TESTS WILL COST MORE THAN YOUR HOL
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SUNSEEKING Brits face paying £960 on Covid tests – more than some hols cost.
The bill will hit a typical family of four. But for £720 they can get a week in Portugal.
JETAWAY Brits will come crashing down to earth after learning Covid tests DOUBLE the cost of their holidays.
Bookings to Portugal have soared since a “green list” of 12 countries where UK travellers can go to was published on Friday.
Trips can be had for as little as £720 for a family of four.
That was the good news. The bad news – typical before-andafter Covid tests could add £960.
And that might price thousands of families out of summer breaks – while those flouting test rules face a £4,000 fixed-penalty fine.
The situation is the same for Greece and Cyprus, set to join the green list next month.
There are also fears testing services will be overwhelmed and results delayed, meaning some won’t be able to board flights. Portuguese rules state anyone over two must show they’ve had a negative PCR test in the 72 hours before flying in. PCR tests are seen as the gold standard swabs because they can detect vaccine-resistant variants.
But test prices in the UK are among the most expensive in the world at an average of £120, says consumer organisation Which?
Before returning to the UK from Portugal, another test must be taken up to 72 hours before travel.
This can be a lateral flow test, which is available free on the NHS and in most EU countries. But families will have to fork out for another private PCR test to be taken within two days of returning to the UK in case they’ve picked up the disease on their trip.
This element of the UK rule applies to those aged over five.
So a family of four, with two kids over five, would need eight tests.
COVER
Consumer affairs expert Martyn James from Resolver website – run in association with Money Saving Expert – said: “I don’t think people appreciate test costs. For a good, cheap, package deal, you’re looking at doubling costs when you add in tests. I’ve seen tests go up to £180. Insurance doesn’t cover you for not having the right test. So if you get turned away at the gate for the wrong type, you won’t be covered.”
He called on travel firms to refund families who cancel because of the cost of tests.
The Sunday Mirror has found family trips to Portugal costing less than the tests in both the May halfterm and summer holidays.
In late July, a family of four can head to Vale de Carros resort – in the Algarve’s Olhos de Agua – for
£720 with Teletext Holidays. The firm also offers seven days at Ourasaol Cheerfulway complex, in Albufeira, for £768. On the Beach had a week in the Choro Mar, Albufeira, for £899 in the last week in July – while it was £937 at Silchoro Apartments.
Travel agents said Portugal bookings went “through the roof ” – up 600% in some cases – after the green list came out.
UK rules state those who need PCR tests for travel must pay privately. Mutual travel with Portugal is set to resume on May 17. The remaining EU countries – currently on the amber list – are set to give the green light for travel from the UK next month.
But many are expected to continue to demand a negative PCR test before arrival, including Greece and Cyprus.
AGHAST
We found a raft of packages to these countries which could cost less than the bill for testing.
It’s better news in Italy and Spain, currently taking travellers who have had cheaper rapid tests before boarding flights. But industry chiefs are aghast at the extra costs for many travellers.
Chris Rowles, of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, said: “Fares are rising dramatically – once you add test costs, travel really will be only for the rich, not the masses.”
Some providers – such as Tui, British Airways, Jet2, easyJet and Thomas Cook – will provide testing kits as part of holiday deals but these could still cost as much as £210 per person. EasyJet, which has set up a partnership with Randox to offer a £60 test, said: “The Government needs to make good on its promise to drive down the cost of testing otherwise they risk making travel too expensive for many.”
Thomas Cook said: “We’re introducing £60 tests and are encouraging the Government to review the need for a PCR test for vaccinated people and green list countries – just let these people take a lateral flow test.”
Government sources say officials are working with the private sector to cut costs and are considering pre-departure tests.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said “profiteers” face removal from a providers list. He said: “The cost should be cheaper. I’ll be driving that down.”