vernonc

Where did you do your PCR test ? London ? Which clinic and how much ? Please and thanks. Heading there this weekend and staying near Regent Park. Need a PCR test to return to Canada.

capedreamer

I used Eurofins (2nd time in London, once before in Amsterdam, and have always been satisfied with them), but there are lots of options available in London.

pythonisman

Data point- I got a Collinson Rapid PCR test today at the O2. £60 discounted rate and got my negative result and certificate in a shade over 2hrs. Very happy with their service.

Sadly though I also got an email today saying they're shutting down their O2 site

HB7

Sad to hear that's closing, as it was in a decent location for myself too. It isn't a surprise at all however that it is closing down, because testing requirements are no longer needed in the UK and a few places around Europe, and I'd expect many more to close down soon. The issue is that many countries still stubbornly want pre-departure PCR tests.

I have a bad feeling that we may soon be back to circa mid-2021 (from a testing perspective) when PCR testing was needed for travel to a lot of destinations and there weren't a lot of places offering testing, so prices were very high.

pythonisman

Indeed. My first pre departure test to Germany (when I needed it within 48hrs of arrival from memory) cost me about £150 at a private clinic in SW London. Hopefully the airport sites remain (or the requirements move toward rapid testing than PCR!)

HB7

Yeh my first PCR was required for Italy and it was 120 I think (and turnaround was over 70 hrs).

This game has been one big rip off from start to finish.

Duke787

Am I better off finding a place in London or taking the 4 hour test at LHR?

Staying in Aldgate this week and need a FitToFly to get back into the US. Cost not an issue (company will pay for it), just a matter of making sure I have things in time for a 440pm departure from LHR back to the US.

Don't mind doing some *A lounge hopping and working at LHR if just getting the test done there is the most straightforward option

northeastflyer

Aren't you able to do a relatively quick Antigen test at LHR?

Duke787

Honestly not sure, first time I've been out of the US since COVID though would somewhat prefer a PCR anyway if time permits

corporate-wage-slave

For travel requirements you only need a lateral flow test (rapid antigen) and that can be done on the day of departure if you wish via ExpressTest at LHR, use the BA discount to bring the cost down. Otherwise if you want a PCR typically, but not always, you need to do the PCR the day before travel and probably in the morning too. Halo, Randox, Collinson as well as ExpressTest have venues in central London, and they have all been used successfully by UK to USA travellers. For BA.2, PCR isn't much more accurate than a carefully performed lateral flow test.

Duke787

Fair enough and the Lateral Flow is only 15 minutes? May try and head home on an early flight (looking good to do an SDC on UA based on loads) so that may be the better option for flexibility on that front

iluv2fly

Staying in Marble Arch in two weeks. Need a test to return to the USA. There are two of us. Flying on United.

Is there a place in Terminal 2 to get the test? How much lead time would we need?
Are there places near Marble Arch to take an acceptable test for the US? Time needed for the results?
Any idea of the costs involved at any of the places?
I really don't want to schlep the tests over from the US.

Any help/suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance.

corporate-wage-slave

Have a look at answer 355 for a list of options, but there are travel clinics in central London, such as Waterloo and St. Pancras. At T2 there is ExpressTest in the building, it's on the lower level, below arrivals, if you arrive by Tube or Heathrow Express, you end up in the some passageways that connect you to Terminal 2,. At the end there is a bank of lifts (elevators) and an escalator. Use the esclator, not the lifts, that brings you up to the right level, then you will see the signs for ExpressTest / Covid testing.

What3words is lime.sticky.page but remember you need to be on level 0.

You will be able to book a time slot online, but they aren't too worried about an exact turn up time, any time on the day will do. If you are going for a Lateral Flow Test / rapid antigen then the paperwork and test takes a few minutes and you will typically get the result after 20 to 40 minutes, and check-in at T2 will be familiar with ExpressTest's certificates. So if you arrive at the test point an hour before you would normally check in then you have a fair bit of contingency. The test point is seconds away from the check-in desks via the lifts.

Don't forget to check your airline and British Airway's websites for the current discount codes. No-one seems bothered if you aren't actually flying with the discount code provider. The whole thing is a lot easier and cheaper than the USA, though not as cheap and easy as many other parts of Europe.

alex67500

I'm trying to book with express test in Gatwick this afternoon but their website seems broken. Any date you click on won't give you a time slot. I've tried with a couple of other locations on London and I get the same. Tried different browsers, devices etc. Still no luck. Has anyone gotten round this?
Scratch that, it works but you have to go to the next screen. That is baaaad UX.

ExpatExp

Once again Randox worked very well for me ahead of an ex-LHR trip this week. Ordered the fit to fly test kits a week beforehand, and took the antigen tests at home a few hours before my flight. Used the Randox app to submit my results and received the negative test certificate by email within an hour