I discovered this deal tonight July 11, 2014, while checking on the status of an AncestryDNA test that did not arrive at the same time as the other I mailed on the same day. Now, I don't know how long it has been this way or how long it will last.
If you've been thinking about taking an autosomal DNA test it seems Ancestry.com has lowered the price -- if you find the right page on its website.
If you are signed into Ancestry.com and click on the order button for an AncestryDNA test on either the DNA page or the Store page, you will see that the price of the AncestryDNA test is $99, the regular price.
BUT I discovered a different page when I signed out of my account while on my DNA page. After signing out, a page with lots of information on the AncestryDNA test came up but this page says the AncestryDNA test is now ... $49. That is a $50 savings from the regular price. I tried again to bring this page up without signing into Ancestry.com and I was able to get to it again.
At the Ancestry.com splash page do not sign in, click the Search at the top to bring up the traditional home page then click on the DNA tab and surprise the AncestryDNA information page with the $49 appears again!
Now if you click the order button from the informational page (where it says $49), it brings up a Create a Free Account page. BUT if you already have an Ancestry.com membership or user id, just click on the "Sign in here" which is in small type just under the Create A Free Account headline. Once you are signed in, you are taken to an order page and the price is .... $49.
I don't know if this is a marketing test or a foreshadowing of a change in the regular price.
You can save even more by using the free DNA shipping code -- FREESHIPDNA -- from RetailMeNot which is good until February 1, 2015. (This is the expiration date of the free shipping for DNA offer. I do not know how long this lower price on AncestryDNA will last.)
OF COURSE, you have to decide for yourself how you feel about Ancestry.com's commitment to DNA testing in light of its recent exit from Y-DNA and mtDNA testing.
I had two previously purchased AncestryDNA tests from before the June announcement which I finally preformed and mailed in for processing. I also have two equivalent tests (FamilyFinder) from FamilyTree DNA also purchased prior to the June announcement.
Would a price drop like this sway me? Maybe. In essence I could test two people for what would be the regular price of one test. Normally a good sale on this test is about $79. Testing with Ancestry.com may be beneficial if you have a tree (public or private) on its website.
Am I considering purchasing an AncestryDNA test at this $49 price? Yes, but I have not decided to do so yet partly because I have to consider who to test and the potential benefit to my research. And I have to consider that with FamilyTree DNA if I order a FamilyFinder (autosomal) test I can order an upgrade test (a YDNA or mtDNA) in the future usually without having to perform another test on the person I had tested.
Many DNA/genealogy experts suggest testing with each company because not everyone tests with each company and you may find a match on one site but not the other. Of course, not everyone can afford to do so. This lower price might make it easier.
DNA testing -- each of the three types Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA -- has proven to be a beneficial tool for genealogists. You just have to learn and know how to apply it.
NOTE: Just to be clear, no person or company asked me to write this or payed me to do so. It is something I discovered and thought others may be interested in knowing too. The opinions/purchase rationals I presented here are my own.
It's Monday, a few days after I made this post in the early hours of Saturday morning. I'm finally seeing a few others blog about finding this AncestryDNA $49 price. But it seems some people are having problems making the sale appear (they see $99 or $79 instead of $49).
ReplyDeleteI had no problems getting to page with the "sale" price of $49 to appear and I checked that the link I included in the post does still work. I found you have to NOT be signed into your Ancestry account to get the reduced pricing page to appear so click on the order button next to the $49 and once on the order page then sign-in as I described in the post.
Others apparently had to use a different browser, use a different device (phone, tablet) or clear the browser's cache to make the "sale" appear so if you are having problems try one of these suggestions.
So far, the lower price is still there.