U-Haul: Moving Made Easier®

Review by eFreeware

If you are planning a move, clearing out a garage or hauling materials for a weekend project, the U-Haul app is built for exactly that stretch of days when you need a truck, a trailer, a storage unit or a propane refill and would rather not sort it out at a counter. U-Haul International has put the rental side of its business into an Android app, and the pitch is speed: get a quote, reserve what you need and manage the order from your phone.

The app is free, carries no ads and has no in-app purchases, so there is nothing to pay for the software itself. What you pay for is the rental, storage or supplies you book through it. That distinction matters when you are weighing whether to install it, because the app is a front door to a service rather than a product in its own right.

It has been on Google Play since September 2016 and shows more than 5 million installs, with a 2.9 average across 17,664 ratings. That score is worth keeping in mind as you read on: the app promises convenience, and the reviews suggest the experience has not always matched it.

Booking a truck or trailer without standing in line

The core of the app is reserving a rental. You can pull an instant quote, book a truck or trailer, and then change the reservation as your plans shift. The developer's emphasis is on doing this in a few taps rather than a phone call, which is the part that appeals to me most: moving dates move, and being able to adjust an order from wherever you are is more useful than a polished booking screen.

Pickup and return are handled through the app as well, and the developer says you can collect or drop off a rental at any hour rather than during store hours. That flexibility is the strongest argument for the app if your move starts early or ends late.

The app also covers the smaller errands around a move. You can reserve propane and home improvement supplies, and book storage space, storage containers and moving supplies alongside the vehicle. For anyone doing a single project that needs several of those things, having them in one place saves bouncing between websites and phone numbers.

The profile that skips the counter

You can save your payment details and license in a profile, which the developer says lets you skip the counter and book in minutes. For repeat renters this is the feature that would keep me coming back, since the same details carry over from one rental to the next.

The app keeps a rental history too, so past orders for trucks, trailers, storage and supplies are there to review. That is handy at tax time or when you are trying to remember which location you used last.

The app is free to download, and the value of the profile depends entirely on how often you rent.

Finding a location and getting help when plans go wrong

A location finder searches for nearby U-Haul stores that carry the specific thing you need, whether that is a trailer, a truck or home improvement products. Once you have picked one, you can call it or pull up directions from inside the app. If you rent from the same place regularly, the app lets you keep favorite locations for quicker access.

Support runs around the clock. You can start a live chat or send an email at any time, and the developer lists extending a rental and finding helpful resources among the reasons to get in touch. There is also a roadside assistance request you can start from wherever you are if something goes wrong with the rental, which is the kind of feature that only matters on the day it matters a great deal.

Between the location finder, the chat and the assistance request, the app tries to cover the whole arc of a rental rather than just the booking. That is a sensible scope for a moving app, and it is where the convenience argument is strongest.

What the app needs from you

Mobile pickup and return have a straightforward requirement: a phone or tablet with an internet connection and a camera.

The app is tied to U-Haul's own network of stores and services. The app is built around U-Haul rentals, propane refills and storage units. It is a single-company tool, and its usefulness is bounded by that company's locations and inventory.

The 2.9 rating across 17,664 ratings is a signal worth noticing before you rely on the app on moving day.

Who gets the most from it

This app suits people who already rent from U-Haul and want to handle the paperwork side from their phone: booking the truck, adjusting the reservation, keeping payment and license details on file, and finding the nearest store. It also suits anyone whose move involves several pieces at once, such as a trailer plus storage plus boxes, because those can be arranged in the same place.

It is a reasonable fit for a household project that needs a propane refill or a load of supplies picked up on the way, since the location finder and directions keep that errand short. And the 24/7 chat and roadside assistance are aimed at people who would rather not wait on hold if something goes wrong.

The recent update, version 3.11, tidied up login for business account customers, expanded order history and filtering in the Orders tab, and added Google Photos backup for content saved in the My Belongings Organizer tool, along with minor fixes.

A practical tool for people already renting from U-Haul

I would install this if a move or a haul is on the calendar and U-Haul is where you plan to rent. The combination of instant quotes, reservations you can change on the fly, mobile pickup and return, and round-the-clock support covers the parts of a rental that are most likely to go sideways, and it costs nothing to have on your phone.

The caveats are plain. It only works with U-Haul's stores and services, mobile pickup and return need a connected device with a camera, and the 2.9 average from 17,664 ratings suggests the experience has not pleased everyone. Those are reasons to set expectations rather than reasons to avoid it.

If your rental is already booked elsewhere, or you simply need a propane refill from a different supplier, this app will not help. For everyone else planning a move or a project that needs a truck, a trailer or a storage unit, it is a sensible thing to have installed before the day gets busy.

What's new in version 3.11.4

Version 3.11 - What’s New New: We've streamlined the login experience for U-Haul Business Account customers. Improved: The Orders tab shows more order history with enhanced filtering. Added: You can now back up content saved in the My Belongings Organizer® tool with Google Photos backup support. Fixed: Minor bug fixes and improvements.