American Van Lines Review 2024

By: Harrison Gough Last Updated: Feb 29, 2024

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Moving Feedback did the research for you. Take a look at our American Van Lines review, and see whether they’re the right choice for your move.

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BEST PREMIMUM SERVICES

4.2

American Van Lines

  • Great customer service
  • Competitive prices
  • Nationwide availability

Our Methodology

To get a good idea of how American Van Lines treats their customers, Moving Feedback went undercover and gave them a call. One of our researchers posed as a customer with three different moves on his hands and spoke to one of their moving consultants about what he could expect, and what American Van Lines was willing to offer.

If you want to jump straight to our experience with American Van Lines, check out their pricing information here, and our in-depth review in this section. Otherwise, read on for a bit of background about the company, including what services they offer.


Background Info: American Van Lines

American Van Lines has been in the moving business since 1995. They started small and grew quickly, turning a two-truck operation into a nationwide moving company that’s still family-owned and operated to this day.

American Van Lines aims to be a single point of contact for your entire move. They provide a wide variety of moving services, and their professional moving teams can help you whether you’re traveling across the country or just down the block.

  • Excellent moving consultants
  • No subcontracting
  • Discounts available
  • Broad range of services
  • Helpful follow-up
  • Inventory list recommended
  • Packing can be pricey


How Does American Van Lines Compare to Our Best Movers?

4.2 4.9 4.4 4.7 4.1
Best Premium Services Best Overall Best Customer Reviews Best for Long Distance Most Affordable
10% Military Discounts 15% Seniors & Military Discounts 20% Seasonal Discount 18% Flexibility Discount 15% Student Discount
$6,707 - $8,640 (Avg. 2-3 bedroom) $2700-$6200 (Avg. 2-3 bedroom) $2850-$6350 (Avg. 2-3 bedroom) $2900-$6500 (Avg. 2-3 bedroom) $2200-$5400 (Avg. 2-3 bedroom)
Get a Quote Get a Quote Get a Quote Get a Quote Get a Quote
Read Review Read Review Read Review Read Review Read Review

Features and Services

American Van Lines offers a wide variety of different services:

  • Long distance moving: American Van Lines’ specialty is long-distance moving. In the moving industry, a long-distance move is typically defined as anything over 100 miles, or into a different state.
  • Storage: American Van Lines also provides storage, which is really useful if you’re not quite sure of your move’s timeline. Their storage facilities have 24-hour camera surveillance, and they have vaults available if you need a little extra security.
  • Commercial moves: If you need to move an office or a small business, American Van Lines offers commercial moving services. Their website mentions that they can plan a move around your business’s operating hours.
  • Corporate relocations: American Van Lines also offers corporate relocations for larger businesses. It’s worth mentioning that as a complete moving company, they won’t subcontract parts of your business’s move to other trucking companies in the area.
  • Antiques and specialty items: Antiques, artwork, and fragile items all need extra care. American Van Lines offers specialty moving for your valuables, and they specifically mention piano moving services on their website.

How Much Does American Van Lines Cost?

We called about three different long-distance moves, and our prices ranged from $6,707 to $8,640. American Van Lines also provided us with packing information for each of the moves, complete with the price of each box.

Distance of Move Size of Move Cost
CA to TX 7000 lbs $8335
CA to NY 3500 lbs $6707
IL to TX 7000 lbs $8640

Move #1: California to Texas, 7000 pounds

One of our moves was roughly 7000 pounds, to be shipped from LA to Austin. Our quote from American Van Lines came out to $8,335.37.

Move #1: California to Texas, 7000 pounds


Move #2: California to New York, 3500 pounds

The next move we asked about was LA to NY, but the overall weight was much less – 3500 pounds in this case. Our quote from American Van Lines was $6,707.58.

Move #2: California to New York, 3500 pounds


Move #3: Illinois to Texas, 7000 pounds

Finally, we asked about a move from Illinois to Texas. Like the CA to TX move, this one was also about 7000 pounds. American Van Lines gave us a quote for $8,640.78.

Move #3: Illinois to Texas, 7000 pounds


Our Experience With American Van Lines

We got in touch with American Van Lines to see how they handled their customers. Right from the start, we were greeted with professionalism and a level of care that really made the whole experience easy and enjoyable.

Did We Have to Wait?

Most movers have an automated system in place to handle incoming calls. Fortunately, we weren’t put on hold for very long at all – maybe five seconds, if that. In fact, their automated message didn’t even get a chance to finish by the time a real representative got on the line with us. We were already off to a great start.

