Safeway Moving Review | 2025 Guide
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Safeway Moving Inc. is a fast-growing Florida-based company founded in 2019 that operates in all 50 states. It specializes in long-distance moves but also provides local and international moving services, making it a great option if you want a company with multiple moving options. You’ll also appreciate its 30 days of free storage with each long-distance move to make your relocation more convenient.
Our goal is to help you choose the best moving company that will eliminate all the stress when relocating. We’ve researched more than 10 of the country’s leading providers and used a standardized methodology to rate each on important factors. Read on to discover our honest review of Safeway and see if the company is right for your next move.
Our Summary and Review of Safeway Moving
- Year Founded: 2019
- State Availability: 50
- Deposit Required: Up to 40%
- USDOT: #3756000
- ✔ Local Moves ✔ Long-Distance Moves ✔ International Moves
Safeway is veteran-owned and offers a variety of services similar to those of its competitors. We liked that it’s available in all states and handles local, interstate, and international moves, making it an option if you need to move within the United States or to another country.
We also liked that long-distance moves include up to 30 days of free storage, which is extremely helpful if your closing or lease signing is delayed at your new home.
One drawback we found after researching the company was the lack of moving materials offered. While some competitors, such as International Van Lines (IVL) and Allied Van Lines, offer moving kits, boxes, blankets, bubble wrap, and other materials, Safeway doesn’t. Unfortunately, going out and getting moving materials adds another task to your plate.
Another drawback is that Safeway doesn’t offer discounts or promotions. While discounts aren’t standard in the industry, IVL offers them to seniors, students, AAA members, and military members. Since seniors downsize, students move closer to their universities, and military personnel experience frequent transfers, Safeway may have dropped the ball in not making moves a little less expensive for you if you’re in one of these groups.
Finally, our team had trouble getting estimates from the company. Safeway didn’t respond to our website queries, and it took over a week to get a quote for an international move. If you need a quote sooner rather than later, you might find yourself frustrated by a lengthy wait.
Pros and Cons of Safeway Moving
Pros
- Offers up to 30 days of free storage
- Provides quotes via email after an initial phone call
- Has better customer reviews compared to competitors
- Offers a flat fee for moves, which is a fixed price with no hidden charges
Cons
- Doesn’t offer packing materials, unlike many major competitors that do
- Doesn’t carry third-party insurance, which would provide more substantial coverage for your belongings
- Our secret shopping yielded a long international quote process
Our Detailed Rating of Safeway Moving
Safeway earned 3.4 stars out of 5 using our methodology. Our team looked closely at 11 moving companies and ranked them using four major categories. We also broke the categories into smaller subcategories. Here’s what we considered:
- Services and features: This category included reviewing services and materials offered, as well as extra features such as vehicle shipping, post-move cleanup, and climate-controlled storage.
- Reliability: We examined each provider’s reputation, experience, and expertise.
- Cost and value: Our team checked deposit requirements, whether discounts and promos were available, and the type of insurance provided.
- Flexibility: This looked at convenience factors such as whether the company offered free cancellation, the simplicity of the quote process, and the quality of customer support.
Keep reading to learn more about where Safeway excelled and fell short.
Services and Features
In the service and features category, we scored providers on their services, moving materials, and any extra features available.
Safeway scored 3.9 stars out of 5 in the services and features category, the second-lowest score among the providers we reviewed.
We liked that the company provides standard loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, furniture assembly, and short-term storage services. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer a do-it-yourself (DIY) or self-service plan, where you rent a truck or container and handle all moving tasks on your own. If you want this type of moving experience to cut down on costs or better control the timing of your move, consider Allied Van Lines or North American Van Lines (NAVL).
Safeway doesn’t offer materials such as moving boxes, blankets, pads, or bubble wrap, so if you were hoping to pack your own items, you’d have to purchase the materials yourself, which adds to the cost.
The provider offers some extra services, including climate-controlled storage to protect your belongings from humidity that could cause mold and custom crating for large or unwieldy items. It provides more extra perks than BLVD Moving but fewer than Allied Van Lines or Mayflower Moving.
Reliability
When scoring for reliability, we focused on each company’s reputation, experience, and expertise.
We awarded Safeway 3.5 out of 5 stars for reliability.
The company background checks employees, which is true of all its major competitors. This reduces the chances of unscrupulous moving staff and theft. It doesn’t have any awards or accolades, which is somewhat unusual. However, the company has only been in business since 2019, which could be why.
We liked that it’s available in all 50 states. You can feel confident that Safeway can handle your cross-country move anywhere within the USA. However, you need to call for a moving quote to determine whether it could facilitate your international move.
When we spoke with a Safeway representative, he asked us which country we were moving to. We responded with England, and he said, “Oh, OK, yes, we provide services there.” This response makes us suspect that the company’s international services may be limited.
Cost and Value
Our cost and value category included reviewing the overall service pricing, discounts available, and the type of insurance each provider carries.
In the cost and value category, Safeway earned 2 out of 5 stars, the lowest score among all the providers we scored.
We liked that it uses flat-rate pricing, which is a fixed fee that includes moving the items in and out of the truck, furniture assembly and disassembly, and the option to store your items for up to 30 days at no extra cost. However, you can’t customize the price based on your needs. For example, our research showed that you won’t pay less if you don’t want the extra storage service.
Finally, while the provider offers limited liability protection, which is the minimum protection required by law, it doesn’t have third-party insurance like American Van Lines, Allied Van Lines, and United Van Lines. Third-party insurance covers the actual cost of your items, which is beneficial if you have more expensive items to move and want to ensure you get your money back if any of them break during the relocation.
Flexibility
The flexibility category is all about convenience to the customer, so we considered cancellation policies, the quote process, and customer support services.
Safeway scored 3.8 out of 5 stars in the flexibility category
While the provider doesn’t offer free cancellation like IVL and American Van Lines, it provides complimentary rescheduling. If you need to move the date of your pickup, you can do so, which is beneficial if you’re unsure of your moving date when you sign the contract.
We liked that you could get an in-person quote, which would minimize the chance of an upcharge. The company offers an online quote process, but we never received a response when we tried to get a free quote through the website form. Instead, our team had to call and speak to an agent. It took about a week to get an estimate for an international move. If you’re in a hurry, it’s best to call, and you may need to be persistent about following up.
While Allied Van Lines assigns you one moving consultant throughout the process, Safeway doesn’t offer this perk. Some people may find it frustrating to explain unusual situations or problems to several agents before finding a resolution. With a moving consultant, one person is your contact point from start to finish, so you have a specific person to call with issues.
Safeway Moving Inc.
Safeway Moving Services and Pricing
Safeway is a full-service moving company with a range of services included in its flat fee. However, the provider doesn’t offer a DIY option or customization. You’ll pay the flat fee regardless of whether you need all of the included services.
Moving Services Offered
Move Distance Availability
- International
- Interstate
- Local
- Long-distance
Basic Moving Services
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Loading and unloading
- Packing and unpacking
- Short-term storage (30 days)
Extra Features
- Appliance/electronics handling
- Climate-controlled storage
- Custom crating
Pricing Breakdown
We contacted a Safeway rep to find out what different types of relocations would cost if you were moving a three-bedroom home.
| Move Type | Cost Range (Without Packing) | Cost Range (With Packing) | Move Distance* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | $5,000–$10,000 | $8,000–$13,000+ | 30 miles |
| Long-Distance | $6,000–$12,000 | $9,000–$15,000+ | 1,300 miles |
| International | $15,000–$20,000 | $18,000–$22,000 | 3,800 miles |
This provider doesn’t offer vehicle transport services for long-distance moves within the USA, but it recommends a company that does. For international moves, Safeway will make the arrangements to ship your vehicle.
Safeway Moving Reviews
Safeway has about 1,000 reviews available online. We read 100 for a good overview of common themes and issues. Most reviews focused on positive communication and careful treatment of the consumers’ belongings. A few, however, reported the opposite and complained about a lack of follow-up and damage to furniture and other items.
We chose these reviews to highlight the disparate experiences; while most Safeway reviews were similar to Samantha’s and Christopher’s, Josh brings up a common refrain regarding damaged items.
Also, Libbe wasn’t the only person complaining that their original quote was higher than they expected to pay once the truck was on site.
When we called the company, the Safeway rep we spoke to explained that costs might vary if items are heavier than anticipated. He then recommended a video walk-through of belongings for a more precise quote.
Another common complaint was that Safeway is a moving broker; while Safeway says it’s a carrier, some customers state otherwise. While a carrier handles all of the tasks associated with moving with its own in-house employees, a broker contracts out some or all tasks to other moving companies or contractors. This can lead to unexpected price increases.
