Cheapest "Fit to Fly" PCR testing (e.g. to cover Portugal entry requirement)

jd87

I think it would be good to have a thread tracking people's experiences of booking a PCR test, specifically "fit to fly" pre-departure tests to be allowed to fly to another country (e.g. Portgual). This is NOT about tests for your return to the UK (e.g day 2, 5 and 8 tests) which have different requirements.

Fit to fly tests are particularly stressful for people to book, because the results need to reliably come back in time for your flight.

Note that there are "green list packages" available from some providers too which cover this test as well as test(s) after your trip, but so far I have not found any make a saving.

These are the cheapest standalone fit to fly tests I'm aware of right now:

Eurofins: £44.90

https://www.eurofins.co.uk/pcr-testing-kits/test-to-depart/

£40.41 if you use British Airways discount link (https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/incident/coronavirus/covid19-tests#departure)

Return by Royal Mail or drop off. Results within 24 hours of receipt.

Randox: £120 (but £60 with discount codes)

https://www.randoxhealth.com/covid-19-home-testing-kit/

Discount codes: easyJet2021, BritishAirways50

Return to drop off locations only

Please respond in comments with any experiences and any other deals you spot and I will add them to this post.

Nick212010

Must admit, I’m intrigued and will keep an eye on this thread. One of the major cautions (amongst many) I have about booking foreign travel in the near future is the risk of results not coming back in time for departure. 

In terms of the virus and its variants itself, I’m not worried in the slightest. It’s the financial impact an asymptomatic positive result would bring that forces me to abandon my trip that’s an concerned with. It took 13 months (late last week, in fact) for me to receive my refund from a cancelled April 2020 flight booked July 2019. Ts & Cs will no doubt have changed to put nearly all the risk onto the traveller, and I’ve no doubt there are very few and far between insurance policies that will pay out over a COVID issue.

Westin

I think the thread idea is good but as you can see even today two other threads have been started on this forum board with people giving views on their test experience. Perhaps your thread title is not leading enough?

michael1234

I think your thread is a good idea and personally I wish I'd known about the Eurofins further discount. Having been through the experience recently, a couple of comments on points you've made:

1/ I'm not sure I'd agree that the fit2fly is the most stressful. If your day 5 doesn't come back or is void in some way ("unclear") then you've got potentally nearly another week quarantining and if you didn't opt for the day 5 but your day 8 didn't come back you have to decide whether to purchase yet another test. I suppose in summary its all bloody stressful !

2/ For many countries a fit2fly is a pcr test. That means the days 2,5,8 and fit2fly are all the same test. The private companies that are making a lot of money out of this market them different and price them differently but they are all the same test.

3/ (you didn't bring this up but another point I'd like to raise) Why isn't a day 8 negative sufficient to release you from quarantine? A day 5 test is so why not a day 8?

jd87

One reason I wanted to keep day 2/5/8 testing out of this thread is because the requirements are different. Day 2 and 8 tests need to have a booking reference for your UK passenger locator form, and they need to include genetic sequencing of positive tests.

Some outbound "fit to fly" tests are cheaper because they don't cover these requirements, and it would be a lot to track in one thread.

onashoestring

michael1234 said:

Why isn't a day 8 negative sufficient to release you from quarantine? A day 5 test is so why not a day 8?

A day 8 negative result is sufficient to end your quarantine , on day 10 - I assume the reason Day 8 was chosen by Government as the day to take the test is because if you are posting your test back it will take until day 10 to get your results. 

lf93

We've purchased testing packages with Chronomics via Tui. We don't travel til June so can't comment (so would be good to hear some experiences), but they are very good value. Only downside is Fit to Fly tests need to be dropped off at selected Tui stores, the nearest one being 90 mins away. Hoping they add more stores as time goes on. 

[Deleted User]

I've used ExpressTest three times in recent months flying in from Ireland and needing a test to return.
Had the test on arrival at LHR and result ready for return flight late the next day.
Locations in many places including airports and always had the test back within 24 hours.
Super-efficient and decent people to deal with.
Highly recommended.
Fit to fly £80.

https://www.expresstest.co.uk/

michael1234

onashoestring said:

michael1234 said:

Why isn't a day 8 negative sufficient to release you from quarantine? A day 5 test is so why not a day 8?

A day 8 negative result is sufficient to end your quarantine , on day 10 - I assume the reason Day 8 was chosen by Government as the day to take the test is because if you are posting your test back it will take until day 10 to get your results. 

You need a day 8 test AND to wait until day 11. (Day 10 itself is the last day in quarantine)
If you pay for a day 5 test you could easily have the results in sometime on day 6 and even on day 5 if you live close to a suitable testing centre and pay a lot more for same day service.

Hence a day 8 negative is not sufficient to leave quarantine but a day 5 is which seems very odd to me.

Tiggifarfar.

I’ve booked to go to Portugal in 2 weeks, thinking the tests are ‘from £40’ ish but didn’t realise we needed 3 each, duh! Already ordered one wrong test and booked one at the airport thinking it was instant Results. @cheapholidayexpert on Instagram did a test run to Portugal, trying out the tests etc. 

From her experience, Randox were late on 2 occasions.
So far I’ve ordered our LF Return to UK tests from Qurad, they watch you do the test by video and verify the result by sending you a certificate by email as proof. 
Just need my Fit to Fly/departure tests now and Day 2 tests.