If you’re searching for Contour test strips — Contour Next, Contour Next One, or Contour strips — now is a good time to consider a meter that doesn’t use test strips at all and has a built-in finger pricker.
The Betachek C50 uses a 50-test cassette instead of individual test strips — so you stop handling, loading, and binning a strip after every finger prick.
Contour test strips are part of a bulky test kit with several parts
Contour test strips are the single-use strips made for Ascensia’s Contour family of meters — most often Contour Next and Contour Next One in UK retail. You will also see them sold as Contour blood glucose strips, Contour blood sugar test strips, or simply Contour sugar test strips. They are the same thing.
Each strip comes from a vial or foil pack. You open the container, pull one strip, push it into the meter, apply blood, then pull the used strip out and throw it away.
The chemistry works. Contour Next strips are a mainstream, accurate strip system. The issue is not whether Contour can measure glucose. The issue is the bulky kit that comes with every strip-based brand:
- A separate meter
- A separate finger pricker
- A vial of Contour test strips
- Used test strip after each test
- A zip up case to hold it all
That is the same “old kit” pattern you see with Accu-Chek Guide Me and most pharmacy meters — Contour is just one of the brands that still sells it.
Why Contour Next strips (and every kit-style strip) get annoying
You handle every strip twice
Open vial → insert strip → apply blood → eject or pull the used strip → dispose. Do that enough times and it makes testing something to avoid. Multiple items to handle, fiddly packaging or remembering to quickly recap the strip container or looking for a rubbish bin for a used test strip all take their toll.
The Betachek C50 meter has a built-in finger pricker, so the Contour-style three-piece kit (meter + strip vial + separate lancing device) collapses into one pocketable unit. Meal markers, adjustable lancing depth, and app logging are included for people who test around meals or want a cleaner history.
More on the design here: blood glucose self-testing and the Accu-Chek Mobile alternative.
What Contour test strips cost if you buy your own
Plenty of people buy Contour blood glucose strips over the counter — either because they are not prescribed them, or because they want to test more often than their allowance covers. If that is you, cost matters as much as handling.
Contour Next test strips at UK pharmacies, checked 4 August 2026:
| Where | 50 strips | Per test |
|---|---|---|
| Chemist4U | £19.99 | 40p |
| Diabetes UK Shop (VAT relief) | £20.41 | 41p |
| Hive Pharmacy | £21.00 | 42p |
| Chemist.net | £23.85 | 48p |
| medino | £23.99 | 48p |
| BETACHEK C50 cassette | £12.50 | 25p |
Cheaper per test than every Contour Next price we found.
No VAT is added. Blood glucose monitoring products are VAT-free for people with diabetes, and the BETACHEK C50 is only intended for people with diabetes — so the price you see is the price you pay. Some retailers show a higher standard-rate price and a separate VAT-relief price; the figures above are the lower ones where a retailer publishes both.
On top of that, the meter itself is included free with the Value Pack.
Contour test strips vs Betachek C50
| Feature | Contour test strips + Contour meter | Betachek C50 |
|---|---|---|
| How you test | One loose strip per test | 50-test cassette |
| Handle / dispose of used strip | ✗ Yes, every test | ✓ Wound into cassette |
| Finger pricker | Separate device | Built into the meter |
| Pieces to carry | Meter + strip vial + pricker + case | One handheld unit |
| Meal markers | Depends on Contour model | ✓ |
| Cost per test if you buy your own | 40p – 48p | 25p |
BETACHEK C50 can be prescribed
The BETACHEK C50 is NHS listed, so your GP or practice nurse can prescribe the cassettes and lancets if you are eligible.
It is also one of the lower-cost systems available to prescribers — it meets the under-£10 per 50 tests price point suggested in the 2024 Drug Tariff — so cost is rarely the obstacle.
PIP codes to give your doctor or pharmacist:
| Product | PIP code |
|---|---|
| BETACHEK C50 test cassette | 4171740 |
| BETACHEK C50 lancets | 4224291 |
Two things worth knowing if you meet resistance. If the C50 is not on your practice’s guidance list, that is usually because the list predates it — a prescriber is free to prescribe off the guidance list. And if your pharmacy does not stock the cassettes, they can order them through Alliance Healthcare.
You can print our prescription request form and take it to your appointment.
The C50 meets all UK requirements including DVLA and EN ISO 15197:2015.
How to try the Betachek C50 instead of another pack of Contour strips
The BETACHEK C50 Value Pack — £69.95. 4 cassettes (200 tests) plus 200 lancets, control solutions and a FREE meter. Free Meter.
OR
The BETACHEK C50 Starter Pack — £37. Meter + 50 test cassette.
Cassettes are £12.50 for 50 tests when you restock.
The Betachek C50 is also stocked by the Diabetes UK Shop.
FAQ: Contour test strips
Are Contour Next strips the same as Contour test strips?
In everyday search language, yes — people type “Contour test strips” when they mean Contour Next / Contour Next One strips for Ascensia Contour meters. Always match the strip name on the vial to your exact Contour model; Contour generations are not freely interchangeable.
Can I use Contour test strips in a Betachek C50?
No. The C50 only takes Betachek cassettes. Contour strips only work in Contour meters. Switching means changing both the meter and the consumable — that is the point of leaving the old kit behind.
Where do people buy Contour Next strips in the UK?
Online pharmacies commonly list Contour Next strips, and the Diabetes UK Shop stocks them. Boots does not sell them online, so if that is where you were looking, you will need another supplier. Stock and pricing move often.
Do I pay VAT on blood glucose test strips?
No. Blood glucose monitoring products are VAT-free for people with diabetes. Our prices carry no VAT.
What is better than Contour test strips for daily testing?
If “better” means fewer parts and no loose-strip handling, a cassette meter like the Betachek C50 is the direct alternative. If you buy your own strips it is also cheaper per test — and if you would rather not pay at all, the C50 is NHS listed and can be prescribed.