Breakdown by Review Site
We looked at reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Trustpilot, and Google Reviews. Here’s what we found:
- BBB: Safeway isn’t BBB-accredited. Based on customer reviews, it has a B rating and 4.4 out of 5 stars. While the provider doesn’t respond to positive or negative reviews on the platform, it replies to some complaints.
- Trustpilot: Safeway is a verified company with Trustpilot and has 4.5 out of 5 stars. The company doesn’t respond to positive or negative reviews.
- Google Reviews: Safeway has 4.3 out of 5 stars on Google Reviews. It doesn’t reply to most negative reviews, but the few it responded to explained that the review was misleading or incorrect rather than offering solutions.
While Safeway has reviews that are significantly better than some competitors (such as Allied Van Lines) and comparable to others (such as American Van Lines), we weren’t impressed with its lack of responses to negative reviews. This isn’t uncommon in the industry, but we don’t think it leaves potential customers confident.
There’s also a somewhat common miscommunication regarding whether Safeway uses independent contractors; the company says it doesn’t, but some customers say it does. A carrier will manage all of the move on its own, but some customer reviews mention third parties being involved, which could indicate a brokerage. We recommend asking your local Safeway movers for more information, as each location may handle things slightly differently.
*All review scores were accurate when published.
Compare Safeway Moving to Other Moving Companies
Safeway excels at offering all services at a flat rate to avoid hidden fees. However, it could do better by providing DIY moving materials and services.
| Company | Star Rating | Best For | Service Model | BBB Rating | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Moving | Carrier and broker | B | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| High-Value Goods | Carrier and broker | A | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| Major Cities | Broker | B | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| Coordinated Moves | Broker | B | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| Condos and HOAs | Carrier | A+ | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| Appliance Moving | Carrier | A+ | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| Customer Experience | Carrier | A+ | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| Self-Service Moves | Container service | A | GET ESTIMATE | ||
| Small Moves | Container service | A+ | GET ESTIMATE |
Is Safeway Moving Worth It?
Safeway can be worth the investment if you’re not interested in DIY or self-service options. The company offers all the services you might want, including packing, loading, unloading, unpacking, handling antiques, and disassembling and reassembling furniture.
We also liked that up to 30 days of storage are included with the flat rate price. This is an excellent benefit if you’re not ready to unload everything immediately.
Since Safeway is available in all 50 states, you can move anywhere in the country and still work with this provider. Also, it manages international moves.
Several reviewers mentioned damage, and while Safeway offers limited liability insurance, it could provide third-party insurance for these issues. Most competitors, including American Van Lines and United Van Lines, offer this extra insurance coverage.
We found that most customers were happy with Safeway and noted the company’s solid service. Before making a final decision, it’s important to get several quotes and speak to a few moving companies to be sure you’re comfortable with the company you hire.
Safeway Moving Inc. FAQ
What items can Safeway not move?
Safeway won’t move prohibited items such as cleaners, explosives, paints, and flammable materials. The company also doesn’t offer vehicle moves, so you’d need to drive your car to its new location or find a vehicle transport company.
What storage options does Safeway offer?
Safeway offers monthly storage with anti-theft security systems, a security station, and a patrol vehicle. With your move, you would get up to 30 days of free storage and could pay for additional storage as needed.
Does Safeway charge extra to move heavy items?
Safeway charges a flat fee depending on the container size needed and the number of rooms in your home. If you have any heavy items, let the company know so it can include it in your quote.
Is Safeway better than International Van Lines?
International Van Lines scored significantly higher than Safeway in our rating methodology and beat it in every category. IVL offers self-service materials and discounts for seniors, students, AAA members, and the military. It also has more robust insurance. Safeway’s only advantage over IVL is that it offers price matching, meaning that if you bring it a lower quote than what Safeway gives you for that same move, it will match the price.
How We Chose the Top Moving Providers
We researched and analyzed dozens of full- and self-service moving companies and formulated a moving review methodology based on a number of factors, including package options, pricing, and reputation. We also identified customer pain points based on customer-review analysis, proprietary consumer surveys, and interviews with former and current moving professionals.
Speaking directly to a representative at each company, we determined the number of package options available, the coverage provided, the types of moves available (long-distance, local, and international), and any extra perks offered, such as mobile apps, moving checklists, and 24/7 customer service.
We also gathered pricing data from each of the companies and determined whether they provide ballpark estimates or binding quotes. To determine reputation, we evaluated companies based on their rating with the Better Business Bureau as well as their overall score on Yelp.
