FTDNA's 13th International Genetic Genealogy Conference and the FTDNA sale

At the weekend Family Tree DNA held their 13th International Genetic Genealogy Conference for group administrators. You can see the full programme here. I've been following the news from the conference on Twitter by checking out the hashtag #FTDNA2017. Thank you to Katherine Borges, Lisa Janine Cloud,  Louis Kessler and Marilyn Souders for all the tweets and photos.

Some of the conference attendees have blogged about the conference. I've provided a list below which I will update if further articles become available.

Conference reports from Jennifer Zinck
Jennifer always writes wonderfully detailed notes from the conference and I recommend reading her articles in their entirety. It's almost like being there in person!

• 13th International Genetic Genealogy Conference – Saturday
• 13th International Genetic Genealogy Conference – Sunday

Conference reports from Louis Kessler

Louis Kessler is a first-time conference attendee. He provides an interesting perspective and has also shared a selection of photographs.

• FTDNA’s 13th International Genetic Genealogy Conf, Day 1
• FTDNA’s 13th International Genetic Genealogy Conf Day 2
• FTDNA’s 13th International Genetic Genealogy Conf Day 3
• FTDNA's 13th IGG conference lab tour

Conference report from Judy Russell

• What's not in our genes An overview of Michael Hammer's talk

Conference report from Rob van Drie

• Report Genetic Genealogy Conference 2017 (Family Tree DNA)

Presentations

The slides from some of the presentations will be made available to project administrators.

Maurice Gleeson has shared his two conference presentations on his YouTube channel:

• Building a mutation history tree
• Grouping your project members

FTDNA sale

At the close of the conference FTDNA announced a sale which will run until the end of the year. Upgrades are also included in the sale. Here is a chart showing the sale prices.

Individual Tests	Sale price	Regular price
Family Finder (FF)	$59	$89
mtFull Sequence (FMS)	$169	$199
Y-37	$129	$169
Y-67	$229	$268
Y-111	$299	$359
Test Bundles	Sale price	Regular price
Family Finder + Y-37	$178	$238
Family Finder + Y-67	$278	$337
FF + mtFull Sequence	$218	$268
FF + Y-67 + mtFull Sequence	$442	$536
Upgrades	Sale price	Regular price
mt/mtPlus to FMS	$119	$159
Big Y	$475	$575
Y-12 to Y-37	$69	$109
Y-25 to Y-37	$35	$59
Y-37 to Y-67	$79	$109
Y-37 to Y-111	$168	$228
Y-67 to Y-111	$99	$129

Note that, in addition to the above prices, FTDNA charges $12.95 for shipping. Kits for customers in the US are sent out by DHL and the cost includes return shipping. Customers in other countries will need to pay the return postage separately.

There is also a 15% discount on SNPs and SNP packs for the sale period.

FTDNA have given existing customers discount codes (coupons) which can be used to get a further reduction on the sale price. You'll need to log into your FTDNA account and click on the Holiday Reward to see your offer. As always, a number of people have taken the initiative to set up collaborative spreadsheets where unused coupons can be shared and exchanged.

A spreadsheet is available from this link that was shared on the Haplogroup Facebook page.

There are also other spreadsheets being maintained by specific groups such as the U106 group on Yahoo.

Family Tree DNA summer sale

I've received notification from Family Tree DNA that their summer sale will be starting tomorrow 1st August. There are discounted prices on their most popular tests and upgrades are also included in the sale. Family Finder is reduced to $69 and the BigY is reduced to $395. The sale runs until 31st August. Any items ordered on invoice must be paid within a week of the ending of the sale. Here are the details of the sale prices (in US dollars):

The DNA Day sale at Family Tree DNA

Family Tree DNA have announced that they will be holding a sale to celebrate DNA Day. The sale starts today and will end at 11:59 pm Houston time on 27th April.  Here are the sale prices as advised to group administrators.

If you've not ordered a Family Finder test or wish to test other family members now is a really good time to do so. The price works out at £46 or 55 Euros at current exchange rates. Postage will be charged extra and costs $12.95 worldwide. In the US return postage is included in the price.

There are also particularly good deals on the BigY test and the SNP Packs. The BigY is £331 or 395 Euros, and the SNP packs are £70 or 83 Euros which I believe are the lowest ever prices. If you wish to order a BigY or SNP pack test make sure you check first with your haplogroup project administrator to ensure that you're ordering the right test for your situation.

