What Is the Cheapest Day to Hire a Moving Company?

If your moving date is flexible, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are usually the first days worth comparing. A midweek date in the second or third week of the month is often easier to book than a Friday, a Saturday, or the last days of the month. That’s even more true outside the busy summer season.

There’s no single day that’s always cheapest, though. Rates depend on demand, open dates, the size of your move, and the services you need. At Merc movers in London, Ontario, we treat the calendar as a starting point, not a guarantee. The details that decide how long a move takes matter just as much. Think parking, elevator access, stairs, travel time, how ready your boxes are, crew size, special items, and building rules. A well-planned Saturday can cost less overall than a poorly organized Tuesday.

The surest way to find your lowest real cost is to price two or three real dates for the same move.

Quick Comparison: How Timing Affects Your Moving Quote

None of these patterns guarantees a discount. They tell you where to look first.

Start With the Day of the Week

For a local move, midweek is usually the best place to start. Tuesday to Thursday don’t suit people who work Monday to Friday, so those days often have more open slots than the end of the week.

Why Tuesday Through Thursday are Worth Comparing

The gain isn’t that every mover gives a weekday discount. It’s that a quieter day gives you more start times to pick from. It also makes it easier to book an elevator, a loading area, or the building manager. Ask whether the rate or open slots change by date. Don’t assume “midweek” always means a lower price.

Why Friday and Saturday Can Still Be the Right Choice

Friday and Saturday are popular because they fit around work and leave the weekend for unpacking. That makes them busier. Still, a weekend move may cost you less overall if taking a weekday off would cost more than the gap in the quote. The goal isn’t the cheapest-looking date. It’s the best total value.

Next, Look at Where the Date Falls in the Month

The day of the month can matter almost as much as the day of the week. Lease changes, possession dates, and home sales bunch up around the start and end of the month. That puts pressure on movers, condo elevators, loading zones, and street parking.

If your lease or closing date allows it, compare a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday in the second or third week with the date you first had in mind. A Wednesday on the 15th may be easier to schedule than a Wednesday on the 31st, even though both are midweek.

Then Consider the Season

Late spring to early fall is the busy moving season in Ontario, thanks to leases ending, school schedules, and better weather. In London, student moves add two extra peaks: late summer and early fall when classes resume, and April and May when the school year ends. Our guide to student moves and seasonal demand explains how those peaks affect open dates and rates.

The colder months are usually more flexible. If your calendar is wide open, start with a midweek, mid-month date in the quiet season.

That doesn’t make every winter move cheaper. Rain, snow, ice, and shorter daylight can slow a move down, so build in extra time. Ontario’s winter driving guidance recommends checking road conditions through Ontario 511 before you travel. A winter date is a chance to find more open slots, not a promise of the lowest final bill.

Other Timing Choices That Affect Cost

Morning or Afternoon Start

An early start gives the crew more hours before evening. That matters most for larger moves. If the morning slots on a popular date are already taken, you may only find a later start. Ask which start times are open for each date you’re considering.

How Far Ahead to Book

Booking early gives you the most choice of dates and start times, and more time to book elevators and parking. It matters most for a month-end date or a summer move, when the best slots go first.

Long-Distance Moves

The same demand patterns apply, but the date also has to work at both ends. A midweek departure can make it easier to line up elevators and loading access at the new home. Our breakdown of the cost of hiring a long-distance moving company covers what else shapes those quotes.

Office and Commercial Moves

Many businesses prefer to move in the evening or on a weekend so they don’t have to close during working hours. Weigh any difference in the moving quote against the cost of lost business time. Our office movers plan these moves around your hours.

Before You Book, Confirm Parking, Elevators, and Access

Once you have one or two good dates, check the access at both addresses. Access can change how many hours you’re billed, so it deserves as much thought as the date. A truck parked close to the door and a booked service elevator can make a real difference on an hourly move.

