Contact Lenses Online?

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waltman300
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Contact Lenses Online?

Post by waltman300 »

Okay so back then I always bought contact lenses at the local glasses/optical place that I go to for years. Then I found out about 1800contacts.com and then when i ordered it... I couldn't believe how much cheaper it was. Well I heard of the site a while back but I just never ordered from there because I was use to buying at a optical place.


Now... I assume many of you here order contact lenses online as oppose to brick and mortar? The other thing is when i order online... i use a cashback site back then called ebates or fatwallet where i go to my account and click on the site to get cashback. Now fatwallet is no more and ebates is now rakuten.


I see i could get 8% cashback on all 1800 contact lenses orders... if i click on rakuten first... before i order off it. I checked my history and I believe i gotten cashback from it. Now... when i go type in 1800contacts coupon code on google... i see a site called retailmenot... that offers a 20% cashback for all online purchases today. Is retailmenot a legit site like rakuten? Because that is a huge amount of cashback but I think it might be temporary? Asking this since should i just order from 1800contacts as usual and click on rakuten for the 8% cashback... or try the retailmenot site?
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waltman300
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by waltman300 »

Also speaking of rakuten cashback, is there a way to make sure you get cashback? Thing is i use this extension on google chrome called adblock plus to block ads... but how do i make sure i don't block anything on the 1800contacts website to prevent any issue? A while back i recalled if you had adblock on... even when you go to ebates/fatwallet and click on the site you want to purchase from... it might not record it correctly.
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anon_investor
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by anon_investor »

waltman300 wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:06 pm Also speaking of rakuten cashback, is there a way to make sure you get cashback? Thing is i use this extension on google chrome called adblock plus to block ads... but how do i make sure i don't block anything on the 1800contacts website to prevent any issue? A while back i recalled if you had adblock on... even when you go to ebates/fatwallet and click on the site you want to purchase from... it might not record it correctly.
You have to turn off basically any extensions that might block ads, cookies, etc. otherwise Rakuten cashback might not work.
feehater
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by feehater »

I've bought contacts online for decades. I usually just Google the type I need and then try to decipher which website will actually be the cheapest once they add in all their hidden fees. I have probably used half a dozen different websites and never had a problem. 1800 used to always be the cheapest for a long time, but hasn't come close in the past several years for Acuvue Oasys.
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anon_investor
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by anon_investor »

I find Costco in person cheaper. They always have an instant rebate of some kind.
squirm
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by squirm »

Walgreens is usually pretty good.
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waltman300
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by waltman300 »

Okay didnt know about costco or walgreens.


Well the brand i wear is biomedics 55 premiere asphere and i always got them on 800contacts.com when ordering online.


But any other sites besides these two?
JediMisty
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by JediMisty »

waltman300 wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 7:12 pm Okay didnt know about costco or walgreens.


Well the brand i wear is biomedics 55 premiere asphere and i always got them on 800contacts.com when ordering online.


But any other sites besides these two?
Mine are cheaper than Costco at contactlensking.com. I've noticed price dirrences vary based on brand. In other words, click around to find where yours are cheapest. My eye doctor sometimes has rebates. But I had to pay up front than wait weeks to get the rebate. Some eye doctors will price match what you find on line. Haven't checked Walgreens.
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waltman300
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by waltman300 »

I checked google and a site called contactsdirect seem to be much cheaper.


Anyone have experience on this? Also the other thing is what about your prescription? 800contacts.com i know i did an online test for free so that is how i did it there.


You would need to get prescription done first if you want to buy it with the other sites? If it matters... my 800contacts.com prescription expires in a few months so i could use that for buying on another online site?
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queso
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by queso »

1800Contacts will price match Costco if you open a chat window with them. I normally order from Costco, but didn't want to visit an eye place during the height of COVID so I did their online eye exam and then when chatting with the rep in the chat window I mentioned Costco and she said to just send them the link to what I was buying and they would match it.

Link - https://www.1800contacts.com/best-price-guarantee
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waltman300
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by waltman300 »

OKay doesnt seem costco has my brand biomedics 55 premier asphere though.


But in any site that does sell it... how would the prescription work? For example on 800contacts, i would do the test online and then get my prescription soon and then i could make the order. Or if i did the test 6 months ago and now want to reorder... i could always do it since prescription expire one year later. Could you use a nonexpired 800contacts prescription for order on another contact lenses online site? One site i saw... said you need to pay thirty dollars to do the test online.


But when i check 800contacts site and prescriptions... isn't the prescription like a short video though? So how could one try to use prescription from 800contacts for another site or its not possible?
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queso
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by queso »

The 800contacts prescription you get from doing their online eye exam is a PDF that you can download and is valid for one year. That being said, I have never tried to use it to order lenses from another site, but it looks legit at face value (has the doctor's name, license number, normal contact prescription numbers for each eye, etc.). Maybe someone who has tried it will weigh in.
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queso
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by queso »

Just priced out a year's supply of daily wear multifocals at Costco ($850) and 1800contacts ($1100). Pretty big delta...
MikeG62
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by MikeG62 »

Yes, retailmenot is a legit site. Been using them for years.

