BinaxNOW at home proctored test kit

Although I'd certainly like to see a clear statement on a French government website, what does your airline say? AIrline personnel seem to be the gatekeepers in this situation. When you log in to your airline account you should see something like a "Travel Ready Center" that lays out what the airline wants to see from you.

I don’t know about the French requirements but I used these tests before returning to the US from Germany and they worked great. I had an iPad which I think was easier to video with than a phone, though a phone would certainly work.

I found this page on the Delta site:
https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-planning-center/know-before-you-go/testing-resources

Under "Will I take the test in-person or at home?" there is a link here to eMed/BinaxNOW at home proctored test!
https://store.optum.com/shop/products/abbott-binaxNOW-COVID-19-ag-at-home-test-kit-2-pack/

You wouldn't believe how much time I've spent talking to Delta reps, AirFrance, the French Embassy, eMed. None would provide me with an answer...The airlines referred me to the French government, the French government told me to ask the airlines, and eMed hasn't responded yet.

Crazy.

Sorry for your troubles with Delta. But from a purely practical standpoint, you will show up to board your flight, and Delta will either allow you to board, or not. If they allow you on, you go; if not, you stay home. No one in France, at entry, will check.

Of course, to be honest, Delta is probably saying "hey, we have no idea what will be allowed in March, don't bother asking now"

Just chill, check things out in a couple weeks.

Yeah I know things can change in a minute. I truly was approaching this from the question of is this an acceptable test today. I wasn't asking for a commitment of what will be allowed. Heck, this trip was first planned for March of 2020, the flights got cancelled days before our scheduled departure. I'm very familiar with last minute changes.

Boy is Abbott taking advantage of the need for testing in order to travel. The link above has 2 tests for $69.99. I bought those exact same proctored test kits about 6 months ago at my local drug store for $22.00/ea. Unfortunately, while the entire Covid situation has cost so many people so much money, the flip side is that a lot of people are making money. Sorry, I don't mean to hijack your thread and I don't want to get political but I was just shocked at the price listed on the link.

No one in France, at entry, will check.

I entered France a week ago, and both my passport and pass vaccinal were checked as I deplaned. This was not the first time my shot credentials were checked at/before immigration.

You're on the right track keithcindy. You have to have your plans lined up in advance due to the abysmal testing infrastructure in the US. If the requirements lift in between, all the better, but considering the choice of late results, overbooked pharmacies, and $ 250 airport tests, it's good to know if a proctored home test is acceptable or not. I'm in the same position.

Tocard--where did you test and how did it go?

We bought a couple BinaxNOW tests as backup for upcoming trips via a link on United Airlines.

We also bought the BinaxNow kits but they're for our return to the US, also on United Airlines. The US accepts these test results. As for entering another country it's hard to say, as you have learned. We're scheduled to go to France in April but as requirements change so often we're waiting a few weeks for the latest information.

Is there a CVS or other pharmacy closer than a travel center? Can you schedule a test there in the necessary time frame? Is it possible to get a rapid test on the way to the airport? Results in 15 minutes. In November we got tested at a CVS. The fee was billed to our insurance (Medicare).

As for the BinaxNow test, I wonder if anyone checks which lab did the test or do they just look for the result. You get an official result from BinaxNow but no one wants to take the risk of having a result rejected at the airport.

Good luck in getting answers.

The prices for tests in my area (including near SeaTac airport) range from $90 pp to $250 pp.

Compared to $250 for potentially 6 tests it's a big difference.
I will call the nearest CVS and Walgreen pharmacies. Their websites indicate demand is high, and results come back in 1-3 days. They do reference rapid results, but it's short on details, disclaimers about results may take up to 3 days, etc.

Worst case scenario we pay $250 pp for a test.

That is exactly what we are resigned to do if we can't have results at Walgreen's or CVS in time: $250 per person at the airport. The websites--at this time during a surge--say that results for travel cannot be guaranteed.

@Keithcindy
That link actually says nothing about France and there’s this wording:
Please note that some destinations do not accept in-home tests.

There’s nothing that says binaxnow is accepted for entry to France. It is accepted for the entry to the USA.

It’s an almost certain bet that France wouldn’t ‘technically’ allow an in home test for entry because it isn’t allowed in France for certification purposes. Also French airlines make it clear it’s not allowed. There is the fraud angle but also user error angle. But it’s the air line that verifies it mostly, although there are some spot checks on arrival. Your mileage may vary.

In fact, a number of airlines say something like this in the about traveling to France and (proctored) self tests:

Self-tests are accepted only for flights departing from France and whose final destination is the United States.

(That’s binax now and others)

And go on to say that tests can be taken at:

health autority center (hospital, clinic, medical centre, Covid-19 testing Center, or medical analysis laboratory)

It’s unfortunate that this is even an issue in the USA for international travel. In france you can go to any pharmacy for an administered rapid antigen test. Results are quick. Self tests are abundant and can be bought for 9.75 for a pack of 5 from the grocery store at the moment. For pcr tests, if you take a test at a lab or tent in the morning you’ll have results in the evening. Meanwhile, I have relatives in the USA that took a pcr test yesterday and were told it is a 3 to 5 day turn around.

If not 100% certain proctored self-tests will work, the trick, I think, is to find a test site that offers antigen tests acceptable to the destination country (France in this case) and does its own processing. If you find one of those, I'd expect results to be returned quickly and reliably, as they are when you walk into a French pharmacy to be tested. The problem is finding the right sort of testing location in the US, which I assume means being in a metropolitan area. I haven't started my local research yet (not traveling until late April at the earliest), but I recall that some months ago a poster said he had a Walgreens that processed tests on site.

Perhaps I'm over-optimistic, but I don't expect to have to pay anything like $250 for an antigen test. I won't be thrilled if I have to cough up $100 to be sure of a quick turnaround, but after not having traveled to Europe for almost 3 years, I'll grin and bear it if I must. (I acknowledge that the economics are much different when an entire family is traveling.)

Has anyone used the free Covid 19 at home test kits the government sent us in the mail? They don't have any brand name. Since 4 tests are included, I was hoping to use them both departing and coming back.

No Charlotte, those won't be accepted because they are for private at-home use. They are not proctored, hence have no official recorded results.

Proctored self tests have been accepted for flights to Italy--proctored being the key. Ron from the Netherlands ended up doing a proctored test to get home from Atlanta when his two pharmacy-based tests didn't work as expected. Proctored test results are registered and arrive by email the same as with any test done at a pharmacy, testing center, or airport test center. So it's not as farfetched as I had thought. There's little difference between doing the swab yourself in your car at CVS and doing the swab yourself while being watched online.

I've checked Air France, Delta airlines, the Consulats in Chicago and DC.
So, as far as I'm concerned the question isn't answered. I'd appreciate a link to where 75018 received that information: United Airlines website? American Airlines??

I certainly wouldn't bother with one of these tests flying from Europe where testing is easy to find, but the situation in the States is abysmal and has been from the get-go.

Thanks, Bets. I agree, testing is abysmal here.

Someone has reported, second hand, that these have been used successfully for France. See the last comment in this thread:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/at-home-zoom-proctored-antigen-test