Downtown and High-Rise Moves

High-rise moves often depend on elevator bookings, loading areas, and legal truck parking. London’s Traffic and Parking By-law sets the rules for loading zones and where vehicles can legally stop. If you need curb space near a busy downtown building, sort out the timing well before moving day rather than assuming a spot will be free.

Condo and Apartment Moves

Condo towers often have their own move-in and move-out rules. Elevator bookings, deposits, concierge rules, and allowed moving hours vary by building. Confirm them with your property manager before you lock in the crew.

For condo and apartment moves, share your elevator booking window as early as possible. A cheaper date doesn’t help much if the elevator is only free for a narrow window that doesn’t match your crew’s booked time.

Student Moves and Fixed Move-In Dates

In London’s rental and student housing market, many move dates aren’t flexible at all. If a lease, a residence move-in window, or a closing date fixes your date, the question becomes less about picking a day and more about planning the move well on the day you have.

Confirm the building’s rules, elevator or loading-dock access, and your crew’s arrival window early. A fixed date can still keep costs down if the move itself runs well. A clear list of items, packed boxes, and honest details about access all help control the hours billed, whatever day it falls on. Our student moving services are planned around these tight windows.

What Actually Drives Your Final Cost, Regardless of the Day

Whatever date you pick, the same cost factors apply to any move:

• How much you’re moving, compared with a bedroom-count estimate
• The distance between pickup and delivery
• The number of movers and the truck size needed
• Stairs, elevators, long carries, or difficult parking
• Packing and unpacking needs
• Specialty or fragile items
• Storage if your possession dates don’t line up
• Minimum booking time and how billable hours are counted

A cheaper day with a poorly planned move can still cost more than a well-organized move on a busier date. You can lower the hours on any date by clearing out what you don’t need and having boxes packed before the crew arrives. Our moving checklist for house essentials helps with that. If you’d rather hand it off, professional packing services save time on the day, and short-term storage covers a gap between possession dates.

For typical local rates, see how much movers cost in London, Ontario, and for budget options, whether there are affordable movers in London, Ontario.

How to Compare Dates Fairly

If your schedule has some give, request quotes for the same move on two or three different dates rather than relying on a general rule.

Give each request the same details: addresses, your list of items, access, packing needs, and any special items. That way, any price gap comes from the date, not from a change in what’s being priced. Ask for the final pricing in writing, and use our guide on how to read a moving company quote to compare them line by line.

Ontario’s guidance on hiring a mover recommends getting at least three written estimates. The same logic works when you’re comparing dates instead of companies: keep everything else the same so the numbers mean something.

What Customers Say About Planning Their Move With Us

As of September 2026, we hold a 5.0-star rating on Google from 55 reviews. Here’s what customers say about how their move was scheduled and handled:

Dheeraj Tejpal, 5 stars: “I recently hired Merc Movers for a long-distance move from London, Ontario to Niagara Falls, and overall it was a smooth experience. The movers arrived on time in London, fully prepared with the right equipment and packing materials. … Pricing was fair compared to other quotes I received. No hidden fees or last-minute surprises…”

Jagseer Singh, 5 stars: “Merc Movers provided a great moving experience from London to Mississauga. The team was professional, punctual, and worked efficiently throughout the process. Their packing was very well done, and all my belongings were handled with care and arrived safely. I’m very happy with their service and would definitely recommend them.”

Brar Amreek Singh, 5 stars: “Merc Moving did a fantastic job with our move. The team was professional, efficient, and handled our belongings with great care. Everything arrived safely, and the pricing was fair with no surprises. They made the whole process smooth and stress-free. Highly recommend!”

Arriving on time and working efficiently are what keep a move within its scheduled hours, whatever day of the week it falls on.

Ready to Compare Dates for Your Move?

If your schedule has some give, the best next step is to get quotes for a couple of real dates with the same details. That gives you a real comparison instead of a guess about which day is cheapest. Whether it’s an apartment, a condo, or a full house, our residential moving services are quoted the same way.

Request a free moving quote from Merc Movers or call (519) 900-1661, and tell us which dates you’re considering.