Superdrug undercuts Boots by offering single lateral flow Covid test for £1.99
LFT price war begins ahead of end of free Covid testing programme
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Health retailer Superdrug has announced it will sell individual lateral flow tests (LFTs) for under £2, undercutting the price offered by its competitor Boots.
The move comes a month before the government ends free coronavirus testing in England. Only the clinically vulnerable and the over-75s will be able to receive regular LFTs without paying for them from 1 April.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Superdrug said it will charge £1.99 for a single LFT and £9.79 for a pack of five. They will be available to buy shortly, it added.
By comparison, Boots will offer one test for £2.50 and five for £12 from early March. Customers can currently purchase them online for £5.99 each or four for £17.
“Our pricing aims to make lateral flow tests as accessible as possible for people,” a Superdrug spokesperson said.
Other British pharmacies are yet to reveal their prices, with just over five weeks remaining until the end of England’s free testing programme.
The change in approach comes as part of the government’s “Living with Covid-19” strategy, which will see all coronavirus restrictions, including the need to self-isolate after a positive test, lifted from Thursday.
Boris Johnson has justified making the public pay for LFTs on the grounds that it will save the treasury a considerable amount of money. Testing in the UK cost £2 billion in January alone, the prime minister told the BBC on Sunday.
Politicians including the Liberal Democrat MP Layla Mora have urged the government to introduce price caps if it scraps the free service.
“If the government insists on doing so, they must introduce a price cap as other European nations already have,” she told MailOnline.
In Spain, a maximum of £2.45 can be charged per LFT, while individual tests can be bought for as little as £1 in France.
Amid the pharmacy LFT price war, some social users have posted images online showing “towers” of free kits they have stockpiled.
“When the government wants to start charging for lateral flow tests. I’ve come fully prepared so I don’t run out of covid tests,” one person tweeted.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments