Shopper’s Drug Mart

[rg123]

Hi. Does anyone know if you need to prepay for a Covid test at this drugstore when you make an appointment or if you pay the day of your test?

Thanks!

Rita

[d9704011]

You pay when you take the test.

[rg123]

Thanks so much for for reply!

[CDNPolar]

...and a great thing of the booking system with Shoppers, is if you want to change or cancel, there is no fee for either.

[Middleager]

For antigen test, SDM charges $40, Rexall $30, Walmart $20, Costco $17.  In the past we always booked at Costco.

[TheHawk1]

On 8/9/2022 at 11:27 AM, Middleager said:

For antigen test, SDM charges $40, Rexall $30, Walmart $20, Costco $17.  In the past we always booked at Costco.

I used Costco last time.  Shoppers is gouging compared to the others.

[Fouremco]

As ubiquitous as Timmies, I think that SDM' takes convenience and availability into account when setting its prices.

[Casperb41]

On 8/8/2022 at 11:12 AM, rg123 said:

Hi. Does anyone know if you need to prepay for a Covid test at this drugstore when you make an appointment or if you pay the day of your test?

Thanks!

Rita

Pay on the day , take ID and care card.

We have been asked to take our passport 

[rg123]

47 minutes ago, Casperb41 said:

Pay on the day , take ID and care card.

We have been asked to take our passport 

Hi Casper41. Thank you for the info. What’s a care card? We’re from the US. Are we still eligible to get a test?

[rg123]

On 8/9/2022 at 11:27 AM, Middleager said:

For antigen test, SDM charges $40, Rexall $30, Walmart $20, Costco $17.  In the past we always booked at Costco.

The Rexall and Costco nearest our hotel do not offer Covid testing. SDM seems the best option for us. Made our appointment via phone —all set!

[Oceangoer2]

On 8/8/2022 at 2:12 PM, rg123 said:

Hi. Does anyone know if you need to prepay for a Covid test at this drugstore when you make an appointment or if you pay the day of your test?

Thanks!

Rita

I booked an appt. at SDM for Nov. and did not pay at that time.  Required after the test.

[Casperb41]

17 hours ago, Casperb41 said:

Pay on the day , take ID and care card.

We have been asked to take our passport 

It may be wise to have a test done in the US. You need a test result 3 days before embarkation .

If you aim to be in Canada any longer , pay a visit to a Shoppers drug mart and get advice from them.

You will need to pay in Canadian $

[Oceangoer2]

35 minutes ago, Casperb41 said:

It may be wise to have a test done in the US. You need a test result 3 days before embarkation .

If you aim to be in Canada any longer , pay a visit to a Shoppers drug mart and get advice from them.

You will need to pay in Canadian $

Actually it's 'within 3 days', not 3 days before from the advice I read on the Celebrity Health at Sea web page.  Good advice to phone the SD store itself and book your appt. at that time.  They allow you to do it months before which I did, just in case there wasn't an opening when we required it.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Oceangoer2

[iancal]

When we required ours in Toronto we googled the locations and zeroed in our pharmacies close to our downtown hotel.

 

There were lots of them.   SDMs, Rexals, another chain, and a few independents.  Rexalls were $30 as I recall however the SDM that we selected was a few blocks from our hotel and had openings first thing in the AM on the day we wanted.

 

Nothing particularly special about SDM in our opinion, other than the location and convenience.

[david,Mississauga]

For our cruise from Vancouver we were required by Cunard to get the rapid test no more than one day before boarding, even though the Canadian Government says two days is allowed. So we couldn't get it in Ontario before flying west.

 

The cheapest test we could find  in downtown Vancouver was at Shoppers: $50.  The private clinics at the airport and near the cruise terminal were charging between $79 and $120 plus tax. They required pre-payment and some would not allow cancellations or had a fee. Shoppers did not have a cancellation fee. Also, Shoppers treated this test as a prescription and charged no sales tax and gave a medical receipt than can be used for income tax.

[Fouremco]

30 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

For our cruise from Vancouver we were required by Cunard to get the rapid test no more than one day before boarding, even though the Canadian Government says two days is allowed. So we couldn't get it in Ontario before flying west.

Yes, the GOC sets the minimum standards ("no more than 2 days before you’re scheduled to board your ship", but cruise lines can impose stricter timing requirements within those standards.

[david,Mississauga]

34 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Yes, the GOC sets the minimum standards ("no more than 2 days before you’re scheduled to board your ship", but cruise lines can impose stricter timing requirements within those standards.

 

It is strange that for Cunard's US departures, the two-day rule applies but not for Canada. 

 

For no particular reason I checked five other cruise lines that depart from Vancouver. Four of them had the two-day rule. At the time I checked, Disney required a same-day test. They said after checking in at the terminal passengers would be directed across the street to the testing centre which is in a function room of the Fairmont Waterfront hotel.  They would be charged a special rate which was  less than the $120 others would have to pay.

 

I read later on Cruise Critic that they changed it to two days as with all other lines except Cunard.