Bellhop Review: Is Working for Bellhop Worth It in 2024?

Bellhop is a moving company that helps customers with both local and long-distance moves. Its workers complete tasks like:

• Disassembling furniture
• Loading items into a moving truck
• Driving to the destination
• Unloading, unpacking, and arranging the items after arriving

You can work for Bellhop in one of two roles:

• Mover: This position requires a lot of physical labor. You’ll enter your customers’ homes and carry their belongings (which should be pre-packed) to the truck.
• Driver: You’ll drive the truck with the customer’s items to their destination. In many cases, that will be in the same city, but on long-distance moves, it may be several states away.

Most gig workers opt for the “mover” role, but we’ll elaborate on both below.

Working as a Bellhop mover

As a mover, you’ll set your own schedule, marking whether you’re available in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings on each day of the week. You’ll be matched with jobs in the area during your windows of availability.

As a new mover, known as a “recruit,” you’ll have to take the jobs that Bellhop offers. Once you’ve been with the app for a couple of weeks and have a few moves under your belt, it will graduate you up to “pro” status, at which point you’ll be able to review jobs and accept or reject them.

What the actual work is like

When you take a job, you’ll be expected to provide your own transportation to the customer’s house. You can’t ride in the moving truck.

When you arrive, you’ll meet your team of fellow movers, as well as your “captain” or “lead” (aka your supervisor) and work together to complete the job. You’ll load the customer’s items—many of which may be quite heavy—onto a truck that Bellhop will provide.

Then, you’ll drive to the destination (providing your own transportation on this leg as well) and unload the truck.

During the whole process, you’ll be expected to wear either a Bellhop-branded shirt and set of gloves (which the company may send you after your first few moves) or a plain black t-shirt. 1

Working as a Bellhop driver

If lifting and hauling heavy objects isn’t your thing, you can be a driver for Bellhop instead. This isn’t as labor-intensive as moving, but it does require special licensing and insurance, which we’ll describe in detail below.

You’ll also need to own or lease a truck of your own. In contrast to what some reviews claim, Bellhop won’t provide one for you.

What the actual work is like

You still get to set your own schedule in this role. You’ll get matched with jobs in your area and will show up to meet the moving team at the appointed time. While they work, you can relax and do whatever you want (e.g., read a book, use your smartphone, etc.).

When the movers are done loading your truck, you’ll make sure all the items are secure, drive to the final location, and relax again while the team unloads everything. 2

Bellhop claims that local, in-town moves “average less than 15 miles.” As mentioned, Bellhop also facilitates cross-state moving, but you don’t have to accept those jobs if you don’t want to.

Bellhop’s customer rating system

After each move, your customers will have the chance to rate you (out of 5 stars) in several categories, including “Job Skills,” “Effort,” “Communication,” and “Punctuality.”

If you maintain a solid overall rating, Bellhop may reward you by paying you more and advancing your rank with the company. If you stick with the gig, they may eventually promote you into a captain (team lead) role, although their site doesn’t provide a clear timeline on how long you can expect this to take. 3

Unlike many apps, Bellhop pays on an hourly basis instead of offering a set fee per gig.

On their site, they say that they pay “up to $21 per hour,” although that doesn’t mean they always match that rate. We’ve read anecdotal reports of Bellhop paying as little as $15 per hour. You can probably expect your pay to fall somewhere in that range.

Bellhop’s rates will depend on your location and role—in other words, whether you’re a new recruit, a standard team member, or the team captain. 4

Bonuses and promotions

In addition to your base pay, Bellhop sometimes also offers promotions that will boost your earnings, including:

• Claim bonuses: Certain high-priority jobs feature pay bumps to incentivize people to claim them.
• Travel pay: After the first 30 miles, travel pay kicks in for both movers and drivers. Oddly, mileage is calculated from the city center (not your house) to the customer’s first location and then from the second location back to the city center.
• Referral bonus: Bellhop will give you a cash bonus for each person you refer who becomes a mover. They don’t disclose on their site how large this bonus will be. You’ll get your payout when your referral completes their third job.
• Tips: Customers can tip you through the app or give you cash. If they do, you get to keep 100% of what they give you. Bellhop won’t take a cut.

Expenses associated with working for Bellhop

As a gig worker for Bellhop, you’ll have to spend money to make money. You’ll have several major expenses, including fuel (to drive to your customers) and vehicle maintenance.

Most significantly, you’ll be responsible for your own taxes. Legally speaking, gig workers are classed as independent contractors, not employees, so you’ll need to calculate and pay these yourself; Bellhop won’t withhold your taxes for you.

Your tax burden will depend on several factors, including how much you make per month, but as a very rough estimate, plan on setting at least 15% of your earnings aside for this. You can tinker with this self-employment tax calculator to get a clearer picture.

Make sure to bear your expense ratio in mind when you evaluate Bellhop. It’s possible that you’ll initially be happy with your earnings, but find that when you look at the full picture, you’re making less than you would with an entry-level retail job. To put your earnings in context, look up the current minimum wage in your state and compare the two.

How you’ll get paid

Bellhop offers just one payment option—direct deposit into your checking account. You’ll get paid on a weekly basis, every Friday.

Working for Bellhop doesn’t require special skills, but it’s not for everyone. They have several requirements that you’ll have to meet, with the specifics depending on whether you want to work as a mover or driver:

Bellhop’s requirements for movers

To work as a mover, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Own a smartphone with a data plan
• Have reliable transportation (moving locations can be 30 miles away or more)
• Be able to repeatedly lift 100+ pounds
• Be able to work in shifts of 2–8 hours, starting at 8 AM or 2 PM

Bellhop states that movers should be willing to work on weekends (the busiest period on their platform), although weekday shifts are sometimes available. They also say that movers must “maintain a friendly, courteous, and cooperative attitude at all times.” 5

Bellhop’s requirements for drivers

To be a Bellhop driver, you’ll need to meet most of the requirements above (although you won’t actually have to lift heavy packages yourself, so theoretically that requirement is irrelevant).

