Written by Michelle Leonard
Michelle Leonard is Ancestry Hour's resident DNA #genesgenius! You can catch her on Twitter as @GenealogyLass and you can now follow her brand new Genes & Genealogy Facebook page.
This year Sunday the 18th of June marks Father's Day in many countries around the world including the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada. Several of the major DNA testing companies are having sales to mark the occasion! This is a great opportunity to pick up DNA testing kits if you've been thinking of testing yourself, your father or any other relative.
Here is a round-up of the DNA sales on offer this Father's Day:
Here is a round-up of the DNA sales on offer this Father's Day:
The FTDNA sale offers a substantial discount on their autosomal offering (the Family Finder test) and their Y-DNA 37 marker test. FTDNA is the only company with a Y-DNA matching database so if you are interested in Y-DNA testing they are the company to test with. Father's Day is a particularly appropriate time to consider Y-DNA testing as it is the one DNA test that can only be taken by men due to the fact only men have a Y chromosome. Fathers pass this Y chromosome down solely to their sons and Y-DNA tests, therefore, can only examine one line of your tree while autosomal tests cover them all. That one line, however, is the direct paternal line which carries the surname and, as such, Y-DNA tests are excellent for surname studies. Y-DNA also can reach much further back in time than autosomal DNA and can be useful for unknown father and unknown male ancestor mysteries on lines for which an appropriate tester can be identified.
Here are all the FTDNA discounts in full:
Here are all the FTDNA discounts in full:
FTDNA sell worldwide, all prices are in US dollars and shipping is not included (shipping costs $12.95 (£10) per kit but return postage is only included for US kits). Once you have provided a sample further testing can be done using the same sample at a later date (e.g. upgrading your Y-DNA markers to 67).
Additionally if you have tested at AncestryDNA or 23andMe you can transfer into FTDNA's Family Finder database and get all of your matches for free - if you wish to unlock access to all of FTDNA's tools and features, such as their chromosome browser, it costs a modest $19 per kit. HERE is a link to the autosomal DNA Transfer programme. Please be aware if you tested at AncestryDNA after May 2016 you will only get access to your highest confidence matches at FTDNA due to the fact AncestryDNA began using a different chip at that time. If you wish to gain access to all of your lower confidence matches you can choose to take FTDNA's own autosomal test after transferring for a reduced fee of $59 (£46).
Additionally if you have tested at AncestryDNA or 23andMe you can transfer into FTDNA's Family Finder database and get all of your matches for free - if you wish to unlock access to all of FTDNA's tools and features, such as their chromosome browser, it costs a modest $19 per kit. HERE is a link to the autosomal DNA Transfer programme. Please be aware if you tested at AncestryDNA after May 2016 you will only get access to your highest confidence matches at FTDNA due to the fact AncestryDNA began using a different chip at that time. If you wish to gain access to all of your lower confidence matches you can choose to take FTDNA's own autosomal test after transferring for a reduced fee of $59 (£46).
AncestryDNA has by far the largest autosomal DNA database at over 4 million testers and it is growing daily. If you have a DNA mystery or brick wall you are trying to break down using DNA, it is very important to get into this huge database.
The price of the AncestryDNA test in the UK has been reduced by £10 from £79 to £69 for Father's Day
(please note that this does not include shipping which is £20 for a first kit and £10 for each additional kit in the same order - maximum ten kits per order)
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
AncestryDNA are also running Father's Day sales in Ireland, the USA and Canada:
Ireland: Price reduced by €15 from €95 to €80
Shipping €20 per kit and €10 per additional kit in same order
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
USA: Price reduced by 20% from $99 to $79
Shipping $9.95 per kit
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
(AncestryDNA is also sold by Amazon in the US with the 20% off plus Free Shipping - see HERE)
Canada: Price reduced by $20 CAD from $129 CAD to $109 CAD
Shipping $19.95 CAD per kit
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
The price of the AncestryDNA test in the UK has been reduced by £10 from £79 to £69 for Father's Day
(please note that this does not include shipping which is £20 for a first kit and £10 for each additional kit in the same order - maximum ten kits per order)
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
AncestryDNA are also running Father's Day sales in Ireland, the USA and Canada:
Ireland: Price reduced by €15 from €95 to €80
Shipping €20 per kit and €10 per additional kit in same order
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
USA: Price reduced by 20% from $99 to $79
Shipping $9.95 per kit
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
(AncestryDNA is also sold by Amazon in the US with the 20% off plus Free Shipping - see HERE)
Canada: Price reduced by $20 CAD from $129 CAD to $109 CAD
Shipping $19.95 CAD per kit
*sale runs from 7th to 18th June
| 23andMe are offering a £20 discount on their kit for Father's Day bringing the price down from £149 to £129. With a 23andMe test you receive autosomal results and entry to their autosomal database which has now passed the two million testers mark. Basic Y-DNA (male testers only) and MtDNA haplogroup information and a number of health reports are also included. The health reports are 23andMe's unique selling point but it does mean that many people don't test for genealogical reasons and often are less receptive to sharing family tree information. Shipping costs £9.99 per kit (Standard 7 working days) or £19.99 per kit (Express 2-3 working days). Additionally you can add a gift message to the order if buying as a gift for Father's Day. The offer is limited to two kits per customer and the sale also ends on 18th June. There is, however, a way to buy 23andMe kits substantially cheaper than this at the moment - they are currently on sale via Superdrug in the UK for £99 with free shipping! |
This is the best deal I have seen for 23andMe in the UK in some time; it is almost exactly £40 cheaper than their direct sale price if you include shipping! Superdrug usually sell 23andMe kits at £139.99 and they have informed me that this sale price is effective from 31st May to 27th June. Shipping is free and there are several options:
You can either have the kit delivered to your home address (3-5 working days) or to a local Superdrug store for collection (next day). If you have been wanting to test with 23andMe but have been put off by the price or have an unknown ancestor mystery to solve and it is the one database you are not already in this is an excellent opportunity to test there at a much lower price than usual. I would still, however, advocate testing at AncestryDNA first for those who have not tested anywhere yet as they have the larger database, lower price and are fully focused on testing for genealogy purposes.
