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12/16/20 Update: A number of recent commenters in early December have had more positive experiences with Vault Health; their timing as likely helped, as the early December period is usually a lull for travel, between busy Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's travel.
11/20/20 Update: Currently we can't recommend Vault Health, at least during peak holiday periods, as it appears to be overwhelmed by demand and unable to provide responsive service to clients, especially given the fast turnaround required for Hawaii. Please scroll down to read the most recent commenters' experiences. Also note that as of 11/24/20, Hawaii-bound travelers will need a negative COVID-19 test result *before* boarding their departing flight in order to avoid quarantine.
This is our Vault Health COVID-19 Test Review based on our October 2020 coronavirus PCR testing experience. Vault Health has partnered with JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, the state of Hawaii and other organizations to provide the requisite COVID-19 PCR testing prior to travel to certain destinations.
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Ordering the Vault Health COVID-19 Test
Ordering our test was straightforward. Since we would be flying with JetBlue, we went to the vaulthealth.com/jetblue site and created an account for each of us. This was the only part I was a bit frustrated with: I needed to create three separate accounts, each with its own unique email and login, which is somewhat cumbersome for a family. Many destinations do require children to also take a COVID-19 PCR test, so your child will need his/her own account. Always double check the COVID-19 testing requirements of your destination, especially as these can change.
Since I placed the order earlier in the week, on a Tuesday, the test kits arrived the very next day, Wednesday. Note if you're trying to get your kit the very next day, avoid ordering on a Friday, since it won't arrive until the following Monday at the earliest. Thursday orders may also not arrive until Monday, so place your order Monday-Wednesday if at all possible.
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Taking the Vault Health COVID-19 Test
We took the Vault Health COVID-19 test on a Monday, hoping to receive our test results on Wednesday. Be sure to not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in the 30 minutes before you provide your saliva sample.
After logging in, we requested an appointment with a remote supervisor. Before we were placed into a remote “waiting room” we had to confirm that we hadn't eaten/drunk anything within the last 30 minutes, that we had our entire test kit, and that we had the Zoom app with camera and audio enabled on our device.
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Our waiting times ranged from 7-20 minutes, even though the estimated waiting time for all of them was 10 minutes. Once the test supervisor appeared, I had to confirm my name, date of birth, and show my driver's license. For those testing their family, it's possible to have everyone conduct their supervised sample in one Zoom call.
After that it was time to provide the saliva sample, by spitting into the tube (which helpfully has a funnel attached to it, to make it easier). The sample amount has to be at or above the black line, so be sure to drink an ample amount of water *before* the 30 minute cut-off time prior to the sample, to make it easier to provide enough saliva.
Once that was done, I removed the funnel part and screwed on the cap, which has a blue liquid to preserve the sample. You're instructed to shake the vial for 5 seconds to mix everything together. After that, it's time to place it inside the cardboard box, and then into the postage paid UPS envelope. The antiseptic wipe is to wipe down the envelope immediately prior to handing it to your nearest UPS facility.
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Getting the Test Confirmation
Just as we'd hoped, the following day we received confirmation that our samples were received by the lab (roughly 28 hours after mailing it).
And the very next morning, so within about 18 hours after the lab receipt confirmation, we received our test results; fortunately, negative. Vault Health does warn you that in addition to “positive” or “negative,” a small percentage of samples, roughly 2%, are deemed “inconclusive” where the test is not able to definitively determine status.
If needing to upload a one page pdf, this will be in your Vault Health account. Note that Vault Health does NOT provide a time stamp for the time the test was taken, monitored over Zoom, only the date. This is fine for the State of Hawaii, which is aware of this issue and still partners with Vault. If, however, you take a different COVID-19 test (not with Vault Health) that is time stamped, it's critical that it be taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to the departure of your flight to Hawaii. In the case of connecting flights, for example DEN-LAX-OGG, you would need to take the test in the 72 hours before your departure time from Los Angeles LAX (*not* 72 hours prior to your departure from Denver DEN, as that would be too early).
You'll also want to print out your negative test documentation; at least one commenter has noted that the line in Hawaii for those with printed documentation was much shorter than for those who only had it on their mobile device.
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The Verdict
We were pleasantly surprised at how efficient and easy everything was with ourVault Health COVID-19 tests. We received the tests the day after we ordered them, we were notified the lab had received our samples the day after we mailed them, and less than 24 hours afterwards we had our negative test result.
If you've used a Vault Health COVID-19 test recently, what was your experience?
