Most affordable contact lenses

I have worn contact lenses for roughly 15 years. In the beginning, we bought the lenses from our optometrist, because there weren’t many options out there. Over the years, a lot of companies have sprung up, offering cheap, name brand lenses. But who really has the best deal?

Costco is a great place to get your lenses if you are only able to buy a few at a time. For a 12 pack of Acuvue Oasys lenses, here are general prices as of July 2020.

• Costco: $54
• 1-800-Contacts: $77.99
• Coastal.com: $60
• Walgreens: $72.99

So, it looks like 1800contacts is the most expensive place to shop, right? If you buy their lenses at the cost they list, then it definitely can be the most expensive. However, 1800contacts will price match, and even beat competitors prices by 5%. They don’t make this an obvious thing, because most people will just pay what they ask for, and accept that it is probably an ok deal, which it is usually not.

So basically, Costco is for short term, one box at a time situations, and 1800contact is for long term.

I just do a search on the web for “cheap contact lenses” and tons of sketchy websites, and a few legit ones pop up. Obviously, do not buy from other websites, because they may be selling counterfeit lenses, or they may scam you altogether. The point of the web search is to identify who has the best deal on the lenses you need, so that you can take it back to 1800contacts and have them match it for you.

One consideration, is that the website you are matching it to must be a United States based company. Another thing is that many contacts lense retailers have hidden fee’s that they add on at checkout. 1800contacts considers these fees in the final cost that they match. It stinks, but it’s still cheaper than other places, and legitimate lenses.

For example, say supercheapolenses453.com offer a 12 pack of lenses for $100. They also charge a 4.00 handling fee. So, 1800contacts would consider the cost of the 12 pack to be $104, and then take off 5% from $104.

Since it can be hard to distinguish who is U.S. based and what fees they charge, I suggest making an excel/google sheets document and compiling your own list of websites and prices. Check to see how much a 12 pack and a 24 pack is as well, since the difference can be significant. Then make a list like pictured below. That way, when you contact 1800 contacts to do the matching, you will already have all of the information ready to go.

In summary, do not pay the listed price at 1800contacts or you will surely pay more than you would with competitors. But, if you price match and do a little research, you can have a great deal from a reputable company.

 

Now, for the matching part of things. I prefer to do it over their chat option, since #1 I don’t like talking on the phone, but #2 it is easier to link them directly to the listing you are matching.

Just go to their site, click chat, and say you want to buy some lenses and you want to match them to www.——-.com for $— Per box. Then include the link. They will research the listing, and then let you know if it’s acceptable or not and get you a final price. Having the spreadsheet like I show above is handy because if they say the site won’t work, then you can immediately show them the next cheapest option without delay.

If you need a Contact case to go with your lenses, These are my favorite. Remember to change your case monthly so you don’t get an infection. 🙂