Additionally, you must:

• Own or lease a 16-to-26-foot box truck
• Be registered with the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) and, if driving long-distance, have an MC number
• Have $1,000,000 in liability insurance
• Have $50,000 in cargo insurance

Moreover, you’ll need a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), although that’s a legal requirement to operate the truck and not one of Bellhop’s own criteria.

Bellhop’s background check and interview

For either position, you’ll have to pass a background check, which Bellhop claims only takes a couple of days. You don’t have to do anything to facilitate this—you just have to consent and then wait for it to be completed. You’ll probably pass unless you have serious black marks on your record, such as a felony conviction.

Bellhop also claims that you’ll need to go through an “interview,” which is somewhat misleading. You won’t have to actually talk with anybody. Instead, Bellhop will send you several training videos to watch; you’ll then take a short quiz on them and will record a one-minute video explaining why you’re a good fit for the job, which you’ll upload online.

Where can you work for Bellhop?

Bellhop currently operates in 25 states, as well as in Washington, DC. You can view the cities Bellhop is active in on their website.

Their site isn’t clear about whether that list is exhaustive or not, so if you don’t see your city, it might still be worth trying to sign up—that’s the only way to know for sure whether they’re accepting movers near you.

You can sign up to work for Bellhop on their website.

• To apply to be a mover: Head to the “Being a Bellhop” page on their site and click “Get started.” Fill out the application and wait to hear back.
• To apply to be a driver: Go to Bellhop’s “Become a Driver” page. Scroll down to the “Drive with us” form and fill it out. You can also call the company at the number listed on that page to speak directly to someone about becoming a driver.

Once you’re approved, you’ll be directed to download the Bellhop Pros app. You can install it using the appropriate button below.

Where to download Bellhop

App Store Google Play

When you set up your profile, make sure to have the following documents and information on hand:

• Driver’s license
• Social Security number
• Bank account information for direct deposit

At some point after signing up, you may be contacted over the phone by a manager, who will answer any questions you have, walk you through Bellhop’s policies and dress code, and help you get started with your first couple moves.

On paper, Bellhop is a decent enough option if you’re looking for work as a mover. Their rates are comparable to what you’ll find at many professional moving companies.

The downside is that as a Bellhop gig worker (in contrast to a traditional employee), you’ll be responsible for your own expenses, so your effective pay will be a bit below what you could earn elsewhere. That said, Bellhop arguably makes up for this by offering more flexibility than most jobs—you’re free to set your own hours and you only have to work as much as you want.

What do actual gig workers say about Bellhop?

To give you a clearer idea of what this app is like, we’ve collected several accounts from employment websites like Glassdoor and Indeed. They reveal more about what it’s actually like to work for Bellhop and whether or not it’s worth it.

Case A: Bellhop is a decent source of work, although it depends on who you’re paired with

One former mover on Indeed gives Bellhop a mixed review. They note that they enjoyed the “physicality of the work” and that with tips, your hourly pay may be as high as $30, although they believe Bellhop’s pre-tip base pay is too low.

Their biggest complaint—which we’ve seen echoed in other places—is that you’re reliant on your fellow movers to do a good job, and you have no say in who you’ll be paired with.

The reviewer complains that they were sometimes placed on teams with people who “either did not want to do the work or were unable to for whatever reason,” causing jobs to run long.

This is a theme on gig apps like Bellhop: whether you have a good experience on any job can come down to chance. Again, once you pass your training period, you’ll be free to reject jobs that don’t seem worth it, but most of the time, you’ll still be going in blind, with no idea whether your team captain and coworkers are motivated and competent or not.

Case B: Bellhop has too many bad gigs to be worth it

Another reviewer on Indeed (a former captain) has similar complaints about Bellhop. However, they’re much more negative toward the app.

In their words, “long jobs that ran way over the estimated time” and “inexperienced coworkers who tanked our chances for tips” eventually led them to quit using Bellhop. They note that they occasionally had positive experiences with the app and appreciated that the job was “always a good workout,” but that ultimately, the pay was just too low to justify the hassle and unpredictability, and that the company’s management failed to substantively address their complaints.

Case C: Bellhop underpays its workers and has poor customer support

A third reviewer has a very low opinion of Bellhop. They claim that the app pays poor rates and make several serious allegations, including:

• Bellhop’s captains sometimes pressure workers to lift excessively heavy loads (300+ lb)
• The app is “always having issues with payouts,” meaning you might not get paid on time
• It’s hard to get in touch with customer support to rectify issues when they do crop up

It’s important to note that these claims are unconfirmed—Indeed and Glassdoor reviews are anonymous, and the sites often attract people with an axe to grind, so you should take the reviews we’ve linked with a grain of salt. That said, they’re worth bearing in mind if you decide to give Bellhop a try.

The overall consensus seems to be that the app has its good points, but the rates are lower than they should be, and how smoothly jobs go is highly dependent on luck (i.e., on who gets placed on your team). Working for Bellhop as a mover isn’t the worst side hustle in the world, but it’s far from idyllic.

If you’re interested in a flexible job that will help keep you in shape, it may be worth giving Bellhop a try, but pay attention to your bottom line (and to how the company is treating you) to make sure it’s worth it.