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225 Comments on "Review: Vault Health COVID-19 Test"
I’m so nervous! I had already purchased Vault test kit before they changed the information on Tuesday & Wednesday flights. My flight leaves 12/9. I tested Monday 12/7/20. Lab received test at via email @2:20p 12/08. It is 6pm 12/8 and have no received anything my fingers are crossed that everything works out. This would be my second time canceling my Hawaii trip this year.
Kanika, sorry to hear; hope that you receive the results back prior to your flight to Hawaii tomorrow. We have been recommending for awhile now to arrange Hawaii flights for Thursday-Saturday, so that one can test Monday-Wednesday and get test results back in time.
Having a hard time getting a answer from the Vault been asking for a few days where my tests are. Ups said they are waiting for them to send it and a label has been made. It’s been 6 days now. Thank God I ordered my test way in advance. But feeling hopeless in getting a answer back. I’ve called numerous times and emailed. Can someone help
Amanda, unfortunately unresponsiveness from Vault Health has been a common complaint recently among the comments. You might also try tweeting Vault Health (twitter: https://twitter.com/VaultHealth_/) and trying to send a DM.
Can any one help here.
My flight to Hawaii is 12/10 07:45 AM PST.
Me and my spouse sent the test kit sample at the same time and delivered to lab at the same time(Delivered 12/8 10:00 AM EST). my spouse received an email with subject “The lab has received your sample”, But I didn’t received any email to me.
Now I am worried that will I get the test results before the departure of my flight.?
I tried to call vault health and always going to voicemail.
SAHITI: I am in the exact same situation. Did you finally get the confirmation? Were you and your spouse’s test results on time? How long did the whole thing take for you?
UPDATE: I got the confirmation at 12:30pm PST and the test results (NEGATIVE) at 5:30pm PST. Vault has worked our well for us.
Sahithi, sorry to hear that you’re also having trouble getting through to Vault Health. As I suggested to Amanda above, you might try tweeting Vault Health (twitter: https://twitter.com/VaultHealth_/) and trying to send a direct message. Did you put STAT Hawaii on both UPS envelopes and boxes? That can help with getting Vault Health to prioritize processing of the test samples.
Took 3 vault tests today for our Saturday departure. The nurse told us we can put all 3 tests back in the same white box. On the box I wrote stat Hawaii also she told me to write test x 3 on the box too. On the mailing envelope I also put stat Hawaii. Make sure you also have the return envelope that has a neon sticker on it. Supposed to be the ones for expedited Hawaii. I will check back when I hear that they received it. Hopefully everything will go smoothly
Hey guys, so I ordered the vault covid test because it was saying it’s an overnight test. I ordered it SUNDAY! I got it laaate late (4pm) Tuesday! I sent it back obviously Wednesday, today is Thursday and it is bot out for shipping yet!!! Who knows how long it would take to get the actual results! And on top of everything I payed 119 dollars? FOR WHAT? I needed those results by the end of the week!!
WHAT A NIGHTMARE DON’T USE THIS SERVICE I ORDERED 4 TEST DID NOT RECEIVE ONE THE OTHER 2 WERE NOT DONE QUICK ENOUGH TO TRAVEL, HAY THEY DID GET ONE RIGHT. NO CUSTOMER SERVICE PERIOD. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO CHALLENGE THE CREDIT CARD IF I AM EVER GOING TO GET MY MONEY BACK
AFTER Several hours on hold I was finally able to reach them and they refunded mine and got the other 2 processed in the nick of time pretty stressful
That’s terrible about the hold time, but glad you were finally able to get through to Vault Health, receive a refund for the test kit you never received, and get the other two tests processed in time.
Martin, thanks for sharing your experience with Vault Health, using kits ordered via the Hawaiian Airlines link. Glad it all went smoothly, and enjoy your trip!
Yesterday took 3 tests. Dropped them off at UPS. Today Wednesday got an email around 12:30 that the lab received them. Mailed all 3 in same bag. Tonight. Same night Wednesday we received results. All 3 negative. So a little aver 24 hours. We live in California so they went overnight. Sorry it hadn’t work out for some people. We were happy with turn around time
Thanks for sharing your experience Kyle, glad your Vault Health testing and results turnaround went smoothly, and safe travels!
Don’t use Vault Health, it’s a SCAM! They never gave Covid test results as paid for. I’ve sent several emails and made numerous calls and not one reply. Don’t waste your money! And shame on JetBlue partnering with them. They can’t produce what’s promised.
My wife and I took the test at 10:00am on 12/10 for a flight time of 9:30am from OAK-HNL on 12/13.
Separate Zoom sessions, wrote STAT HAWAII on the box and the UPS envelope, which already had a pink neon sticker on it.
