Traveloka offering travelers discounted COVID-19 PCR swab tests

While the Hong Kong ATB may be off for the foreseeable future, overseas travel still continues via the various RGL agreements with Brunei, China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea, and elsewhere for those willing to deal with the various entry restrictions. 

Chief among these is the requirement to do a pre-departure COVID-19 PCR swab test, and Traveloka is offering a special discount for anyone who uses their platform. 

Traveloka’s discounted COVID-19 PCR test

From 23 November 2020 to 31 January 2021, anyone who books an international flight or hotel through Traveloka will be entitled to a COVID-19 PCR swab test at a discounted rate of S$150 nett. 

This promo is valid for any booking made through the Traveloka website, mobile site, or Traveloka App (minimum version 2.15.0 on Android/iOS).

Once the hotel or flight booking is made, the traveler will receive an email from Traveloka which he/she can show at any DA Clinic to enjoy the special rate. A swab test at this chain normally costs S$160 nett, so you save S$10. 

As a point of reference, here’s how much it normally costs to do a COVID-19 PCR test at various chains:

⚕️ COVID-19 PCR Test Prices
Chain	Price (Nett)	Locations
DA Clinic	S$160 S$150 with Traveloka	Link
Parkway Shenton*	S$170	Link
SATA CommHealth	S$180	Link
Healthway Medical	S$197.95	Link
ProHealth Medical	S$199	Link
Raffles Medical	S$199	Link
Fullerton Health	S$199.02	Link
AcuMed Medical	S$200	Link
Central 24-HR Clinic	S$200	Link
HeartlandHealth	S$200	Link
My Family Clinic	S$200	Link
Northeast Medical	S$200	Link
Q&M Medical	S$200	Link
*aka Shenton Medical Group Prices accurate as of 24 November and are subject to change; call clinics for latest information. Not all clinics may provide COVID-19 PCR test.

If given a choice between a flight or hotel booking, it’s generally a better idea to book the flight through Traveloka. Unlike hotels, flights booked through OTAs are still eligible to earn miles as per their fare class, and elite members will enjoy their usual status benefits like lounge access or extra baggage.

In contrast, hotel bookings made through OTAs will not be eligible to earn hotel points or status credits, nor will elite members enjoy status benefits during their stay.

Conclusion

This won’t matter all that much to those traveling on RGL arrangements (insofar as their company should be reimbursing the cost of testing), but it’s worth looking at for ATB travelers. 

With COVID-19 tests still relatively expensive in Singapore, the travel industry is going to have to somehow subsidize these costs for travel to resume in any significant way. We’ve seen some of the cruise companies doing this (Dream Cruises offers a S$60 test, for instance), and hopefully this will become more common going forward.