So I’m a big fan of the travel site The Points Guy. I’ll even say I’m hipster enough “to have read him before he was mainstream” 😉 . And I have been fortunate to pass my love for the helpfulness of that website to my Mom along with my travel hacking knowledge.
Well, just like with travel hacking, the student quickly surpassed the teacher and my Mom reads every TPG newsletter that comes out, which has given us invaluable information about the changing travel landscape during this pandemic.
Now, this isn’t a whole post about me fangirling TPG – it’s actually a post about something else that the website’s newsletter taught me as a result of my Mom’s vigilance. From this site we learned about a much less stressful way for people to meet entry testing requirements. Hilariously (for the timing of this post) this past Sunday the US actually dropped their testing requirements. However, several countries still have them so I thought this might still be useful to chat about. So let’s get into it!
The Product
As you may have guessed, it’s the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag At-Home Test Kit and I say that full long name for a reason 🙂 . This is unfortunately not the BinaxNOW at-home test that’s sold at your local pharmacy. This one looks a little different (like the below), is only available for sale online, and provides you with medically verified test results that you can use to enter a country that requires testing.
Think we have enough covid tests? pic.twitter.com/tcFsrpgat3
— A Purple Life (@APurpleLifeBlog) February 8, 2022
Taking off for our trips to Thailand and México, I was worried about finding a testing site that could quickly provide covid test results in another country so that I could present them to fly back home. The US government used to require that you have a test done 1 day before you take off.
So for example if your flight is at 9pm on May 2nd, any test taken on May 1st will do. I originally thought this requirement was for 24 hours, which is not the case and was causing all kinds of problems since flights to Asia usually depart late at night 🙂 .
Anyway, in case it can help anyone else, I want to tell y’all about my experience using these tests. I used them twice myself (4 times between me and my partner), to get back into the US without issue.
The Purchase
So we learned about this testing option from this TPG article, which very helpful shows how to purchase these tests from two possible online stores. One is called Optum and it sells the test in packs of 1, 2 or 3. However, if you’re an avid traveler, the 6 pack from eMed might be more your speed. It was ours and that’s what we bought.
The TPG article mentioned traveling with 2 tests per person just in case one had something happen to it and everyone would have a backup. I was traveling to Thailand and Mexico with my mom and partner so this was perfect for us.
A pack of 6 from eMed costs $150, so $25 per test, which is a little less than what I paid for a test for at my local pharmacy in the states. For comparison, the Optum 1 pack costs $50 so you’re getting some savings from buying in bulk. However, note that these tests do expire so don’t just go stock up to the ceiling 🙂 . We bought ours in January 2022 and they will be expiring in December 2022.
We went through checkout and discovered that the only delivery option was FedEx Next Day for an extra $30, which was a little annoying, but whatever. So the tests including shipping became $30 per test – still cheaper than buying them individually, but not ideal that they don’t provide a free option for more delivery time, but whatever. The order was in and the tests quickly arrived. They were then packed in our luggage for overseas adventures.
The Test Experience
One of the things TPG mentioned about this product a year ago, is that they’ve encountered long wait times when trying to get a professional on the line when using this test. Well, it seems that Abbott heard that feedback and has hired more people because we never had any type of wait while using these tests.
For example, the first time I used this test it was 4pm ET on a Wednesday. I brought out my test kit that they tell you in BRIGHT RED boxes not to open. I then followed the instructions on the outside of the box and went to the eMed.com website on my desktop and clicked “Start test.”
They had me create an account with them and then I was off! I was immediately connected to someone who walked me through the testing process. I had to have my video camera on and my audio working properly and once we confirmed that, we were off!
They were reading off a script and asked me to show them my test kit by tilting the screen to the table it’s sitting on and then to show them the QR code on the box and finally my ID. Heads up: Include your middle name when you create your account if that’s important for your paperwork. I didn’t and the speaker said I could end the call if I wanted to change it and that if I didn’t change it, my results won’t have my middle name. Luckily that wasn’t an issue for me so we continued.
They then direct you to prep the test with and then watch you do the test while helpful diagrams play on your computer screen (you never see the other person, they can just see you). The speaker then says goodbye and that the test will be ready in 15 minutes and someone else will be on to confirm the results with you. They understandably ask you not to touch the test as it processes.
15 minutes went by as my computer camera stayed on and I went about my business. I came back and settled in about a minute before the test alarm was set to go off (there’s a countdown on your screen the whole time). As soon as my timer was up, a professional hopped on the line.
They told me to hold up the test so they could check the results, confirmed they were negative, and told me I would receive the documents to prove so, which I did immediately. They sent me an email with a password protected attachment of my results and they were also available on the NAVICA app. Easy!
Entering the US
I opened the password protected document on my phone and uploaded that to the United Airlines app for pre-approval to check in thinking that doing so removed the password protection, but it did not (so secure!) Since the airline couldn’t read the document, it was rejected as a pre-check in step and I got an email to try again.
I then took a screenshot of the opened document and sent that in and it was accepted. Phew! I had already entered my passport details and was then given my digital boarding pass. When I got to the airport in Mérida, México, I walked right to my gate, went through passport control, security and immigration without issue. They only checked my boarding pass and passport, no additional documents were requested. Sweet!
Conclusion
So if you’re looking for an easy way to meet testing requirements for entry, I highly recommend this test kit. I’ve had nothing but a seamless time using them and it’s definitely taken away a lot of stress. I didn’t need to scramble to find a testing facility in another country or worry that the results would be delayed for some reason and I would miss my flight – I just roll up to a new country with my test already in my luggage and know I can get home when the time comes. I hope this helps in case you’re thinking about traveling soon. Bon voyage!
Have you learned about a new product lately that makes life easier?
I second these. Used them for a trip home from Europe. Super easy. No wait for me at all
Woohoo! I’m glad that experience has been universal.
Very cool. I took the ATK test in Thailand before I came back. It cost around $30. A home kit would be a lot more convenient.
But the great news is we don’t need to take a covid test before entering the US anymore. Yay!
We’re going to Thailand and Maldives soon. It looks like we won’t have to take any covid tests this trip. Assuming no symptoms, of course.
Travel is starting to look a lot more normal.
Yeah they’re really convenient. Safe travels!
I was planning to do my own post on these tests from our experience leaving Spain and Iceland, but with the requirement dropped (at least for now), I decided not to.
We also got the 6 tests from Emed. And for some strange reason we never got charged for them. They sent an email saying :”hey we didn’t charge you, so please call us to fix the issue.” Being the honest citizen I called, but the agent said that since we received the tests already, we didn’t need to pay. Not sure I follow that logic, but ultimately we never got charged for the tests (which we purchased back in January).
I haven’t found any good evidence if the tests work going into another country. So not sure if I would try to use them to go elsewhere. I was planning to use them to go to Puerto Rico in February (since it is part of the U.S.) but they dropped the testing requirement just before we traveled there.
When we left Spain we didn’t have to show our test results (just submitted to app). But when we left Iceland, they had additional security checks at the gate and we had to show the test result again. We didn’t have one of the results on our phone so we had to lug out our laptop to pull it up in the email. Annoying, but lesson learned if we ever have to do it again.
I won’t miss traveling with 4 boxes each trip for the two of us — they take up way too much bag space!
That might have been the smarter move haha. And wow that’s so weird about the lack of charges. Great to know about having the results on your phone though. And yeah – my Mom had a suitcase just full of these lol.