Dropped off the samples to the UPS store at 11:00am.
Tracked UPS – package was delivered at 10:00am EST.My wife got a confirmation of receiving the sample at 8:15am PST, I got mine at 12:30pm PST on 12/11. We both got our test results at 5:30PM the same day. Worked our beautifully for us.
How is the zoom call date and time selected? I did not see available dates and times when ordering the test and i am concerned that i will receive the test with no availavility to perform the supervised test. We are trying to visit our son for Christmas. He is in the military stationed in Hawaii and this is proving almost impossible.
Sherilyn
Kimmie, thanks for sharing your experience, and glad it all worked smoothly, apart from UPS losing one of the tests. Great advice to print out documentation, I’ll add that to the post.
Vault was great !! Ordered test on Friday – received on Saturday. Tested in Monday and shipped that afternoon. Lab received on Tuesday a d we got Reilly’s Tuesday night. Flight is Thursday !! It worked for us and in Indiana the options for Hawaii travel are extremely limited!!
Glad it worked well for you Donna, thanks for sharing your Vault Health experience!
My UPS tracker says my son’s test was delivered but he never got a confirmation email while the rest of us did. He didn’t get his results and we all did. I’ve been calling the number they provided with no results. Help?
We are in the exact same boat. 3/4 and now less than 15 hours before departure. No response on email, twitter or voicemail. Did you end up getting yours?
Samantha, sorry to hear your son hasn’t received his results yet and that you haven’t been able to get through to Vault Health by phone. Have you tried emailing? Try covid@vaulthealth.com and hope you hear back soon.
John, thanks for sharing your experience both with Vault Health and the Hawaii Safe Travels site. Glad that despite the glitches, your persistence paid off and that you received your results in time. Enjoy Hawaii!
Cole, thanks for sharing your experience. Great to hear that you received your results so quickly after your sample was delivered to the lab, given the shipping delay caused by the snowstorm. Safe travels to Hawaii!
Vault is UNRELIABLE! Missed my Hawaii flight due to getting results late. Proceed at your own risk!
Ordered test on 12/16. Still have not received it. Impossible to get an answer for
Vault thru email or phone. Left email 3 days ago no response. I was ona call for 40 minutes when they directed me to voicemail. Clearly they are iverwbelmed and can’t be counted on. Do not use
The fact that they close at 8PM ET on Fridays saturdays and sundays really screws people over on the west coast. My flight was on Monday at 5PST which means I had to wait until Saturday morning to take my test, when I should have taken it on Friday evening. My test got to the lab on Monday afternoon, and I received my test results quickly after that (early Tuesday morning). However, that was too late for Hawaii. Basically you can only trust this place for the 72 hour period if your flight is on Thursday-Saturday. So ridiculous!!!
Can you tell me what time Tuesday did you get your results. My flight is at 10 am est to Hawaii. They received my test today Wed at 3p.m. even though UPS said they delivered at 10 am.
Very disappointing, frustrating, and expensive experience.
My daughter and I took the test in the same Zoom meeting, per the Vault Zoom instructor recommendations…. while I received the test results fast, my daughter’s test, although has been delivered as per UPS tracking confirmation, is not in the system, didn’t receive the test results.
I’ve been on the phone for HOURS trying to get a hold of a Vault live agent, no such luck, left 3 voice mails, sent emails…. looks like my next call is to the airline to cancel my Hawaii vacation.
Florina, thanks for sharing your recent Vault Health experience, and sorry to hear how frustrating it was. Judging by the frustration of many commenters around Thanksgiving and more recently, the high demand around peak holiday seasons can mean that results aren’t turned around in time. In general we’re recommending that our clients only use Vault Health when not traveling during the peak holiday times of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Hilary
I assume you work for or paid by Vault, as your feedback is ABSOLUTELY Not acceptable. If Vault cannot fulfill the strict 72 hrs requirements for Hawaii, they should put a disclaimer, similar to what they have for traveling on Tue & Wed. Furthermore, the Zoom instructor had us write Hawaii stat on the pink label as if any extra priority in handling. I finally heard from Vault customer experience, my daughter’s kit was lost after arriving at the facility. I am expecting reimbursement for both kits…nevermind the stress and LOST vacation after such a horrible year.
Hello Hilary! I am another frustrating customer. We are a family of 5 that purchased and submitted our tests (for Hawaii Maui). 4 of us got results, but one person have not. I have been trying to get hold of anyone including executive team since morning today and no response.
I would really appreciate if you can suggest how we can check. I can write details here in the chat. thank you!
