Thread by @allthecitizens

Hoping to catch some Summer Sun? Good luck with that. Many restrictions on international travel apply. But if you're determined, @allthecitizens has compared the test prices and availability from the government’s list of Covid-19 test suppliers so you don’t have to...

Unsurprisingly, we found that confusion reigns.

Prices on the gov list of private test suppliers vary wildly. Location, type of test / service provided and other factors mean tests and packages range from £7.49 all the way up to as much as £850
gov.uk/government/pub…

In the UK, free NHS testing is available for those with symptoms. But for those leaving or returning from abroad, you will need to book tests at your own expense through private suppliers. And it seems that some people are going to be making loads of money from this requirement.

Steep price differences can be found between private providers, with even money saving websites citing that test prices vary by as much as three times price increases depending on which company you choose when going abroad.
thisismoney.co.uk/money/holidays…

Of the cheapest suppliers, our research shows these are often on-site budget prices for self-swab kits, either day 2 (green list) or day 2 & 8 (amber list) countries, but availability of appointments varies. Also, some companies didn’t respond to calls or Emails sent.

Self-swab on-site for the cheapest 10 companies is listed as between £7.49-£19, with the real costs of on-site testing, both supervised and unsupervised, ranging from £7.49 (as stated) to £29.

These companies are generally based in the North of England, or are online.

More common, and often more widely available and convenient, are home-test kits for day 2 and day 2 & 8, and a number of other packages including; day 2, day 2 & 8, day 5 release, fit to fly, or various combinations of all of the above.

So the cheapest tests, as listed on the government website, aren’t necessarily the cheapest on offer…

When we looked into buying these kits some suppliers started as low as £28. But the price can go much higher...

When looking at the top 10 most expensive companies, the prices for basic day 2 and day 2 & 8 tests jumped significantly. This is despite them often using the same suppliers.

The price for on-site testing really makes the price rocket. This is for a number of reasons. Often these companies employ staff to come and administer home test kits, or sell themselves as private pharmacies offering bespoke services including genome sequencing and courier costs

9/10 of the most expensive tests of this nature offered by companies are London-based, the other is in the Home Counties.

So what’s the best bet? A dirt cheap test that is sold out or a massively expensive test in London? Well, looking at the middle of the list, it seems £99 or thereabouts is the norm, often from large high-street private suppliers like Boots and Bupa.

3 suppliers offering this test are London-based, 4 aren’t, and 3 supply nationally.

These prices as expected more accurately reflect the average most travellers will end up paying for international travel.

With more companies added to the list daily, prices are being driven down, partly because of backlash to the wildly inconsistent prices. But a family of 4 flying to Amber countries could still end up paying around £800 for four day 2 & 8 tests and pre-flight swabs.

Lack of regulation has helped create the disparate prices, and it doesn’t help that the Government itself says it “does not endorse, recommend or approve any private test provider. Individuals and employers should conduct their own research about available providers”

Recent data from ABTA shows UK testing for international travel was double the cost of other European countries. This may change, with ministers likely to announce a stop to mandatory test and quarantining when returning from Amber countries on July 19th.
theguardian.com/world/2021/jul…

So, the only answer to - what test to use, is that if it looks too cheap to be true, it probably is. And avoid Harley Street testers. Because even though some flights are cheap at the moment, the added costs of swabs and PCR tests can make you start wishing you’d stayed at home