5 best places to buy contacts in 2024
What's the best place to buy contact lenses online?
Ordering new contacts online is a quick and easy way to cross "buying contacts" off your to-do list. But deciding where to buy your contact lenses can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of options you have.
To help narrow it down, I reviewed some of the top online contact lens retailers to determine the best places to:
Order three to six months’ worth of contact lenses (colored or non-colored lenses)
Buy contacts in bulk (annual supply)
Order online using vision insurance benefits
Get an exam, an updated contact lens prescription and submit an order for contacts all in one place
There are many factors to look at when buying contacts online. Here are some you may want to consider:
Selection – Do they sell the type of contacts you wear?
Price – How do their prices compare to other retailers? Do they have deals, discounts and coupon codes?
Customer Service – How easy is it to reach a representative? Do they have 24/7 customer service?
Reviews – What are other customers saying? Does the company generally get good reviews or do you see a lot of complaints and one-star reviews?
Shipping – Do they offer free shipping? How long will it take for your order to arrive? Do they have a rush shipping option?
Return policy – What's their return policy? Is it customer-friendly? Can you return unopened contact boxes if your prescription changes?
I reviewed more than 15 retail options to determine my list of the best places to buy contact lenses online. I picked the retailers that I believe offer the best value based on the above factors, along with the ones that stand out in some way.
Coastal: The best place to buy contacts online overall
Coastal offers a good combination of selection, value and reputation based on more than 20 years in business. Their customer service team is available 24/7 by chat, email or phone if you have questions or want to check your order status.
In terms of selection, Coastal offers a wide range of contact types, such as daily, weekly, monthly, colored, multifocal and toric lenses for astigmatism. The contact lens brands they sell include:
Acuvue
Biomedics
Focus
Proclear
PureVision
SofLens
If you find the contacts you need for a lower price somewhere else, consider reaching out to Coastal about their price match guarantee. They’ll review the competitor price, including the cost of fees and shipping, and will refund you the difference.
Unfortunately, Coastal does not bill vision insurance directly, so if you want to use your benefits, you'll need to request reimbursement from your vision insurance company.
Contact Lens King: The best place to stock up on contacts
Contact Lens King (CLK) also has a good reputation and gets high ratings from customers for low prices, fast shipping and ease of ordering.
CLK is the best place to buy contacts online if you want to stock up on lenses. The company offers discounts on a year's supply, and the more you buy, the more you can save.
With over 5 million lenses in inventory, CLK offers daily, weekly and monthly disposables, along with bifocal, multifocal, toric and colored contacts. Some of their top-selling contact lens brands include:
Acuvue
Air Optix
Biofinity
Biomedics
Biotrue
Proclear
PureVision
Contact Lens King offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, "everyday low pricing" and a $10 refer-a-friend discount. They also make it easy to reorder your lenses when you need more.
However, Contact Lens King customer service is only available from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern via chat or phone. And they don't bill vision insurance directly, so you’ll have to submit for reimbursement any time you order there.
ContactsDirect: The best place to buy contacts with vision insurance
ContactsDirect is another online contact lens retailer that gets mostly positive customer reviews. It’s also one of the few that bills vision insurance directly. This makes it a standout for contact lens wearers who want to use their vision insurance to buy contacts online.
Vision insurance companies that consider ContactsDirect an in-network provider include:
Anthem Blue View Vision
Humana Vision
Superior Vision
If you have vision insurance through VSP, or you're not sure if your insurance classifies ContactsDirect as in-network, reach out to ContactsDirect to get more information and learn how to file for reimbursement.
If you end up paying for your contacts out of pocket, look around the ContactsDirect site for coupon codes. They frequently offer coupons and discounts, typically ranging from 15% to 20% off your order.
LensCrafters: The best place to buy contacts if you need an eye exam and prescription
LensCrafters is a trusted name in vision care with more than 900 locations across the U.S. LensCrafters is a good place to buy contacts if you're looking for a one-stop shop where you can have an eye exam, get a contact lens prescription and order your lenses all at one time.
Contact lens brands available at LensCrafters include:
Air Optix
Biofinity
Biotrue
Dailies
LensCrafters
Miru
Precision1
Ray-Ban
Total30
LensCrafters typically has a variety of coupons and discounts on contacts, such as a savings of up to $150 when you buy an annual supply. They also accept many vision insurance plans and offer free shipping and returns. Keep LensCrafters in mind if you’re looking for a hybrid experience as you can order your contacts online and pick them up in-store.
1-800 Contacts: The best place to buy colored contacts
1-800 Contacts is an online contact lens retailer with a wide selection of contact lenses. With so many types of colored contacts, it may be the best place to buy colored contacts online.
From the 1-800 Contacts home page, you can filter a search by checking the box for color and enhancing contacts on the left side of the page. That makes it easy to shop for colored contact lenses.
Brands and styles of colored contacts available through 1-800 Contacts include:
Dailies Colors
Eyedia Clearcolor 1-Day
Eyedia Clearcolor Circle
Eyedia Clearcolor Element
Eyedia Clearcolor Natural
Eyedia Clearcolor Vibrant
FreshLook Colors
FreshLook Dimensions
FreshLook One-Day Color
ToriColors
1-800 Contacts’ selection includes daily, weekly and monthly disposable colored contacts, along with toric colored contacts. Contacts are available in most colors, including amethyst, blue, brown, gray, green, hazel, honey, steel blue, turquoise and sapphire.
1-800 Contacts offers free shipping on all orders and 24/7 customer service via phone or chat. They also have a satisfaction guarantee.
Need new contacts? Contact your eye doctor to schedule a contact lens exam so you can get your up-to-date contact lens prescription and order your new lenses online today.
Page published on Wednesday, February 2, 2022
