Lowest cost Day 2 test

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Hi can anyone help with the lowest cost day 2 test following return to UK from France (Amber country).

I've found Randox at £43 with discount code but wasn't sure if there was anything cheaper. A lot on the gov website look like they're going to be £20 but are actually around £80.

Don't care about service or reputation as just need the code to sort the passenger location form.

What a farce this all is by the way!!

Thanks @ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff it wasn’t that clear. Right, I’m relieved that’s sorted and I have all the codes. Now just need to get on that flight!

I never used mine the last time. I'm going to whack the same ref number in and see if it works. If it doesn't it doesn't, and if it does, happy days.

Hmm. Could be a market in selling numbers.

Yes and couldn’t people share codes? Anyway, I’m being naughty but clearly massive loopholes in this shitty system! Play them for all you can!

@Delatron

Yes and couldn’t people share codes? Anyway, I’m being naughty but clearly massive loopholes in this shitty system! Play them for all you can!

My thoughts exactly!

And who actually checks them?

When I flew into Leeds the guy just half assed asked me 'and have you booked your day 2 test'. I was all enthusiastic and said 'yes the code is right there on the form'. I can't remember getting a QR code but I must've.

Oh no, really? They are recommended for Tui so I thought they'd be okay :-(

We have boxes and boxes of the NHS tests my children got given at school but of course, the government website makes clear that we CAN’T use these tests hmm Of course you can’t - if everyone did that then no one would be making any money. It’s an absolute scandal - these companies are quite literally profiteering. It’s not about testing to see who’s sick (because who is checking who is even taking the tests?) it’s about making money pure and simple and I have no doubt that in years to come all these funds will be traced back to Boris Johnson and his cronies.

I share your cynicism but I also think it’s about making it hard / expensive to travel to deter people. They can’t really afford to close down travel fully as they’d have to compensate the travel industry and also there’s a lot of influential lobbyists. So instead they are making it harder and costlier to curb the numbers. And some people are clearly reaping the rewards.
If it was really about the sequencing etc then surely a lot more would be sequenced.
Best get back to reading my Daily Mail now…

Seems like prices have been cut
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58206517

I don’t agree with its expensive now (as of now) to travel back. If fully vaccinated you can get £28 for the antigen test + 40 for the pcr. That’s £60. A family of 4 can’t really afford £240 I don’t think it’s that expensive to add up to the holiday. Another thing was when we had to take the 3 tests and each one was £100-150
, then it was expensive. You just have to shop
Around and compare prices to find the cheap options

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said UK holidaymakers would benefit from cheaper tests, as the NHS test and trace package for international arrivals will be reduced from £88 to £68 for green or fully vaccinated amber arrivals, and from £170 to £136 for two tests for amber arrivals who are not fully vaccinated.

It’s still more expensive than some of the prices we’ve seen here. However , was anyone aware of the nhs t&t package for international travel ?

[quote EasterIssland]Simon Calder has shared a question regarding day 2 tests and there are several replies
twitter.com/Toryscott/status/1426108705582555140

expert medical I can see is the cheapest , £28 anyone used it here?
www.expert-medicals.co.uk/products/fully-vaccinated-amber-arrivals-day-2-test-kit-home-kit[/quote]
Looking at Google reviews this day 2 test for £28 appears to be a scam with a 1.4 star rating on Google.

Nationwide pathology are the cheapest at £40 followed by the Easyjet and BA partners at £43.

£40 + £28 is more than £60 😉 and then you also have to add outbound testing for most countries too. Plus there’s the added timing requirements which force you to use a more expensive option if you want half a chance of a decent worry free service.
Someone’s definitely got their hand in the cookie jar.

@Hillfly

I share your cynicism but I also think it’s about making it hard / expensive to travel to deter people. They can’t really afford to close down travel fully as they’d have to compensate the travel industry and also there’s a lot of influential lobbyists. So instead they are making it harder and costlier to curb the numbers. And some people are clearly reaping the rewards. If it was really about the sequencing etc then surely a lot more would be sequenced. Best get back to reading my Daily Mail now…

I absolutely agree with this. Plus the ludicrous stories floating around about 6 hour queues to get back into UK.

