AncestryDNA and Family Tree DNA Sales + GEDmatch

4/23/2014

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dna-split.png

In celebration of DNA Day, which was started back in 2003 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the publication of the Molecular Structure of DNA by Watson and Crick, as well as the announcement that the Human Genome Project was very close to complete, both Family Tree DNA and AncestryDNA have announced sales. So if you have been thinking about undergoing DNA testing, now would be a great time to take the plunge.

See below for more details, but these sales don't go on for long, so note the deadlines and don't procrastinate for too long:

The Family Tree DNA starts 25 April and ends at 23:59 hours (probably Central Daylight Time) on 29 April 2014
The AncestryDNA sale starts 24 April and ends at 23:59 Pacific Daylight Time on 27 April 2014. UPDATES (24/25 Apr 2014): See below, with Mother's Day sale ending 11 May 2014 and DNA Day sale ending 27 April.

I've been tracking DNA sales at the various companies, so to see how these sale prices compare with others, check out How Much Do DNA Tests Cost? If you live outside the USA, see Notes for UK (and ex-US) Residents.

I've also included some details about GEDmatch, which doesn't need to have a sale, as it's free! In the event you haven't heard about it, I encourage everyone who has tested at FamilyTreeDNA (their Family Finder test), AncestryDNA, and 23andMe to upload their data to GEDmatch, as it has various comparison tools not available elsewhere – and it gives you additional matches to others who used a different DNA testing company from you.

FamilyTreeDNA Sale

Sale dates: 00:01 hours on Friday, 25 April to 23:59 hours Tuesday, 29 April, 2014 (times are likely to be CDT)
Y-DNA 37 marker test 20% off the retail price (which I calculate to be $135.20, instead of $169.00)
Y-DNA SNPs 20% off – SNP testing is only available for those who have had Y-DNA testing for STRs (see Here, although this link could change, with the announcement below). With the sale, I calculate the cost will be $31.20 per SNP (normal cost is $39)

Other news from FTDNA:

The new Y-haplogroup tree, with an expansion from 400 to 1000 terminal branches, will be released on Friday (25 April 2014)

AncestryDNA Sale

UPDATE to what is outlined below (24 April 2014):

The "DNA Day" price of $79 (+$9.95 shipping) shown didn't work initially (they sent the offer out prematurely), but instead I found a "Mother's Day" Sale for $89, plus a coupon for free shipping (Code: FREESHIPDNA worked for me), so effectively the overall cost was the same as the supposed "DNA Day" price. I was able to find this offer at both my normal Ancestry account, in addition to an account where I don't have a paid subscription or an associated DNA test (see screenshot below), so presumably it is open to everyone. The $89 price expires 11 May 2014 and the free shipping code expires 12 May 2014.

Further UPDATE (25 April 2014):

The "DNA Day" sale price of $79 reappeared – effective only from 25-27 April 2014 – this is very obvious when you log in to Ancestry. Try using the free shipping code of FREESHIPDNA I mentioned above, which is supposed to be in place until 12 May. Combined, this is then almost $30 off.

Sale starts 24 April (delayed until 25 April) and ends 27 April at 23:59 hours PDT
Autosomal DNA (and X-DNA) for $79 (normally $99)
Try using coupon code FREESHIPDNA as well for free shipping

This is the cheapest price for any autosomal DNA test (it also includes X-chromosome DNA) – I'm not sure if this is offered to everyone, or only to current customers for testing their relatives. AncestryDNA is only available in the US and unfortunately the company offers no chromosome browser or other tools to assess the matching DNA segments, but raw data can be "transferred" to Family Tree DNA for $69 ($49 during a sale last summer), where you can assess the matching segment data, and you are then fishing in 2 "DNA ponds" for matches for ~$120-$140. You can also upload your raw DNA data from AncestryDNA to GEDmatch (see below), which is free, and this also allows you to assess and compare your matching segment data. So this $79 sale price is great value, and there are ways around Ancestry not providing a chromosome browser or other tools.

GEDmatch

GEDmatch doesn't have sales, as it is FREE. It is a wonderful, non-profit website, run by volunteers, with an excellent reputation in the genetic genealogy community, where you can upload your autosomal- and X-chromosome DNA data from FamilyTreeDNA (the Family Finder test), 23andMe, or AncestryDNA. [Note: You can't upload Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA data.] Although there are no charges to use GEDmatch, they do accept donations – please consider making a donation every now and again if you find it useful, to help with server costs and upgrades (which helps all of us).

First of all you have to download your raw DNA data from FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, or AncestryDNA (see Download Raw Data for details of how to do this for each company) and then you can upload it to GEDmatch and obtain other matches across all 3 companies. If you use a Mac (Apple) computer, Read This before downloading your data. It also has some sophisticated matching and comparison tools not available elsewhere, so it is invaluable. See Using GEDmatch (from DNAAdoption) for details and screenshots for how to upload your data there, as well as what to do once your data have been processed. See also the GEDmatch Utilities downloads available in Word and PDF (written by Barton Lewis and Kitty Cooper, 18 Feb 2014).

Although there have been times when it took several weeks for DNA data to be processed at GEDmatch, currently it is only taking a few days. Give it a try – you can't beat the price!