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With so many reputable contact lens retailers online these days, retailers are always competing to try and win over new customers as well as retain their old customers. Some offer deals when you buy in bulk, others offer free shipping on contacts, and some compete by pricing matching their competitors.
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Best Contact Lens Price Match Guarantee
Price matching has always been a powerful tool used by many retailers across various different markets and it is no different with contact lenses. If you are out looking for the best deal, then you are going to want to find the retailer that can offer you the best price match guarantee.
What do you mean best price match guarantee? Aren’t they just matching the competitor’s price?
Well, there are some retailers that will not only match their competitor’s price, but they will offer you an additional percentage back on top of price matching. That means you can save more money on top of what you would already be saving from price matching your order.
Below you will find online contact lens retailers that not only offer a contact lens price match guarantee, but their price matching goes above and beyond by giving you an additional percentage back to beat their competitor’s prices even more.
AC Lens
AC Lens is a company that is based out of Columbus, OH and is another one of the leading full-service eyewear supply companies out there. AC Lens started out as an online contact lens retailer but has evolved into a one-stop-shop for all of your eye care needs, offering everything from glasses, to readers, even care products such as drops.
Just like with EZContacts, AC Lens offers to beat their competitor’s prices by 5%.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT AC LENS
AC Lens offers to beat their competitor’s prices by 5% which truly sets the two of them apart from the crowded space of online retailers. Not to mention that AC Lens often has the best prices for contact lenses so you won’t be price matching anyways. They are also a great one-stop-shop if you are looking for glasses or if you need solution for your contact lenses.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT AC LENS
Their threshold to get free shipping is $99, which is quite high compared to the rest of their competitors.
VERDICT
AC Lens is a great place to check out for all your eye care needs, just made sure you get over that $99 threshold so you can get the free shipping. It kind of beats the point of trying to find a good deal on contact lenses if you have to pay for shipping and drive the cost back up. CLICK HERE to get 10% off the first order + FREE SHIPPING if you sign up for their auto-refill service.
EZContacts
EZContacts is a company that is based out of Brooklyn, NY and is one of the leading online eyewear retailers on the market today. When it comes to price match guarantees for contact lenses, EZContacts has one of the best available online today. Along with AC Lens, EZContacts not only offers to price match their competitors, but they will beat their competitor’s price by 5%.
Don’t be fooled by their name though, they also offer prescription glasses as well making it a convenient shopping experience for all your eye care needs.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT EZCONTACTS
They have fairly reasonable prices, to begin with, but their price match guarantee really sets them apart from many other online contact lens retailers. They also have a great selection of designer eyewear if you decide you want to purchase eyeglasses as well.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT EZCONTACTS
A little bit of due diligence shows that occasionally some customers have some issues with shipping, and/or products, a majority of them shows that they have been resolved.
VERDICT
Despite having a few issues EZContacts is still a great place to shop for your contact lenses, especially with that additional 5% off price match that they offer. They also offer free shipping on all orders within the U.S
1800Contacts
1800Contacts is probably one of the most well known online contact lens retailers out there. Based out of Draper, Utah, 1800Contacts has one of the largest selection of contact lenses you can find out there. They aren’t quite a one-stop shop like ACLens but they do carry a handful of contact lens solution for you to pick up along with your contact lenses.
1800Contact lenses offer a price match policy in which they beat their competitor’s prices by 2%.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT 1800CONTACTS
Even though 1800Contacts doesn’t offer to beat their competitors as much as EZContacts and AC Lens, they still offer to beat their competitors by 2% which is great. They also carry a larger range to brands compared to many other online retailers so if you happen to be one to have one of those lesser-known brands you might find them here.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT 1800CONTACTS
Their prices are quite high compared to the rest of their competitors, and I have heard that they at times do not like to price match if their competitor has the contact lenses on sale. There was also that complaint by the Federal Trade Comission (FTC) that found 1800Contacts was using unfair practices to keep their competitors down because they didn’t want to lower their prices to compete with them. Which limited truthful advertising to consumers. Not cool.
Other retailers with price match guarantees
Not every retailer will offer to beat their competitor’s price by a certain percentage but there are plenty that do offer to match their competitor’s prices at the very least, and some will even match any sales offers by competitors. Take a look below.
- GlassesUSA – GlassesUSA is an online eyewear retailer that is based out of New York that services worldwide but mainly focuses on the U.S. Although their website only shows they match prices for eyeglasses, I was able to confirm with their customer service that they do indeed price match contact lenses as well.
- Coastal – Coastal is another one of the more well known online eyewear retailers out there, and they are based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Coastal started out as only a contact lens retailer, and they have since grown to be a worldwide provider for contacts, eyeglasses, as well as sunglasses. Coastal offers to price match and will even match any sales that are currently active by the competitor. You can price match for a maximum discount of up to $100 per order and can be requested with 30 days of placing your order with Coastal.
- Lens Direct – Lens Direct is a New York-based company that has been around since 1992 and was originally a contact lens mail order company. As the internet expanded, Lens Direct quickly adapted and evolved into one of the leading providers for contact lenses on the internet. They are one of the few online retailers that offer an online prescription renewal service, as well as an AutoRefill program. Lens Direct does offer a price match guarantee but will not price match promotions, and will only price match on a per box price.
- Eyeconic – Eyeconic is one of the newer online retailers, but you don’t have to worry about their reputation as they as owned and operated by VSP Global vision insurance company. There are many benefits to using Eyeconic including the ability to apply your vision benefits directly to your order if you have VSP, Metlife or Cigna Vision as your vision insurance provider. Eyeconic will price match any authorized online retailer, and you can send your request up to 30 days from the purchase date.
Other ways to save money on contact lenses
Aside from getting your contact lenses price matched, there are other ways to help get some additional money back into your pockets. It just takes a little effort on your part, take a look below for some ideas.
- Check for rebates – This is always a great way to get additional money back in your pocket. Various manufacturers of contact lenses from time to time will offer rebates. Sometimes it is offered during a new contact lens launch to get the new product more attention, other times they will be offered if you buy a certain amount of boxes. Either way, a great way to get money back, and most of the time you just submit it online these days.
- Buy an annual supply – Many retailers offer discounts when you buy in bulk, and at times the discount might bring it down more than the competitor you were going to price match. If you do buy annual supplies be sure you check out their return/exchange policy. Some retailers allow you to exchange your contact lenses for different ones if your prescription changes, with the condition that the boxes are undamaged, unopened, unexpired and in their original condition. Retailers such as Walgreens has no limit on when you can exchange your contacts, others have a year, and some only 30 days, so be sure to pay attention to that if you are purchasing an annual supply.
- Use vision benefits – If you have vision insurance, check to see if you have benefits that can be applied towards contact lenses. The easiest way to get this information is to call your vision insurance company to get a breakdown of your benefits. If you have your insurance benefits handbook handy you can always check in there as well.
- Use HSA/FSA accounts – Did you know that contact lenses are an eligible purchase for flexible spending accounts as well as health savings accounts. If you have a card that is affiliated with Visa or MasterCard, you would be able to use that card to make your contact lens purchase just like you would any other credit card. Hint: At the end of the year when you have all that leftover money that you don’t know what to do with, eyewear is always a great choice.
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget that you can always ask your doctor’s office or local retailer you normally get your contact lenses at to see if they would be willing to price match an online retailer as well. Some will, some won’t it will just depend on the retailer you go to.
Where do you currently purchase your contact lenses? I would love to hear from you, leave a comment below! If you loved that article don’t forget you can support us by sharing through your favorite social media channels.