This will be a quick post but I just wanted to warn everyone that eMed is currently selling Abbott BinaxNOW covid test kits that will expire next month. So unless you can use them up pretty soon, I would recommend buying them from another medical supplier or at the very least, don’t buy more than you can use within the next few months.
I recently bought a six-pack a few weeks ago (end of August) for my trip to Estonia that I’m currently on. I just opened one up today to do my Covid test and realized that they will all expire on October 5, 2021! I thought these were just my test kits that are expiring soon but it turns out, many other people have reported that their covid test kits will all expire in October also. I get it. My bad for not checking ahead of time but this is ridiculous that all of our kits sold by eMed will be expiring so soon.
I normally don’t write about stuff like this but there’s literally no notice about the expiration dates. Everything I had read online said that the Abbott test kits were now valid for up to a year from the manufacture date so I didn’t worry. I just didn’t think that eMed would sell me test kits that were manufactured in February 2021 and expire in October of 2021. I just assumed that if I bought the test kits in late August, they would have sold me a kit that was manufactured close to that date. But nope. They sold me covid test kits that have been sitting in storage for six months and are only valid for another month.
This just frustrates me because there was no warning about the expiration date prior to purchasing. This makes me think that eMed knew these would expire soon and didn’t want to dissuade people from buying them.
I called eMed to inquire and the rep was happy to give me “good news” (something tells me I’m not the first person to call and complain about the expiration date). The rep informed me that all tests sold by them now have a 3-month extension so the new expiration date will be January 5, 2022.
Another thing I want to warn you guys about is that these tests can be “shared” with others now but everyone needs to have their own prescription, meaning, they all need to be authorized to be used by eMed before they can use them. And the only way (that I know of) to get a prescription for another person is by listing them down when you first buy the test kits. In other words, you can’t just give this kit to someone else to use unless they were listed down prior to purchase. This will be fine if you have a family of four and you list everyone down (and get a prescription for them) on the front end, but you just can’t give the test kits to another person to use after the fact.
Or at least, that is my understanding of the rules. However, I may be wrong about this as fellow blogger, Brad, thinks that other people can use the tests after the fact. Here’s the information directly from eMed’s website about sharing tests.
USING YOUR TESTS
- All Travelers: A prescribed test (available in six-pack quantity) is linked to the qualifying individual’s unique user profile registered on eMed.com. Each individual traveler is responsible for obtaining prescribed tests under their unique user profile by signing up on eMed.com and then completing the COVID-19 Testing Questionnaire to determine eligibility by clicking the Order Now button.
- Traveling Couples & Groups: Remember to obtain a prescribed test under each unique user profile by signing up on eMed.com and then completing the COVID-19 Testing Questionnaire to determine eligibility by clicking the Order Now button.
- Traveling with children or minors: See FAQ about testing options for children and minors. Remember to “Add a Managed Profile” on your profile page in the NAVICA ™ app.
- Review and print “Important Information Before & During Your Travel”
I’m not sure if this means that you can get a “prescription” simply by taking the survey or if you need to take the survey and buy the tests. If someone tries this out and can give us an answer, I would appreciate the data points.
eMed only sells a six-pack option for $150 ($176 after tax and shipping) so if you won’t be able to use them by January 2, 2021, then I recommend buying the Abbott BinaxNOW covid test kits from another medical supplier such as Optum. Optum sells the same Abbott BinaxNOW test kits as eMed does and offers the same supervised testing, which makes them certified for return travel back to the United Sates.
Optum prices are more expensive than eMed’s but you won’t have to buy six that you may not be able to use. A one-pack costs $50, a two-pack costs $69 and a three-pack costs $99. Per unit, eMed’s prices are much cheaper but if you can’t use all six, you’re paying for more for no reason. If I would have known these test kits will all expire next month, I would have bought a two-pack and saved myself $50. On Optum’s website, they have a warning that their test kits may expire in December 2021. On eMed’s website, it doesn’t say anything about expiration dates, which makes them seem so shady.
Just wanted to give you guys a heads up. I hope this post helps someone out there.
