Quarantine in Hotel only required for Red List arrivals.

Day 5 test - another £100 - Rip Off Britain!

I cannot agree with this more, and it really highlights how much of a bloody scam it is. A PCR test is a PCR test, period. There aren't any special travel versions yet these companies administering the Day 2/8 testing are making an absolute fortune working on the quarantine basis only.

As it stands you cannot use your Day 2/8 test results for travel (say you came home for the weekend only, for example). There are thousands of bad reviews for each Day 2/8 test providers and the cost varies wildly (from approx £170 to over £300), yet many of them are failing to provide the test kits or get the results back on time. My own Day 8 test kit was 2 days late which is annoying since you're considered 'released' as soon as you have your Day 8 results back!

Of course you can always spend another £150 odd on a Day 5 for early release....noting that you STILL have to pay/submit a Day 8 sample. The entire thing absolutely stinks and I really feel that the Government should have some fixed pricing / service framework in place. Obviously the complete scheme is geared towards reducing travel but if they're happy to spend millions per week on LFT kits for everyone and surge testing, I really feel the travel tests could/should be cheaper.

While I agree it's stupid that the Day 2,5 or 8 test cannot be used to fly, I was pleasantly surprised with testing costs.

I paid £250 for a 3-PCR test package (Day 2+8 and the day 5 early release). Compared to 150chuffs per PCR test in Switzerland, that's substantially cheaper...

What I've done is booked my fit to fly test, but I will try travelling with my day 5 PCR test first... let's see if that works. If not, I'll have the fit to fly one handy... Will report back...

Do you have to download the covid tracing app for UK?

Prices are coming down. The 5th day Test to Release with Halo was £89 and the day 2+8 tests were £130 i think. Still a lot but needs must. There are cheaper versions of the 2+8 tests on the Gov list of providers but they were fully booked.

My partner still hasn’t been contacted by Track & Trace, but quite a few people i know have actually had doorstep checks in the past month.

No, and you’re under no obligation to download it for restaurants etc. Leaving your name and number is perfectly acceptable.

Arrived at LHR from ZRH on Thursday 23rd, 3 and half hours to get through immigration!

Did Day 2 at Clinic in Bath Friday morning and was called by Track and Trace on Friday afternoon. Was told by them that I may be visited at my address but to be careful of scammers. Legally they are only allowed to check you are there, they do not have a right to ask to see ID or come in. Apparently some people have had photos taken of their passport.

My first time through this process, will do test and release on Day5. I am flying out on Day10 back to ZRH. Has anyone tried to use Day8 result to return to Switzerland? Does it count as the PCR requirement in CH?

No. Read post #18 of this thread.

Do you now have to book at a clinic for the Day 2 and 8 tests? When I was in the UK in March, they were self-tests posted to the address where I was quarantining.

The dude took the picture of my passport...

As for the test - i'll let you know on Tuesday.

My guess is that the Day 8 test will be enough to enter Switzerland, but not enough to get through checkin at LHR... just a guess though.

Yes you do have to book but buy them and they get sent to your home. Some are fully booked i guess because of overdemand? The free NHS tests are not enough. My partner got a call today and they checked that they were not the free NHS tests. If you did not book the tests then how did you complete the passenger locator form? To have a complete form and have no problems at the airport then you need the codes from the day 2&8 tests, the NHS test codes are not compatible and will not be accepted when you submit the info online.

Day 2 & 8 info:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/provider...ional-arrivals

Passenger locator form:

https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-c...fore-travel-uk

Do you remember which provider you used for day 2 and 8 tests? Unless I’m missing something I see no option on Halo site for anything other than day 5 TTR

Halo is for day 5 test to release. The link below will take you to the company my partner is using. There is a cheaper company if you search the link I posted above but they were fully booked and couldn’t take anymore bookings at the time ( even though they are sent out in the post!)

https://www.assuredscreening.com/

Another day, another test, another update

Saturday: Day 5 Test-to-release test done (around noon).
Sunday: Fit-to fly test (10am) and the Day 5 test results arrived back (again, around noon - so took about 24 hours). Edit, just got my fit-to-fly results as well - that was MUCH faster, under 12 hours...

Tuesday will be my last test (the day8 test) - have it scheduled 2 hours before my flight, so I'll just head to Heathrow a bit early.

I was a bit early today, so looked around. The test site at Heathrow has 24 lanes, which means they can test 24 people at the same time. Capacity isn't bad if you consider a test takes about a minute or two...

I think the rules must have changed. When I travelled to the UK in March, I don't remember there being any choice of provider for the day 2 and 8 tests. There was a link to book a test from the page with the quarantine rules, which took me straight to the website of an organisation called CTM where I booked my self-test package (two NHS tests for £210, posted to my quarantine address). The same link now takes you to a page where you have to choose a provider, so they seem to have made it potentially cheaper, but also more complicated.

Edit: also I didn't fly, which may make a difference. Although I still needed a "fit to fly" test to leave the UK via the Channel Tunnel.

Last update from my side...

Tuesday: Went to my day 8 test (earlier than I thought), and then flew out a while later.

At Heathrow, checkin checked all my documents (departure form for UK, arrivals form for CH, COVID test). I gave them my day 5 COVID test email (from expresstest), and he was happy with it... He checked two things: the fact it's a PCR test, and that it's negative... only issue was that the date was just over the 72 hour limit... but he had no issue with me flying using the email from the day-5 release test. (I took it around noon, and was flying at 19:05)



I ended up showing him also my day 6-fit-to-fly test, and he was happy with the dates there. Obviously, your mileage may vary... and you may find someone a bit more anal.

No other COVID related checks were done. Security was same as usual, boarding was using the automated turnstiles.

On board the cabin crew reminded people that if you didn't fill out the Swiss contact tracing and had a QR code, you needed to fill a paper-based one in on board.

Upon landing, no checks of COVID tests/certs were done. I went through the electronic passport gates and that was that. No other checks.

So, expenses aside, the situation is fairly normal...

Just a heads up for people who fly KLM to Birmingham from Zurich (transit through Amsterdam) - Although Antigen test is accepted to enter UK, you must have a negative PCR test result within the last 24 hrs before departure OR a negative PCR results within the last 72 hrs + Negative antigen within last 24 hrs to board the flight to Amsterdam.

The quickest you can have the PCR results is near the check in 2 at Zurich Airport, within 5 hrs if you give the sample before 17.00 and costs CHF 150.- (if samples are given after 17.00 the results come next day at noon).

Hope this is useful for someone!

Having just completed a trip to UK and returned LHR to ZRH. There is a lot of confusion.

Where does it state "Fit to Fly" required, this looks completely made up to get people to do more tests. The only requirement I can find is a Negative PCR. Because of poor advice and urgency I did 2 tests on Day8, the required NHS and a PCR to travel. Both have identical information from what I can see. Nowhere states Fit to Fly or Travel compliance and was easily accepted at LHR.

A friend has been told by the clinic he is doing his Day8 test that it can be used for travel but needs to have Passport and possibly flight number

Some of these test centres are seeing a way to make money notnecessarily to provide a service.

Very interesting. Which test provider did you use and was the day8 and fit to fly certificate identical

I think you might be right Rus.

Rip Off Britain strikes again!