 Poster: A snowHead
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Our girl and her man are flying to the U.K. from Canada, via the USA. If everything goes to plan we will all be skiing in Italy at Christmas. Given how cautious Canada was being with their border control, this seemed like the safest bet when we initially makes the plans over a year ago.
She is flying out of Vancouver next week, but doesn’t live there. Has made initial enquiries to price up the fit to fly PCR tests required and has found them available at Vancouver airport, but they are $350pp. She was told they are more expensive because of the 24hr turnaround for results, rather than the more usual 72hr turnaround.
Does anyone know anywhere in Vancouver where the 24hr tests can be purchased for a less extortionate price?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You need only a lateral flow test to get to the UK, and you don't need it that quickly. My bold:
"From 4am, Tuesday 7 December all people aged 12 years and over must take a PCR or LFD COVID-19 test before they travel to England from abroad."
And also:
"From 4am 7 December, you can take the test any time in the 2 days before the service on which you will arrive in England departs."
You have extra logistics if you're going via the USA, but the UK doesn't care.
Obviously check directly, and keep checking.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@philwig, yeah, it is the layover in the USA that is requiring the 24hr PCR.
This test will double up for entry into U.K.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Would it be cheaper to reroute her flight so she doesn’t go through US?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@abc, I’m pretty sure she has looked into that.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just to recap.
They didn’t find cheaper deal than $350pp to fly via the states.
Her man’s passport was out of date so applied for a new one. Due to arrive end of November. Still never arrived, so a through the night drive from Kamloops to Vancouver, with diversions from the weather, and $400 for an express passport in Vancouver today.
Not the cheapest of starts. Just lookin fwd to seein her for the first time in a couple of yrs. It won’t be the stupid deep Sunshine Christmas powder from two years ago that we spent all day laughing at, but it will (oh so hopefully) be Italian scran in the dolomites.
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I've been trying to figure out tests for my sister to fly from Newark - LFT's are very thin on the ground. PCR's are taking 72 hours to come back so we think we're stuck with $250 for a rapid PCR. It's much harder to find test suppliers than in England. The travel test industry hasn't really developed - the testing is focused on medical settings it seems to us - not geared up to support travel. I saw $250 for an antigen test that would cost £20 in the UK!
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@lynnecha, the prices the other side of the pond are eye watering
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Ps. Sorry to read you had to cancel your plans.
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| dode wrote: |
| @lynnecha, the prices the other side of the pond are eye watering |
They're eye wateringly expensive because they're fleecing you foreigners!
We locals get test done for free (there's a law prohibiting charges to residents). It's not always easy to find testing slots. But once booked, there's no concern for cost.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| abc wrote: |
| dode wrote: |
| @lynnecha, the prices the other side of the pond are eye watering |
They're eye wateringly expensive because they're fleecing you foreigners!
We locals get test done for free (there's a law prohibiting charges to residents). It's not always easy to find testing slots. But once booked, there's no concern for cost. |
My sister is American and can get a free test. They just can't guarantee the turnaround time to suit the UK 'within 2 days' - most test places are working on 72 hours rather than 48. All of her local places have run out of rapid Antigen tests (lateral flow 15 minute result). At one point it looked like her trip may even be off, but we think we found somewhere at Newark Airport that will do a quick PCR test for $250.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| dode wrote: |
| Ps. Sorry to read you had to cancel your plans. |
Thanks. We are lucky in that we can hopefully go to France for a few weeks but we are so missing Canada! Better luck next yer, eh?
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Same story here. StepD is a permanent resident of Canada and her man is a Canadian citizen. It is the 24hr turnaround test required by the USA for their layover there on route to the UK that is costing them dearly. Nothing to do with fleecing foreigners at all.
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You know it makes sense.
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| lynnecha wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
| dode wrote: |
| @lynnecha, the prices the other side of the pond are eye watering |
They're eye wateringly expensive because they're fleecing you foreigners!
We locals get test done for free (there's a law prohibiting charges to residents). It's not always easy to find testing slots. But once booked, there's no concern for cost. |
My sister is American and can get a free test. They just can't guarantee the turnaround time to suit the UK 'within 2 days' - most test places are working on 72 hours rather than 48. All of her local places have run out of rapid Antigen tests (lateral flow 15 minute result). At one point it looked like her trip may even be off, but we think we found somewhere at Newark Airport that will do a quick PCR test for $250. |
Really? Does she live in a cave? (or Idaho?)
I’ve been getting pretty consistent ~36 hour turn around at various CVS pharmacies across the country. Walgreen is way faster, less than an hour! Though getting a slot there, especially last minute, is pretty impossible.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| abc wrote: |
| lynnecha wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
| dode wrote: |
| @lynnecha, the prices the other side of the pond are eye watering |
They're eye wateringly expensive because they're fleecing you foreigners!
We locals get test done for free (there's a law prohibiting charges to residents). It's not always easy to find testing slots. But once booked, there's no concern for cost. |
My sister is American and can get a free test. They just can't guarantee the turnaround time to suit the UK 'within 2 days' - most test places are working on 72 hours rather than 48. All of her local places have run out of rapid Antigen tests (lateral flow 15 minute result). At one point it looked like her trip may even be off, but we think we found somewhere at Newark Airport that will do a quick PCR test for $250. |
Really? Does she live in a cave? (or Idaho?)
I’ve been getting pretty consistent ~36 hour turn around at various CVS pharmacies across the country. Walgreen is way faster, less than an hour! Though getting a slot there, especially last minute, is pretty impossible. |
I laughed at the first comment - no she lives in New Jersey. Thanks for the steer about Walgreens. I've passed it on to her. I know CVS are sold out as that is her local. Fingers crossed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| lynnecha wrote: |
| I know CVS are sold out as that is her local. Fingers crossed. |
If it's the choice between $200+ and a free test, she'd be wise to look into CVS in locations other than her "local".
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@dode, Make sure their Day2 test is also booked for UK arrival.
What airport you using for the Italy trip (Inv or further south?). Id be interested in your experience with a test place in Moray/Nairn
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@GlasgowCyclops, Yep. She has the tests waiting for them at a pal's place in London.
The 24hr turnaround test in Vancouver didn't exactly go to plan. It took longer than the 24hrs, cue lots of shouting down the phone, and only came through just before their check-in for the flight to the US closed.
They get up to us, by train from London, on Wednesday. Then we fly out of Edinburgh on Monday. We are heading to Edinburgh on Saturday to show her man a bit of the capital as he has never been to the UK before. My wife is going to book us in for 'in person' tests at the airport on the Saturday for just after we arrive as she thinks that will be the least hassle due to us not being at home.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@dode, If you were flying out of Glasgow I would recommend express test at Snowfactor. But I also see they have a place at Edinburgh airport as well.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks, will look into that.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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For the pre-departure tests before returning to the UK, the UK currently seems to accept unsupervised lateral flow tests (although not the NHS lateral flow tests).
Providers in the UK seem to be charging around £20 for these - MoneySavingsExpert.com have page with various providers and options.
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