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What it’s like to get Covid tested at London Heathrow Terminal 4

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I just flew back to the USA from England and went through the Rapid Antigen testing at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 via ExpressTest by Cignpost. I know what you’re thinking, why didn’t you get the Emed Binax testing and just do it via video chat. That’s a great point, and we did order them, but as life would have it, they got mailed to the wrong address. As a result, we needed to get tested before we could hop our Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flight back to the States. Here’s what the experience was like:

Booking via ExpressTest

  • Several tests are available at both Terminal 2 and 4
  • You have the option of drive thru or park and test ( we did this )
  • The Rapid Antigen or Lateral Flow Test was sufficient for our travel back to the USA

You have several options for testing and we chose the one that would be completed in 40 mins and cost £35

 

You should receive an email with a QR code as well as a text with your confirmation. You’ll need at least one of these and the QR code is much easier.

 

Arrival at the Testing Center

Upon arrival at Heathrow, follow the signs for Terminal 4 and you’ll see a lot of signs leading you to Express Test

a sign on the side of a road

Our appointment was at 9:20am, we arrived at 8:40, and didn’t get into the physical standing queue until it was our time. You’ll wait in your car until the appropriate time.

a parking lot with cars parked

Once it was our time, we hopped in the queue which took roughly 20 minutes until we were in the testing center

a line of people standing in a parking lot

Testing

You’ll need the following

  • QR code or reservation number
  • Passport

Make sure that your email is correct since that is how you’ll receive your results.

a booth with a chair and a stool

Results

By the time we returned our rental car to Sixt, hopped on the train and arrived at Terminal 3 we had our results. We were negative and ready to fly.

 

 

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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3 Comments

  • Steven January 6, 2022

    I used Binax now, but you definitely need a backup plan. Too many things can go wrong with Binax.

  • dee January 6, 2022

    We ordered the EMED Binax tests but they arrived the evening after we left for our trip. When ordered it said they would ship overnight…But did not

  • Joey January 6, 2022

    ExpressTest also has a location at Terminal 3. That’s where I took my arrival test at LHR back in December. I had a similar experience but they weren’t checking appointment times. Just join the queue and wait for your turn.

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