Who Helped Us Out?

We spoke to Merissa, who definitely knew her way around a move. We walked her through the three different moves we had planned, and she got straight to work running the numbers for our quote. She started a file for us and took down our contact info, and it was all fast, easy, and clear.

Merissa answered our questions without a hitch, and even gave us some helpful insider information. We love when companies shed light on the moving industry: It feels more honest, and you’ll come away learning a bit more about how moving works.

What Kind of Services Do They offer?

Our American Van Lines representative explained that they provide in-house moving services for practically everything we could need. They stressed that as a moving company (rather than a moving broker) they don’t subcontract jobs to other long distance movers in your area.

This means the moving team that shows up for your stuff will be from American Van Lines, and that same moving team will be the one actually hauling all of your stuff – whether you’re just going down the block or traveling across country.

What’s the Insurance Situation Like?

American Van Lines offers basic coverage for their moves but our representative also encouraged us to look into a third-party insurance broker for extra security.

It’s common for moving companies to try to upsell some of their coverage programs to make a little extra cash, so hearing a recommendation for a company that wasn’t part of American Van Lines was actually a breath of fresh air. It really showed that the team at American Van Lines was concerned with how to make our move easier, rather than just scoring a few more bucks.

Were We Offered Any Discounts?

Yes, and in fact, we didn’t even need to ask. After some talking with their moving consultant, we actually got a discount on one of our three moves. Every little bit helps when you’re planning an out of state move, so it was a nice bonus from American Van Lines.

What Were Their Delivery Options Like?

We spoke to American Van Lines about three different out of state moves, and they gave us a pretty flexible window in terms of booking and delivery: From 2 to 25 days, depending on distance and how far we were traveling.

Distance of Move Size of Move Delivery Window
CA to TX 7000 lbs 2 – 14 Days
CA to NY 3500 lbs 3 – 25 Days
IL to TX 7000 lbs 2 – 18 Days

American Van Lines Around the Web

You don’t have to take our word for it. Here’s what some other reviewers (and their customers) have to say about American Van Lines:

“Highly recommend. From start to finish I had a point of contact (William and Victoria) and all of my questions answered. Local move which was about 20 min. I will say however, they did UNDERESTIMATE how long it would take. With that being said they rectified the situation and was very customer oriented. My movers were two great guys who were very professional and efficient at their job. All of my stuff arrived as promised with no issues. I have worked with many moving companies before and this was a huge relief.”

Dani P. Via Yelp

“The movers of American Van Lines were very good. The guy that was in charge and his local help were very nice and polite. It was hard to get ahold of the customer service though. They only said they’d call me back with stuff. It was also hard to understand them over the phone. They had lots of people talking in the background like they had a lot of phones. It was distracting to hear that. But the quote provided was accurate. We had to change it and they were very helpful in changing it. They gave us another one and it was what we had expected it to be.”

Barbara. Via Consumer Affairs


American Van Lines FAQ

Does American Van Lines Offer Discounts?

American Van Lines offers veteran’s discounts. However, it’s also worth mentioning that the moving consultant who took our call offered us a discount just to sweeten the deal.

How Long Will My Move Take?

If you’re moving with American Van Lines, your move may take anywhere between 2 and 25 days. It’s a long window, but keep in mind it depends on how much you’re moving, and how far you need to move.

When is American Van Lines Most Busy?

American Van Lines will be the busiest (and the most expensive) during the summer months. Our moving consultant recommended we schedule our move for any time before April to avoid peak moving costs.

Does Moving Van Lines Offer Insurance?

American Van Lines provides basic coverage that amounts to $0.60 per pound of your goods. If you want full coverage, they recommend getting in touch with a third-party insurer. American Van Lines is partnered with Baker International.

Does American Van Lines Subcontract Moves?

No. American Van Lines handles every step of your move, which means the team that comes to pick up all your stuff is the same team that hauls your belongings, whether it’s down the block or across the country. American Van Lines provides their own in-house services for your move.


Moving Feedback’s Recommendation

From our phone call with American Van Lines and a deep dive into all of their services, we’re happy to say that we can definitely recommend them for long-distance moving. Our quotes were thorough and easy to understand, and from our chat with our moving consultant, we were impressed by how much information they were willing to share about the way movers work.

American Van Lines is a great choice if you’re looking for a long-distance move.


Keep Up With Moving Feedback

At Moving Feedback, we want you to have the best move possible – and that means doing the heavy lifting to make sure you know what movers are worth your time. Stay tuned for more moving company reviews, cultivated and researched by our own undercover staff.