Note that Y-DNA and mtDNA upgrades are not included. You will receive the reduced price if you add a product to an existing kit, but going from Y-37 to 67 or mtPlus to mtFull Sequence (FMS) will not be discounted this time.

Any orders placed through the invoice system must be paid by the end of the sale period.

Happy DNA Day!

News from the FTDNA conference and the start of the FTDNA sale

The annual Family Tree DNA International Conference on Genetic Genealogy took place over the weekend in Houston, Texas. Jennifer Zinck has provided two very detailed write-ups from the conference which are well worth reading in their entirety and will give an idea of what we might expect from FTDNA in the coming months:

• 12th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy – Saturday
• 12th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy – Sunday

You can see some pictures and tweets from the conference by searching on Twitter using the hashtags #FTDNA2016 and #FTDNAconf2016.

If there are further reports from the conference I will post the links here.

Ancient Origins report
A new Ancient Origins report was announced at the conference and this feature is now live. Log into your Family Finder account to get your results. Here is my report.

There is currently little information provided about the populations used to inform these reports but there is a brief FAQ section in the FTDNA Learning Center. This is probably not a report to be taken too seriously but is a little bit of fun.

FTDNA sale
At the end of the conference FTDNA announced the start of their sale. The Family Finder test is on offer for just $59 (£47), its lowest ever price. There are reductions on all the other tests as well as on some upgrades. Click here to see a full list of all the tests available and all the other sale prices.

The BigY test is included in the sale and is on offer for $525 but is only available to existing customers who have already ordered a Y-STR test.

There are also lots of coupons being offered to existing customers which can provide additional reductions on top of the sale prices. The deals include offers for up to $100 off the Big Y test, $60 off the 111-marker Y-DNA test, $40 off the 67-marker Y-DNA test, $40 off the full mitochondrial sequence test, as well as smaller reductions on other tests and upgrades.

If you're looking for an extra discount look out for offers in the various genetic genealogy mailing lists and Facebook groups. Many groups, including some of the haplogroup projects, are maintaining spreadsheets to collate all the spare coupons so if you want to order a test check first to see what is available. The coupons will be issued every week on a Monday until the end of the year.

Family Tree DNA's summer sale

Family Tree DNA are having a summer sale. The Family Finder is being offered at the lowest ever price of $69. Even with the currently weak pound that is still a bargain at just £52. If you've not already done a Family Finder test at FTDNA now is your chance. FTDNA have the advantage of a truly international database as well as providing a welcome range of additional tools such as a chromosome browser to let you get the best out of your results. You can also join all the relevant projects. Here is the relevant section of the e-mail I received from Family Tree DNA with the details of the tests that are included in the sale. I've included the sterling prices in red.

Dear Group Administrators, Summer in Houston means relentless heat. Ruthless sunshine punctuated by the occasional thunderstorm. The hum of air conditioner compressors is the season’s soundtrack. You know what else it means? Yep. You got it. It means the Sizzlin’ Summer Sale is about to launch! This summer the focus is on bundles that include Family Finder: Y37 + Family Finder, Y67 + Family Finder, FMS + Family Finder, and Comprehensive Genome (FF+Y67+FMS). The prices are in the chart below. But wait - there’s more! The heat must have gotten to Bennett because the only individual test he’s reduced pricing on is Family Finder, which will be $69. You read that right. $69 US DOLLARS! (For those of you who are new and may not be aware, Bennett Greenspan is the founder and president of FTDNA.) Not only has he set the Family Finder price ridiculously low, but he’s not giving us an end date for this sale. It could last a few days or a few weeks - we don’t know and he’s not telling! So what we’re saying is, take advantage of these great prices while they’re hot! Here’s the pricing:  Product Retail Pricing Sale Price Group Price Family Finder $99 $69 $69     (£52) Y37 + Family Finder $268 $228 $218 (£164) Y67 + Family Finder $367 $327 $317 (£238) Comprehensive Genome (FF+Y67+FMS) $566 $499 $489 (£367) FMS + Family Finder $298 $258 $258 (£194) **Please note - these bundles must remain bundles. If you buy at the sale price for future use, the entire bundle must be used on one tester. Canceling tests from the bundle will cause tests to revert to regular price.**

DNA Day sale at Family Tree DNA

DNA Day is celebrated on 25th April and commemorates the day in 1953 when the landmark paper detailing the structure of DNA was published in the journal Nature. It also recognises the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. In honour of this very special day Family Tree DNA have announced that they are holding a short sale.

