Autosomal Transfers to Family Tree DNA are Now Just $10 Until the End of October

According to genetic genealogist blogger Roberta Estes at DNAeXplained, Family Tree DNA is having a sale on its Autosomal DNA Transfer Unlock fee. Instead of $19 to unlock the additional features it will be just $10 using a coupon code until the end of October (October 31, midnight Central Time) which is just three days away. Read on to learn the code.

What is an Autosomal DNA Transfer? 
Well, if you have tested your autosomal DNA with another DNA testing company such as AncestryDNA, 23andMe or MyHeritageDNA you can download your raw DNA data from that company's site and then upload that data to Family Tree DNA so you can compare your test to the FamilyFinder database at Family Tree DNA. (FamilyFinder is what FTDNA calls its autosomal DNA tests.) No "spit" is transferred between websites, just data.

What autosomal DNA tests can be transferred?
Currently data from the following autosomal DNA tests can be transferred to the autosomal test database at Family Tree DNA:

23andMe version 3 and version 4 chips
23andMe version 1 and version 2 chips can not be transferred. As of August 2017, 23andMe switched to a version 5 chip which is the new Global Screening Array chip that tests less locations and is currently not compatible either.

AncestryDNA version 1 and version 2 chips 
Ancestry changed test chips in mid-May 2016 so tests results since then are on the v2 chip.

MyHeritageDNA*
*Transfers of tests done at MyHeritageDNA actually get full access with the free transfer so there is no unlocking fee. (We learned something new by reading all the Frequently Asked Questions. So it pays to read all those details.) MyHeritageDNA tests are actually processed at the Family Tree DNA lab but MyHeritageDNA has its own reference populations for determining ethnicity mixture and its own algorithms for determining matches.

One thing to note is that transfers of tests on the AncestryDNA v2 chip and the 23andMe v4 chip receive all but the most speculative matches (6th to remote cousins) because these chips are not fully compatible.

Why would you want to transfer your results? 
It gets your autosomal DNA into another "pond" of potential DNA matches. Remember, not everyone who has tested has tested at each DNA testing company and you do not know where someone might have tested. So it is to your advantage to "fish in as many ponds as you can" to find those matches. (Testing at every company you can is a recommended strategy for those, such as adoptees, searching for unknown family.)

Doing an autosomal transfer is a cost effective way to fish in two ponds. Autosomal DNA tests normally cost about $89 to $99 plus shipping depending on the testing company but often these tests can be found on sale for between $69 and $89. So a transfer gets you into a second pond for about a third of the cost. (And if you got your original test on sale, it can almost be looked at as two tests for the price of one.)

Please note, that if you have already tested someone's autosomal DNA directly at Family Tree DNA you do not need to do an autosomal transfer of that same person's test from another company. Because you will very likely get the same results as the test you did directly with Family Tree DNA.

But if you tested yourself or someone else at one of these other companies, you might want to consider doing an autosomal transfer (or a few) to Family Tree DNA. If the test you plan to transfer is someone else's DNA, make sure you have that person's okay to do so.

If you previously did an autosomal transfer but did not unlock the rest of your test results for the $19 fee, perhaps this sale will make it worthwhile for you to unlock them now since it is just about half price for the next few days.

What costs are involved? 
The Autosomal Transfer is actually free and this allows you to see all of your matches in Family Tree DNA's FamilyFinder database. It also lets you use the Family Finder Matrix which lets you select up to ten matches to compare to see if they match each other like they match you. Depending on the volume of submissions it can take between one to twenty-four hours for the autosomal transfer results. Once you have your initial free results then you can decide to unlock (or not) the rest of your test results. So don't wait to long to decide to transfer and unlock all of your results.

To fully access your autosomal DNA transfer it normally costs $19 to unlock the rest of the test results. (*See the above exception for MyHeritageDNA transfers.) Unlocking allows you to access the Chromosome Browser (where you can see which chromosome segments you share with matches), your ethnicity mixture called MyOrigins, your ancientOrigins mixture, and it allows you to contact your matches if they have allowed matches to see their emails.

How do you get the sale price?
By using coupon code ATUL1017 the unlock fee drops to just $10.

If your autosomal DNA test happens to be on one of those chip versions that are not compatible and will not transfer, take note that the FamilyFinder (autosomal) test at Family Tree DNA is currently on sale for $69 plus shipping.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE