A moving truck arrives at a house and begins to be unloaded. — Jodi Jacobson/iStockphoto

Mayflower Moving

Mayflower Moving, a full-service moving company catering to residential and commercial customers, was founded in 1927 in Indianapolis. One of the most recognizable names in relocation, Mayflower has been part of UniGroup since 1995. Mayflower is licensed as a carrier and a broker and can service local and long-distance moves in 46 states and 150 countries.

Mayflower Moving at a glance

Mayflower Transit is one of the best moving companies in the industry. It offers a full suite of local, interstate and international moving services, including specialty services for corporate relocations and military-sponsored moves.

Fast facts

Mayflower Transit Co (now Mayflower Moving) was founded in 1927 in Indianapolis.
Since 1995, it has operated under its parent company, UniGroup.
The moving company has agents in 46 states, excluding Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

What we like

Mayflower’s most significant selling points are its tenure in the industry and its broad range of services that cater to everything from small, local moves to international moves in more than 150 countries.

Mayflower can handle everything from packing and loading to specialty items and debris removal. The company’s full-service packages include electronics installation, appliance hookups and full-value protection insurance, making it an excellent choice for large moves.

What we don’t like

Though Mayflower is an excellent option for large moves, the company does not offer self-service moving options, so it may be out of reach for budget-conscious customers who want to DIY parts of the move. Similarly, Mayflower automatically bundles full-value protection into its moving reservations, so you’ll have to request a downgrade to compare the base rate for your requested services.

Mayflower Moving pros and cons

Like all moving companies, working with Mayflower Moving has advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, Mayflower has a broad service area in the United States and worldwide. You can track your items while they’re in transit, and the company has various options, such as SnapMoves, to customize your move to fit your needs.

On the negative side, Mayflower is licensed as a carrier and a broker, which means it will sometimes assign you to a partner moving company. Mayflower isn’t always transparent about brokering moves, leading to communication issues and inconsistent service quality.

Pros

Has agents in 46 states and more than 150 countries
Has live tracking so you can anticipate your delivery date
SnapMoves specializes in small moves on tight timelines.

Cons

Operates as a carrier and broker, so some moves will be assigned to subcontractors
Included full-value protection can inflate prices at face value
Online quotes aren’t instant.

How much does Mayflower Moving cost?

Mayflower Moving doesn’t have standard prices because moving is often unique to the individual or family relocating. Even though the company advertises free online quotes, you have to call an agent or submit an online request to get a quote.

That said, several factors affect moving costs:

Time of year: Moving during peak moving season (mid-April to October) is often more expensive than at other times.
Date of move: Your moving date also affects your costs. Moving during the middle of the week is usually less expensive than moving over the weekend when demand is generally higher.
Distance: The distance between your start point and destination affects your moving costs, as does the mode of transportation needed to get there. For example, ocean and air freight cost more than ground transportation.
Size of your home: The number of bedrooms and square footage of your home impact your moving costs. This is also true if you have multiple flights of stairs, which can slow down movers.
Weight of your belongings: If you have many heavy items or a large home, you’ll need more space and labor to accommodate your belongings, which will, in turn, increase your total moving costs.
Add-ons: Adding extra services, such as storage, packing of specialty items and additional labor, will increase your costs.
Insurance protection: Mayflower includes full-value protection in its estimates, but it’s not a throw-in. Downgrading to a lower tier of insurance protection can decrease your costs.

What services does Mayflower Moving offer?

Mayflower is a full-service moving company, which means it will handle loading your boxes onto the truck, driving them to your new location, unloading them and then hooking up appliances in your new home.

The company is equipped to haul away leftover debris following the move. It can also ship your car, store your items indefinitely and handle specialty items, like pianos, outdoor equipment and above-ground pools, with care.

Mayflower Moving services

Mayflower Moving add-ons and optional features

Mayflower Moving has several optional services you can add to your move.

Packing services

The company offers several packing options to meet a variety of moving needs. You can choose full-packing services, where a team will pack your entire household to prepare for a move, or you can opt for partial-packing services, where a team will only pack specific items.