I flew back into Gatwick last month and no one checked a thing. If I hadn't have had to wait 15 mins for luggage, I'd have been out and in my car within 15 minutes of disembarking- quickest ever....

@Hillfly

£40 + £28 is more than £60 😉 and then you also have to add outbound testing for most countries too. Plus there’s the added timing requirements which force you to use a more expensive option if you want half a chance of a decent worry free service. Someone’s definitely got their hand in the cookie jar.

sorry for my quick maths 68 , 68 x 4 = 272.

• 60 for outbound (I expect parents to be vaccinated) so 332.

I still think if you shop around then it's something a family can afford if they're spending 1-1.5k-2k on a holiday abroad.

I also flew back a few weeks ago and waltzed straight through a deserted Gatwick. However its because the checking of documents is done at the departure location for the arrival destination.
Hence to get on plane to Greece it was Gatwick ground staff who checked our vaccine certificates and our Greek plf.
Once at Greek airport they barely looked at plf and didn't need to see our vaccine certificates.
Coming back huge queue and delay as Greek ground staff were slowly checking everyone's UK plf, their fit to fly lft certificate and their vaccination certificate.
You don't get on the plane without these so your destination country know if you actually arrive your documents are in order.
So that is why no one is checking again in UK airports

"Plus the ludicrous stories floating around about 6 hour queues to get back into UK."

They're not allowed to check anymore the data when landing, the airline does it .
The latest problems in Heathrow was due to egate being broken I can see which is something punctual.

I flew into Gatwick two weeks ago and it was a speedy process.

@EasterIssland - sorry I wasn't meaning to be pedantic about the maths but for us that is £8 is times 5 people. Also out bound costs is times 3 people as we have 3 kids - so we are looking at over £500 in testing costs. As you can imagine holidays for 5 is already quite a bit more than £1.5 to £2k so it does add up significantly for the larger family.

It's an absolute joke. We had to go into a main town in Spain/Balearic to get PCR as they were advised coming back from any of the islands and Spain so we thought we would do the right thing as the hotel only did cheaper antigen tests. I was worrying all night got the negative result next morning and just had to show it to the check in in Spain. We ordered NWP at its cheapest £40 (for all 4 of us )after I had got the negative results for me and DH. Noone checked in Gatwick at all for our negative tests or PFLs. dH seems to think it's all linked to our passports but I don't think so. Gatwick didn't even ask for our covid double vacc status ...

@Beebopawhop didn’t the airline ask you for proof ? Wouldn’t let me check in without sending the proof of the documents

I've now gone with the expert medical PCRs mentioned above. They aren't £28 though as have to pay £8 postage and packaging, so they come in at £36. Still the cheapest I've found. Ordered 5 for me, dh and 3 dc. £180 all in. Still expensive but I can't find anything cheaper.

@Catatemyhomework

I've now gone with the expert medical PCRs mentioned above. They aren't £28 though as have to pay £8 postage and packaging, so they come in at £36. Still the cheapest I've found. Ordered 5 for me, dh and 3 dc. £180 all in. Still expensive but I can't find anything cheaper.

Let us know how it goes ! Hope it is a good service !

It’s such an embarrassing joke. I’ve just looked at what I need to go both ways (France on shuttle so not even going to be in the same room as another human as not leaving our car.)

To get into the UK my ds and the two of us need a day 2 + the adults also need a “fit to fly” antigen despite not flying….

To get back to France, nothing. As we’re vaccinated and kids are minors.

The UK won’t publish its reasonings and the guardian this morning was reporting that the travel tests were not even being sent off for sequencing. We are not even going to be there on day two but we still have to buy them. I’m glad the press seems to have started picking up on this now people are holidaying as us expats have been facing this for months.

Hmm @Catatemyhomework I wonder if I could get away with sling then not to post them and not paying p&p as I’ll be out of the uk by day 2 and just need the code for the form…