As far as online contact lens ordering, I've gotten better pricing (including all fees, taxes and delivery charges) from both Walgreens and Lens.com. I have not found 1800contacts to be the lowest cost option (once all fees are included). Also, you can typically get 20-30% off from Walgreens and Lens.com from a quick google search of coupons for those sites. Costco would be another source for low price contact lenses.
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Shackleton
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by Shackleton »

Re: using the Rx from 1800contacts.com at other places, this is from their FAQ: Is this a real vision exam? Or just an online quiz-sorta test?
It’s a real vision exam and your results are reviewed by a board-certified ophthalmologist licensed in your state. If appropriate, they’ll issue you a valid prescription you can use to buy contact lenses anywhere in the United States. It does not take the place of a regular comprehensive eye exam.
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mw1739
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by mw1739 »

Ordered the wife’s contacts from Costco the last couple of years. Seems to be better priced than 1800 contacts and probably half the price of the eye doctor where she previously bought them.
WillRetire
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by WillRetire »

waltman300 wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 7:22 pm I checked google and a site called contactsdirect seem to be much cheaper.


Anyone have experience on this? Also the other thing is what about your prescription? 800contacts.com i know i did an online test for free so that is how i did it there.


You would need to get prescription done first if you want to buy it with the other sites? If it matters... my 800contacts.com prescription expires in a few months so i could use that for buying on another online site?
Yes, have good experience with ContactsDirect. The last couple years, I found their prices to be better than 1800Contacts.

Have not tried Costco yet.
ModifiedDuration
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by ModifiedDuration »

Retailmenot is legitimate.

Have been using lens.com for a few years now.

1800contacts used to have the lowest price, but hasn’t for the past several years.
Topic Author
waltman300
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by waltman300 »

Okay so for some reason on rakuten... when i type in l800contacts... it shows 8 percent cashback which is normal for them... it also shows 20% off contacts as well. But when i click on rakuten link and go to l800contacts, seems to be same price?


I then tried to enter some order/promo codes to get 20% off or discount but none seem to work?


Well i had no idea l800contacts was not the cheapest. I always thought it was the cheapest...


Well walgreens and costco doesn't seem to have my biomedics 55 asphere premiere though.


So i should go with contactsdirect then? But to the person that did contactsdirect... how do you do the prescription? Did you had to pay for online eye test though? Could you use prescription from say l800contacts assuming it didn't expire yet?
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FrugalInvestor
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by FrugalInvestor »

feehater wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:55 pm I've bought contacts online for decades. I usually just Google the type I need and then try to decipher which website will actually be the cheapest once they add in all their hidden fees. I have probably used half a dozen different websites and never had a problem. 1800 used to always be the cheapest for a long time, but hasn't come close in the past several years for Acuvue Oasys.
I search for the cheapest site and then call 1-800-Contacts and get a price match which they always provide. I like their service and know they are legit.
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waltman300
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by waltman300 »

I had no idea they did something like this. Are you sure they do it for any contact lens site such as the ones mentioned by others here?


If so... why wouldn't anyone just contact l800contacts on say the other sites then as oppose to order it from those sites?
jpelder
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by jpelder »

I've had good luck with ContactsDirect.com, but 1800Contacts is usually good, too. No reason to pay extra from the eye doc, since the contacts you order online are the same as what they would sell. The online folks usually have bigger packs, which tend to cost less per item (especially handy if you wear daily lenses like my wife).

My optometrist will also price match the online retailers, which is handy if you need some right now.
feehater
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by feehater »

waltman300 wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:48 pm

So i should go with contactsdirect then? But to the person that did contactsdirect... how do you do the prescription? Did you had to pay for online eye test though? Could you use prescription from say l800contacts assuming it didn't expire yet?
Online eye tests have only been allowed for a year since Covid happened, so not too many of us have data points on this. I did a 1800 eye test last July but couldn't figure out how to transfer it to a different website, but someone upthread seems to have figured out how to download it.
WillRetire
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by WillRetire »

waltman300 wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:48 pm ...
So i should go with contactsdirect then? But to the person that did contactsdirect... how do you do the prescription? Did you had to pay for online eye test though? Could you use prescription from say l800contacts assuming it didn't expire yet?
ContactsDirect (as well as 1800Contacts, from what I remember), allow you to submit a copy of your contact lens prescription. They also ask you to verify the name, phone number & address of the eye doctor who prescribed the contact lenses. There is no charge for this, assuming the prescription is current (i.e. has not expired).