You can also secure a custom packing crate for specialty items that need extra care. Custom crates ensure your items don’t move around during transport, preventing damage to other possessions.

You can add unpacking services at the end of a move and add electronics installation. The team will pack your computer, gaming equipment or entertainment systems and set them up in your new home.

Vehicle shipping

Mayflower Moving will coordinate door-to-door and terminal-to-terminal car transport services if you want to take your vehicle to your new home but avoid driving it there. You can choose open or enclosed carrier options.

Increased full-value protection

If you need more than Mayflower’s full-value protection coverage for the value of your belongings, you can increase the coverage by submitting an increased valuation form. However, expect to pay more for the added coverage. Mayflower has other waivers that expand financial protections for natural disasters, items that come in a pair or set and delayed shipments.

Storage

Mayflower can coordinate storage for any duration and all move types. If you need storage for just a few days, request storage-in-transit, which keeps your items conveniently loaded in the moving truck and secure under lock and key. If you need more storage time, Mayflower can find a convenient, longer-term storage facility that meets your specifications.

Mayflower Moving customer service and experience

Mayflower Moving has an intuitive, aesthetically pleasing website with plenty of resources to help you plan your move. When we called to speak to a representative, someone answered immediately, and the representative was knowledgeable about all parts of the moving process. However, the rep was motivated to make a sale and called back many times over several days to try to finalize a booking.

For less urgent customer service requests, you can use Mayflower’s live chat. A live agent doesn’t monitor it, but it can point you in the right direction. You can submit your information using the contact form and request a callback or email response.

When we asked a representative how long the average claims process took, the rep provided little information and said, “It depends.” However, Mayflower offers free claims assistance, giving you access to a representative who can be a point of contact throughout the claims process.

We combed online reviews to get a better idea of what customers have to say about their customer service experience:

Overall experience was great. We received proactive communication throughout the entire process which kept us up-to-date and our minds at ease. Everything was picked up and arrived on-time. The entire team, from start to finish, were very professional, knowledgeable, and helpful.

— Nelson A via Mayflower website

In a nutshell, the delivery crew were [a] total disaster. Flavor of the day was “rush rush rush”…. totally ignoring the “fragile” items that were clearly marked (including computer monitors) and throwing them around as though they were pillow cases! To add insult to injury, they damaged our new home during delivery. Fortunately the builder repaired the damages since it was under warranty! We ended up paying close to $20K for nothing.

— Matrix via Trustpilot (Aug. 26, 2023)

Mayflower Moving liability coverage

After you make a reservation, you’ll receive a tariff document outlining the terms and conditions of your move. Tariff documents are mandatory for all interstate moving companies because they provide essential information about filing a claim for lost or damaged items, how rates are determined and more details about your move.

Mayflower bundles basic full-value protection into its base move costs, which covers a lump sum value you previously declared. You can downgrade to minimum liability protection, which covers up to $0.60 per pound.

Mayflower Transit vs. competitors

Mayflower offers almost every key service, including local, interstate and international moves, plus packing and custom crating. Its sister company, United Van Lines, is remarkably similar, even down to including full-value protection coverage.

Mayflower beats Atlas Van Lines, North American Van Lines and Allied Van Lines in its reach for international moves to more than 150 countries. Suddath Relocation, Solomon & Sons Relocation Group and JK Moving Services have an even broader reach (to 170+ countries).

Mayflower Transit competitor comparison

Methodology

The CNN Underscored team crafted our methodology based on the most critical factors affecting customers across the moving industry. We weighed the types of moves each company services and the ability to customize or add services to your reservation the heaviest. We also considered state and country availability and each company’s online service options, including GPS tracking, virtual surveys and inventory uploads.

Our review team keeps a pulse on the moving industry by interviewing experts, reading the fine print in moving agreements, asking clarifying questions to customer service representatives and more. We also regularly update our reviews to reflect current offerings, ratings and availability.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Ally Sabatina

Mayflower Moving Review: Cost, services and customer experience