Family Tree DNA winter sale

The Family Tree DNA winter sale ends at midnight US time on 31st December 2010. If you are thinking of taking a DNA test it is now a very good time to do so before the prices go back up again in the New Year.

FTDNA's new Family Finder test is included in the current sale and is available at the special price of US $249 (approx £159). The usual price is $289 (approx £184). The Family Finder test looks at 500,000 autosomal SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms), and can help you to find relatives on all your family lines back for about four or five generations. You can read my review of the Family Finder test here. There is also further information in the ISOGG Wiki.

The mitochondrial DNA Plus test is also included in the current sale at the reduced price of $129 (approx £82). The normal price is $159 (approximately £101). The mtDNA Plus test looks at the two hypervariable regions of the mitochondrial genome (HVR1 and HVR2), and will help you find relatives on your direct maternal line.

The sale prices for Family Finder and mtDNA tests apply to all kits whether ordered through a project or not. Both the Family Finder and the mtDNA test can be taken by men or women.

There are two Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) tests included in the current sale, and there is a discount when ordering through a surname project or a geographical project. The project prices are:

- Y-DNA 37-marker test $119 (approx £76) (usual price $149 – approx £95)
- Y-DNA 67-marker test $199 (approx £127) (usual price $239 – approx £152)

The non-project sale price for the 37-marker test is $139 and $219 for the 67-marker test. There are over 6,000 surname projects at FTDNA, representing over 100,000 surnames, so most people will find that their surname is already included in a project. If by any chance no project exists for your surname there will usually be a suitable geographical project. I have provided a list of all the known geographical projects for the British Isles here. There are also projects for most European countries. If you are interested in taking a Y-DNA test and cannot find a suitable project do get in touch and I will see if I can help. This article provides a brief explanation of the testing process and what you might expect from a Y-DNA test. Remember that the Y-DNA test can only be taken by a man. If you are a female you will need to find a male relative with your surname to take a test on your behalf.

© Debbie Kennett 2010