If you don't have a current prescription, I don't know what the process is & I wouldn't buy online.
ballons
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by ballons »

feehater wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 7:53 am
waltman300 wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:48 pm

So i should go with contactsdirect then? But to the person that did contactsdirect... how do you do the prescription? Did you had to pay for online eye test though? Could you use prescription from say l800contacts assuming it didn't expire yet?
Online eye tests have only been allowed for a year since Covid happened, so not too many of us have data points on this. I did a 1800 eye test last July but couldn't figure out how to transfer it to a different website, but someone upthread seems to have figured out how to download it.
1800-C is a legit Rx that they provide a PDF copy of and you can take anywhere. It is completely on the honor system so whatever you type in, they provide an Rx. Mine is valid for 24 months which I have no clue how that is legal.

AFAIK, even if you order contacts without an Rx you can still get approved. They attempt to contact whomever you put down as your eye doctor, if they don't respond they just assume it is valid.
ballons
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by ballons »

waltman300 wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:30 am I had no idea they did something like this. Are you sure they do it for any contact lens site such as the ones mentioned by others here?


If so... why wouldn't anyone just contact l800contacts on say the other sites then as oppose to order it from those sites?
Read their FAQ.

It's more work, they can deny it, manufacturers have colluded to minimum prices, most competition has been wiped out already, etc. This is bogleheads, if it is possible you should get your eye doctor to fit you with lens that are widely available, making sure they are sold by warehouse clubs.
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queso
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by queso »

ballons wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:46 am
feehater wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 7:53 am
waltman300 wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:48 pm

So i should go with contactsdirect then? But to the person that did contactsdirect... how do you do the prescription? Did you had to pay for online eye test though? Could you use prescription from say l800contacts assuming it didn't expire yet?
Online eye tests have only been allowed for a year since Covid happened, so not too many of us have data points on this. I did a 1800 eye test last July but couldn't figure out how to transfer it to a different website, but someone upthread seems to have figured out how to download it.
1800-C is a legit Rx that they provide a PDF copy of and you can take anywhere. It is completely on the honor system so whatever you type in, they provide an Rx. Mine is valid for 24 months which I have no clue how that is legal.

AFAIK, even if you order contacts without an Rx you can still get approved. They attempt to contact whomever you put down as your eye doctor, if they don't respond they just assume it is valid.
Yep.. what I thought was interesting is that when I went to plug in my eye doctor into the Costco contact lens ordering system it does a lookup and tries to save you the time of rekeying it. It found like 12 pages of entries for the eye doctor I entered (the 1800contacts doctor that "wrote" my prescription) all with slightly different phone numbers. That tells me that a whole bunch of other people are getting online prescriptions at 1800contacts and using them to order lenses from Costco.
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queso
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by queso »

Just an update - I placed an order at Costco with my 1800Contacts home eye exam prescription and they accepted it and shipped my order. I'll get a real eye exam once I am fully vaccinated, but this worked in a pinch and is probably really handy for people who don't have eye issues and relatively stable prescriptions.
terran
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by terran »

I check 1800contacts, walgreens, and contacts direct, including looking for coupon codes and looking in my American Express offers which often has a contacts direct deal. Contacts direct is a (the?) in network provider for my vision insurance, so I can get a slightly better reimbursement rate if I go through insurance, but last time they wouldn't let me use a coupon code, so ordering without insurance and then taking the lower out of network reimbursement rate (despite buying from an in-network company) was still a better deal.
Ramjet
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by Ramjet »

anon_investor wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:56 pm I find Costco in person cheaper. They always have an instant rebate of some kind.
My wife started buying from Costco in person as well
scifilover
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by scifilover »

Just checked the price of my Acuvue Oasis Toric lenses at Costco and Contact Lens King, and Costco was about 6$ less for 4 boxes because of shipping. However, because of the nature of my lenses, they are special order, and Costco has them shipped direct to me from mfg, at no cost.

This price doesn't include the Costco Exec. additional 2% annual rebate.
Jim Beaux
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by Jim Beaux »

In the past I had good luck with 1800contacts among others, but the last time the prices were high for the same lens. I understand either CVS or Walgreens may have purchased it.

The last pair came from Contact Lens King, https://www.contactlensking.com/ and it had the lowest prices
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RickBoglehead
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by RickBoglehead »

Costco also has their own brand of contacts now. https://contacts.costco.com/products/ki ... e-180-pack

My wife is very happy with them. Order online, same price as in-store, and shipped free.
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inbox788
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Re: Contact Lenses Online?

Post by inbox788 »

RickBoglehead wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:47 pm Costco also has their own brand of contacts now. https://contacts.costco.com/products/ki ... e-180-pack

My wife is very happy with them. Order online, same price as in-store, and shipped free.
https://coopervision.com/practitioner/o ... yday/myday

FYI, these Kirkland Signature are probably repackaged CooperVision Myday.
Material: Stenfilcon A
Manufacturer: CooperVision
I knew Costco sold contact lenses in the store, but didn't know they went online with it. They have B&L, Acuvue, and others.
https://contacts.costco.com/products?brand_ids=B010 (B&L Soflens)
https://contacts.costco.com/products?brand_ids=B011 (Acuvue)

Search others by name or use the filter on the left for Brands, Manufacturers, or Lens Type. Not the easiest interface.
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