Hi Tatyana, sorry to hear you’re also having trouble getting one of the Vault Health test results for your family. Have you tried tweeting Vault Health? Their Twitter handle is @VaultHealth_ and I see that about an hour ago they responded to another customer, asking them to Direct Message them for assistance. Hope it works out!
Just for those traveling soon ordered vault for Hawaii trip on departing 12/25 Friday from CA. Took the test Tuesday early evening, dropped off at ups before 6p pick up. Lab received email from vault at 9am next day weds and results returned 10 hours later. All in all, results back within 24hours including shipping for us.
To update my previous post about Walgreens. Tonight while at a 6:30 dinner in Maui my results from Walgreens were emailed to me. So my results took 80 hours from the time I took the test to receive. My wife’s results have yet to come as 5am HST. Good thing we didn’t need them as a fall back test.
Thanks for sharing your Walgreens COVID-19 test experience. Glad that you didn’t end up needing it, and that the Vault Health COVID-19 test worked out for your wife and you, in time for your Hawaiian Airlines flight.
They screwed me. Did not get results in time. Do not waste money buying from them.
Hi Hilary,
Thank you for all your help. I saw in a comment posted 1 month ago that you do not recommend Vault anymore. We just booked a return trip and a Vault test for travel on 1/2/21 to a state requiring 72 hour testing prior to arrival. Has the demand slowed down? We were slightly concerned with New Years, do you think they will be backed up again? Thanks!
Just wondering if anything had changed regarding the time stamp….is it still the day (not specific time) the zoom call was made / sample taken?
Any updates would be greatly appreciated.
I used the Vault Health test to travel to Hawaii on December 5th, 2020. The experience was great. I received my test results within 24 hours. I would recommend using Vault Health.
Noelle, while I hope you’ll receive your results in time, Vault Health’s Hawaiian Airlines site specifically suggests NOT using Vault Health, at least through the end of 2020, if your flight to Hawaii is on Tuesday and Wednesday, due to UPS not shipping on Sundays: https://learn.vaulthealth.com/hawaiian/
Our flight is tomorrow 8AM (Thursday). I am hoping the lab can get the results emailed to us by midnight….otherwise no Hawaii 🙁
I will keep you posted!
Ah, sorry to hear that UPS took longer, such that your package only reached the lab this morning. Fingers crossed that you receive your results soon, in time for your flight tomorrow!
Hilary, do you know if we get the negative test results after we land if we can upload it to the HI travel site and lift the quarantine requirement? My daughter just sent me a screenshot that says this is the case, but I have heard otherwise from different sources.
Noelle, no, you would have to complete 10 days in quarantine if you don’t receive your negative test results prior to departure. Even if you received them while in flight you’d still have to quarantine. See https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/ “All travelers must have a negative test result BEFORE beginning the final leg of their trip. Anyone without a negative test result PRIOR to departure must quarantine upon arrival.”
Mitch, thanks for sharing your January 2021 experience with Vault Health COVID-19 tests, using the Hawaiian Airlines test. Great reminder that even with a positive result, with a doctor’s note in the 14 days prior to departure that you are fully recovered, it’s still possible to travel to Hawaii.
Is the zoom call available 24/7 or specific hours? We need our test done on a Sunday by 11:20 am – is that an option?
Debbie, it’s not 24/7. Zoom appointments generally are available starting 8am ET daily, so getting a test done before 11:29am shouldn’t be an issue, although be aware that there can be a wait for a supervisor to be available, so we do recommend allowing ample time in case there’s a wait.
Leaving for hawaii feb 5th friday already purchased my vault test..I read great reviews on vault now I see they are over whelmed was this just during the holidays?? are they back to running normal no? I live 4 hours away to a rapid testing so i do not know what to do so risky and alot of planning and money on the line
Vault had possession of my sample on Wednesday afternoon at which time they said result was inconclusive. Email stated not to worry and we would have result in a few hours. It took them until Thursday after 11am to get a negative result—-way beyond the promised few hours! We missed out on trip to Turks abs Caicos and lost lots of money. Vault health is an unreliable company and offered no compensation!
Jen, thanks for sharing your Vault Health experience, and very sorry to hear that you didn’t receive your results in time to travel. Turks & Caicos requires the PCR test to be taken 5 days prior to travel, which at least is a bit more time than the 72 hours for many other destinations. Was there also a UPS delay in the sample getting to Vault Health?
Will Delta airlines accept the vault test for a Jamaican flight?
