York City or Miami, come with their own considerations, "[Cost can vary a few hundred dollars] depending on if the move is coming in or out of an elevator. If an elevator is required, then we must take into account, 'will the building allow the movers to lock the elevator or will the movers be waiting every time to load an elevator?' A move in NYC is challenging but quicker because most buildings will reserve the elevator . . .  in Miami, the buildings give only three or four hours of reservation time, which often means we must send an extra two to three guys to the move."

Want to know how much your move with Safeway would cost?

Safeway offers discounts for specific routes and groups of people like veterans and teachers. It also offers discounts for early reservations if you book with them 30, 45, or 60 days before your move. Safeway said its average discount can save you between $200 and $5,000, depending on the specifics.

Here's a look at all the discounts Safeway offers:

• Military
• Seniors
• Teachers
• Law enforcement
• Content creators on social media

Safeway offers binding quotes. This means that the quote you get is the price you’ll pay as long as nothing about your move changes at the last minute.

If you do decide to change your inventory, luckily, Safeway performs a quality assurance check three to five days before your move, so you can inform them of the change then. You must accept and sign the documentation before the crew can begin.

To get a moving quote from Safeway you’ll need:

1. Zip codes: You'll need zips for the origin and destination locations.
2. Mileage: How far will movers travel from your old home to the new one?
3. Home size: Provide Safeway with the number of rooms in your home and how well it is furnished. If you have belongings in the garage and patio, mention them, too. It is best to provide an inventory of all your items for a more detailed quote.
4. Move date: Give a time frame for your move. For example, if you want to move in the spring, mention the specific month you’re thinking about. Safeway generally needs about three weeks lead time to organize a move.
5. Services: If you need add-on services like packing, storage, or piano transport, Safeway will factor this into your quote.

Safeway Moving offers long-distance, regional, and local moving services in all 50 states. On top of loading and transporting your goods, Safeway also provides a menu of add-on services to help make your move as easy as possible.

Here's a snapshot of Safeway's moving services:

• Packing/unpacking
• Storage
• Full-coverage insurance
• Auto and motorcycle shipping
• GPS shipment tracking
• Trash and debris removal
• Specialty items (like a piano) moving/packing
• Crating
• Electronics installation

Safeway has been listed on the FMCSA site as a carrier and a broker—meaning it partners with smaller moving companies (carriers) across the U.S. However, our latest research found that Safeway is currently identified as only a carrier. In customer reviews, we've found that the company sometimes still needs to partner with local movers.

Depending on the move’s size and route, it will perform the move in-house. Moves in areas where Safeway has a location are nearly always 100% in-house. But for more remote locations in states like Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, Safeway may need to partner with smaller companies located in the area to service the move.

Safeway offers short- and long-term storage. Each move automatically comes with up to 30 days of free storage. It’s common especially during the homebuying process to have a gap between moving out and moving in, so free storage would come in handy for those in housing limbo.

One rep we talked to mentioned they typically charge 50 cents per cubic foot of storage space. The warehouse is climate-controlled and under 24-hour surveillance, so it will protect belongings from weather or theft.

A lot of Safeway’s offerings (like long-distance moves, storage, and auto transportation) are pretty typical for a long-distance moving company. One thing that’s a little more unique is that it donates a portion of every move to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. This commitment to give back lines up perfectly with the founders' original vision and the company's values.

Even though Safeway gets a lot of positive customer feedback, we couldn't find any information about how to contact customer service or customer service hours on their website. There is an instant chat, so perhaps the company relies on that feature for customer service.

On a page about "house movers," there's a blurb about Safeway Moving offering 24/7/365 moving services that also states, "Our dedicated team is ready around the clock to provide efficient and secure moving solutions tailored to your schedule."

While that's "not nothing," it feels more like a sales pitch than a customer service offering. On the Contact Us page, the company provides some email addresses, a phone number and links to Safeway's social accounts. It also posts working hours.

It wasn't easy to find links to FAQ, help, or the usual customer service support we're used to seeing (I found one for FAQ, but it looks like that part of the website is under construction, so I'll share it when it's complete). Since Safeway conducts its business primarily over the phone, it's not too surprising.  And customer reviews give the impression that once you're a customer you have a line to the people helping with your move, and they are the ones that will help with any issues, questions, or hiccups that happen along the way. 

Safeway's customer reviews are some of the best of any long-distance mover we’ve seen. Across multiple review sites, the consensus is that the company treats its customers well and delivers on its promises. Safeway has a Trustpilot rating of 4.7, with 213 positive reviews out of 234 total. It has 4.45 stars out of 5 from 349 BBB customer reviews. However, Safeway (which isn't BBB accredited) has a BBB grade of D-, due to slow responses to complaints and one complaint with no response at all.

