Purchasing contact lenses online?

February 1, 2023 5:09 PM

I decided recently to switch from wearing RGPs to soft contact lenses. Yesterday I was fitted with Biofinity monthly lenses and will be wearing them for a couple weeks before I decide to continue or try a different brand. There are so many online retailers to purchase from... are there ones that I should stick to or avoid?

My first thought was to buy from Costco. However I do see some online retailers with much cheaper prices for the same box/brand, but I can't tell how reputable the sites are. I'm leaning towards just buying from Costco, but are there any online retailers that you've purchased from that you have had good experiences with? Thanks!

posted by extramundane to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

Best answer: I like 1-800-contacts because you can use their online chat function to show them links of other discount prices and they will match those prices. And then if your prescription changes, they will accept your returned unopened contacts.
posted by xo at 5:22 PM on February 1, 2023 [5 favorites]

Best answer: I've purchased from OptiContacts and WebEyeCare and never had a problem with either.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of online stores will quote incredibly low prices online and then there will be super high shipping/handling charges that get you back to nearly the price that is quoted everywhere else. But almost all of the online stores will still be cheaper than getting them from your doctor. OptiContacts is routinely 50% lower than my doc's price.

If you really want to try for a bargain put your exact brand+type into Google Shopping (the old Froogle website) and see what prices you get there. Many companies will throw huge discounts at you if you're a new customer coming off a referral link from that website.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:14 PM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I switched to Discount Contact Lenses thanks to advice in a previous AskMe. There's a 20% code on the home page and I was able to lock in that price for future purchases. They exchanged my remaining lenses when my prescription adjusted slightly and I've been quite pleased. Their prices were cheaper than 1-800-Contacts, which I had used for several years.
posted by icaicaer at 6:18 PM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I’ve been ordering from SaveOn Lens for several years and I’ve been happy with them.
posted by MexicanYenta at 6:36 PM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I use opticontacts, and have always gotten high quality contacts, and perhaps more surprisingly, great customer service - including emergency shipping to an alternative address, fixing of a prescription error, and them being willing to cancel and refund an order I had accidentally set up on auto-renew, even after they had charged me.
posted by suviko at 8:45 PM on February 1, 2023

Best answer: I've had a great experience with 1-800-contacts over many years. Their customer service is really fantastic.
posted by wisekaren at 6:22 AM on February 2, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: We use 1-800-Contatcs. I believe they are the backend for WalMart, so their scale & speed are <Vader Voice>impressive.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:16 AM on February 2, 2023 [1 favorite]