Jamaica’s COVID-19 requirements state that home based test kit test results are not accepted, so unless you have specific authorization from the Jamaican authorities for Vault Health, you should find an alternative provider that meets Jamaica’s COVID-19 PCR test requirements: https://www.visitjamaica.com/travelauthorization/test-req/https://www.visitjamaica.com/travelauthorization/test-req/
Hi, this thread has been really helpful. A quick question I have is: do you have to be flying a Hawaiian airlines flight to buy through their link? It seems like vault is prioritizing their tests over just the normal tests.
You don’t have to buy through the Hawaiian Airlines Vault Health link to get priority; if you buy via the State of Hawaii link you obtain the same priority and pink sticker indicating that your results should be expedited by the lab. Go to https://learn.vaulthealth.com/state-of-hawaii/
Thank you. I did however already purchase the test through the Hawaiian airlines link. Will that have any affect on the legitimacy if I’m not flying on Hawaiian airlines? It didn’t ask for any flight or airline info when completing the transaction.
We’re not aware of any issues, but you could always reach out to Vault Health directly to double check. As the Vault Health pages for both Hawaiian Airlines and the State of Hawaii indicate, it’s important that you not use Vault Health if your flight to Hawaii is on Tuesday or Wednesday, since it could mean not receiving your test results in time. Hope it works out for you!
Vault health is a terrible option. They have lost 4 of my tests sent to them. There is no number you can call and they respond occasionally to questions with no real help answers through their email. Its been over 1 month and still have no got results, a call or any answers. This is unacceptable.
That’s terrible; as a last effort, if you have a Twitter account, we’d recommend tweeting Vault Health at @VaultHealth_ and if you still don’t hear back, filing a credit card chargeback.
PSA: Vault labs has the WORST customer service! In my experience it was the most outrageous service I have ever received. My test results were not returned within the 72 hour time frame and when I complained to the agent, they handled the situation extremely unprofessionally. Most airports have rapid testing that is the same price as Vault. Go with one of those and you are sure to have a better experience!
We have a trip to Honolulu on a Monday and leaves Albuquerque at 12:32 PM, connecting in Phoenix with a departure of 2:25 PM for Honolulu. I’m guessing that we need to take the test on the previous Friday but I’m not sure what time we can take the Zoom call. Also, will be get the results back before our 12:32 Departure time from Albuquerque? Thanks
This company is a scam. They didn’t have my travel pcr test done in 72 hrs… and 2 out of 3 of my colleagues were also left stranded in the airport. Do not use if you want reliable service. They just blame UPS and take your money
Hello! My husband and I are flying to Maui in March (Saturday flight) and I am trying to figure out which testing option is most reliable. This is stressful! Have the recent reviews of Vault been positive? I’m having trouble finding much feedback about people’s experiences elsewhere. Also considering the Costco version but the reviews are very mixed. Any input anyone has would be appreciated! Haven’t booked airline tickets yet but most likely dying AA.
Hi Kristen – we are going to Maui in March also and after reading the reviews here and from the Costco one, decided to also test through Walgreens as a backup. There’s just too many variables so we felt it was worth it for a little more piece of mind. Best of luck!
Melissa, that’s incredibly stressful–sorry to hear that your test didn’t get delivered when it was supposed to. It sounds though that it may be a UPS delay–or did UPS confirm that it was in fact delivered? Also, did you use the Vault Health Hawaii or Hawaiian Airlines link (if so, your envelope should have a pink sticker indicating prioritization) and write STAT Hawaii on the mailing envelope and box containing the sample? That has been helpful for other commenters upthread.
Best experience ever. Due to bad weather UPS delivered our Covid tests late but Vault Health got us our results before our flight. So impressed and pleased it’s their service!!
Glad Vault Health worked out for you Wendy–safe travels!
Using vault awaiting result
The weak link in the chain is ups
It took 5 days to receive the test and it is now 48 hours since drop off to send back and vault has still not received the test
Vikki, sorry to hear about these problems with UPS delivering the Vault Health test kits. We suspect that anytime there are major weather events, there’s a greater risk of shipping delays. We noticed significant delays with our FedEx shipping this past week due to severe weather in Texas and the Northeast.
I have a Vault test that wasn’t flagged as a travel test. I requested one when my daughter was potentially exposed at school (the child ended up being negative). Can I use this test for my travels to Hawaii or should I order a 2nd one and answer “yes” to the “is this for travel” question. Is the only difference a travel sticker or do the result layout vary as well? Thanks!
Thank you for the info. Yes, we were going to use vault and Walgreens both to be safe. Our flight is on a Thursday 9:30 am so we’ll be completing vault on Monday afternoon. Thanks again.