There is also a sale in the US - $20 off either the Ancestry only kit (reduced from $99 to $79) or the Ancestry and Health kit (reduced from $199 to $179). Shipping is $9.95 for the first kit and $5 for each additional kit. This offer is also limited to two kits per customer and the sale runs until 18th June. 23andMe kits are also sold by Amazon in the US and, like with AncestryDNA, it is possible to get the discount and free shipping if you order from there instead.
There is also a sale in the US - $20 off either the Ancestry only kit (reduced from $99 to $79) or the Ancestry and Health kit (reduced from $199 to $179). Shipping is $9.95 for the first kit and $5 for each additional kit. This offer is also limited to two kits per customer and the sale runs until 18th June. 23andMe kits are also sold by Amazon in the US and, like with AncestryDNA, it is possible to get the discount and free shipping if you order from there instead.
UPDATED: MyHeritage have also announced a Father's Day sale. Their autosomal DNA kit has been reduced from £79 to £59 and the sale ends on 19th June (shipping costs £12 for one kit, the same price for two kits and is free if you buy three or more kits). The price in the US has been reduced from $99 to $69 (shipping costs $12 for one kit with the same discounts for additional kits as the UK version).
It is also still possible to transfer into MyHeritage for free from any of the other major companies - HERE is a link to upload your results to their site. MyHeritage is one of the newer offerings on the market but as more people test with them their database will grow and you will begin to see unique matches there. It will, therefore, start to become more important for everyone, especially those with mysteries to solve, to be in this database in addition to the others.
It is also still possible to transfer into MyHeritage for free from any of the other major companies - HERE is a link to upload your results to their site. MyHeritage is one of the newer offerings on the market but as more people test with them their database will grow and you will begin to see unique matches there. It will, therefore, start to become more important for everyone, especially those with mysteries to solve, to be in this database in addition to the others.
UPDATED: Living DNA have also now announced a Father's Day sale:
UK: Price reduced by £21 to £99 plus delivery
UK Standard Delivery (5-7 working days): £9.95
UK Premium Delivery (2-3 working days): £14.95
EU: Price reduced to €129 plus delivery
EU Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): €12.95
EU Premium Delivery (5-7 working days): €24.95
US: Price reduced to $119 plus delivery
USA Standard Delivery (5-7 working days): $9.95
USA Premium Delivery (2-3 working days): $39.95
Canada: Price reduced to $159 CAD plus delivery
Canada Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): $14.95 CAD
Canada Premium Delivery (5-7 working days): $49.95 CAD
Australia: Price recently reduced to $169 AUS plus delivery*
Australia Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): $14.95 AUD
Australia Premium Delivery (5-7 working days): $69.95 AUD
*This is not a Father's Day sale as Father's Day is in September in Australia
The sale will end on 18th June.
The Living DNA test gives a detailed regional breakdown of UK Ancestry and also includes Y-DNA (male testers only) and MtDNA haplogroup information. Please note that Living DNA currently do not offer a matching database but this has been promised in the near future.
UK: Price reduced by £21 to £99 plus delivery
UK Standard Delivery (5-7 working days): £9.95
UK Premium Delivery (2-3 working days): £14.95
EU: Price reduced to €129 plus delivery
EU Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): €12.95
EU Premium Delivery (5-7 working days): €24.95
US: Price reduced to $119 plus delivery
USA Standard Delivery (5-7 working days): $9.95
USA Premium Delivery (2-3 working days): $39.95
Canada: Price reduced to $159 CAD plus delivery
Canada Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): $14.95 CAD
Canada Premium Delivery (5-7 working days): $49.95 CAD
Australia: Price recently reduced to $169 AUS plus delivery*
Australia Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): $14.95 AUD
Australia Premium Delivery (5-7 working days): $69.95 AUD
*This is not a Father's Day sale as Father's Day is in September in Australia
The sale will end on 18th June.
The Living DNA test gives a detailed regional breakdown of UK Ancestry and also includes Y-DNA (male testers only) and MtDNA haplogroup information. Please note that Living DNA currently do not offer a matching database but this has been promised in the near future.
On a different note I would like to encourage everyone who has already tested themselves or other relatives to contribute data to Blaine Bettinger's Shared cM Project. The Shared cM Project is an attempt to collect as much data as possible on the ranges of DNA (in centimorgans) shared by known genealogical relationships. Due to the random nature of DNA inheritance, the more examples we have for this the better informed we will be when trying to work out relationships with new matches. If you have any confirmed relationships please add the data to the portal so it can be included in the next update. There are now 16,000 submissions to this fantastic citizen science project and the hope is the 20,000 mark can be reached by 30th June. HERE is a link to the portal for submission and if you would like to know more about the cM Project please read THIS fantastic article contributed by Blaine to the Journal of Genetic Genealogy (JOGG) that goes into detail on the Project.
UPDATE: The 20,000 submission mark was surpassed on 10th June way ahead of the goal date! Well done to all who have submitted but please keep on adding your data to the portal as the new target is 50,000 in 2018!
UPDATE: The 20,000 submission mark was surpassed on 10th June way ahead of the goal date! Well done to all who have submitted but please keep on adding your data to the portal as the new target is 50,000 in 2018!
Finally if you're not sure which test to go for in the sale or you just wish to chat about DNA testing for genealogy pop along to #AncestryHour on Tuesday evening between 7-8pm where I will be on hand to answer any queries.
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