Here are things customers often praise about Safeway:

• Professionalism and speed
• Fair prices
• Attention to detail
• Flexibility

This positive consensus speaks to a company that does what it can to ensure every customer’s move goes according to plan—or better.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports receiving 21 complaints about Safeway in 2024 as of November. That's on the higher side when compared with other long-distance movers. For example, the company with the most complaints is American Van Lines, with 26. The lowest is Solomon & Sons, which has four complaints.

Safeway has some branding issues that make it hard to understand its customer review scores. For example, the company’s old profile on BBB (which is not accredited) shows that Safeway Moving Systems went out of business, and it lists that Safeway moved its headquarters from Illinois to Indiana, yet its mailing address is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on the FMCSA website. 

There’s also another company called Safeway Moving Inc. that is based in Oneida, Colorado, and we wonder if that has any impact on customer reviews for the Safeway Moving in this review and creates confusion between the two companies.

Over the past three years, Safeway has had 108 BBB complaints, 26 of which have been resolved, and 77 of which are in "Answered" status. After reviewing these complaints, a fair number seem due to customers who either didn't read or didn't understand the terms of their agreement with Safeway. In some instances, Safeway could find no record of the customer, speaking to the branding confusion we noticed. Other issues we noticed were higher prices at pickup or delivery and damage to transported items.

From customer reviews and our own mystery shopping, we've found that Safeway's pricing is competitive—even coming in lower than other movers fairly often. We also like Safeway's discounts and price-matching guarantee.

• Wide range of discounts: You can save between $200 and $5,000 with Safeway's discounts, depending on the specifics of your move.
• Price matching: Safeway promises to meet or beat competitor pricing by up to 10% if the competitor is a licensed and credentialed mover like Mayflower or Allied Van Lines.
• Free storage: This is a perk we don't see too often. Every move with Safeway includes up to 30 days of free storage.

While free storage and discounts offer added value, we're concerned about multiple Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaints about higher pricing upon delivery. Make sure your binding quote is accurate and includes all of your items to avoid surprises at the end.

If you’re planning a long-distance move, Safeway Moving checks all the boxes for affordability, reliability, and convenience. Here’s why it’s one of our top picks:

• Discounts and price matching: Safeway offers discounts for just about everyone—veterans, seniors, teachers, and even content creators. You can also save by booking early, with discounts ranging from $200 to $5,000 depending on your move. And if you find a lower price from a qualified competitor like Allied or Mayflower, Safeway will match or even beat it.
• Free storage: Got a gap between moving out and moving in? Safeway’s got your back with up to 30 days of free storage included with every move.
• Positive customer experience: We found some of the most positive moving reviews we've seen from Safeway customers. Customers call out Safeway's professionalism, attention to detail, and lower prices—even naming the movers who helped them.

Safeway is one of the best long-distance movers in the country and offers customers personalized service, fair and transparent pricing, and robust optional services. However, we do think that the company needs to clarify its online presence for those who are searching for more information and customer reviews they can trust.

Shopping for quotes and want to see if Safeway can meet or beat prices?

Joe Roberts contributed to this review.

We've been talking to Safeway Moving for the past few years, learning about its history, policies, pricing, and what goes into a moving quote.  We've gotten several quotes for different moving scenarios so we can compare Safeway's quotes against those of other moving companies. We've also read hundreds of customer reviews, examined complaints along with the company's responses, and looked into its professional standing with industry regulators.

Methodology
We conducted intensive research to identify the best moving companies for long-distance moves and local moves, in addition to container moves, truck rentals, and hourly moving labor. During our searches, we:

• Compare pricing transparency. We gather quotes, check for binding estimates, and read customer reviews about pricing to ensure each moving company’s prices are trustworthy.
• Review accreditation. We check every company’s records in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s database to confirm companies are properly authorized to transport household goods.
• Go mystery shopping. We review every company’s website, pose as customers in calls to companies, and read customer reviews to analyze every company’s moving services, transit protection, and customer service. We also interview actual customers to learn how their moves went from start to finish.
• Perform site visits. We invite moving companies to our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, to share data and expertise. We verify the information they provide by comparing it to data gathered through independent research and interviews with other movers.
• Set up regular reviews. We routinely repeat this process to update our recommendations to reflect current data and trends. We also revise each review annually and make updates throughout the year.

• The Only Moving Checklist You'll Ever Need
• Best Long-Distance Movers
• Best Moving Companies
• Best Moving Container Companies
• Best Car Shipping Companies
• Best Motorcycle Shipping Companies

1. Safeway Moving, "Our Mission." Accessed December 18, 2024