The sale starts NOW and will extend until Tuesday 26 April 2016 at 11.59 pm Central Time (the local time in Houston, Texas). The current sale is limited to new tests and add-ons but I've been told that there will be an upgrade sale in June.

An e-mail is being sent out today to all group administrators at FTDNA to alert them to the sale.

Here is a chart showing the prices. I've included the equivalent sterling prices in the chart. If you want to check prices in other currencies use one of the currency converters such as the one provided by XE.com.

Product	Retail Price US$	Retail Price GB £	Sale Price US$	Sale Price GB £
Family Finder	$99	£69	$79	£55
mtFull Seq	$199	£138	$149	£103
Y37	$169	£117	$129	£90
Y67	$268	£186	$199	£138
Y111	$359	£249	$289	£200
BigY	$575	£399	$460	£319
SNP Packs	$119	£82	$109	£76
Not on Sale
mtDNA plus

If you haven't yet ordered a DNA test this is your big chance to do so. If you've got friends and family who are interested in testing you can encourage them to join us. The more people who test the more we learn.

If you are thinking of ordering a BigY test or a SNP pack I strongly recommend that you consult with the volunteer administrators of your Y-DNA haplogroup project to ensure that you select the best test for your individual circumstances.

AncestryDNA are also having a DNA Day sale but as far as I can make out the sale only applies to customers in the US and Canada. In the UK AncestryDNA seem to be experimenting with new pricing for their autosomal product. Some people are being offered the test at £79 while for other people the test is still being sold at £99.  Note that with the AncestryDNA test you also have to pay £20 for return shipping by courier. Family Tree DNA charge $9.99 (£7), but you also need to pay your own return postage though this only costs a couple of pounds.

For detailed comparisons of all the different tests see the comparison charts in the ISOGG Wiki.

FTDNA Group Administrators' Conference 2015 and the FTDNA winter sale

Family Tree DNA Group Administrators' Conference 2015
The Family Tree DNA group administrators' conference took place last weekend. Jennifer Zinck has written two very detailed summaries of the two-day event which include news of forthcoming developments at Family Tree DNA:

- 11th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy – Saturday

- 11th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy – Sunday

A very detailed report with lots of photos has also been provided by Roberta Estes:

- 2015 Family Tree DNA 11th International Conference – The Best Yet

The slides for most of the presentations are available on the Family Tree DNA Slideshare account:

- www.slideshare.net/FamilyTreeDNA

Family Tree DNA Winter Sale

It was also announced at the close of the conference that the Family Tree DNA winter sale has now started. The sale will end at 11.59 pm Texas time on 31st December 2015. A list of the sale prices can be found below.

YDNA	Standard Price	Group Price	Sale
Y12	$59		not on sale
Y25	$109		not on sale
Y37	$169	$149	$139
Y67	$268	$248	$228
Y111	$359	$339	$309
YDNA Upgrades	Standard Price		Sale
Y12 - 37	$119	$99	$79
Y12 - 67	$209	$189	$151
Y12 - 111	$359	$339	$271
Y25 - 37	$69	$49	$39
Y25 - 67	$168	$148	$118
Y25 - 111	$269	$249	$199
Y37 - 67	$119	$99	$79
Y37 - 111	$240	$220	$176
Y67 - 111	$149	$129	$103
Big Y	Standard Price		Sale
Big Y	$575		$525
Family Finder	Standard Price		Sale
FF	$99		$89
mtDNA	Standard Price		Sale
mtDNA+	$69		not on sale
mtDNA FullSeq	$199		$169
mtDNA+ to FullSeq	$159		$149
SNP Packs	Standard Price		Sale
SNP Packs	$99, $119		$10 off each pack

To convert the US dollar prices into your local currency you can use the XE Currency Converter.

FTDNA are also releasing special discount codes on a weekly basis every Monday to existing FTDNA customers. These codes can be shared with family and friends, and offer additional savings of up to $75.

Someone on the ISOGG DNA Newbie list has very kindly compiled a collaborative spreadsheet on GoogleDocs where people can post their spare discount codes so take advantage of these special offers to get the best available price. The spreadsheet is shared with permission and can be found here.

If you've not already take a DNA test or if you want to order a test for a friend or family member then now would be a very good time to do so!