Best Contacts Online: 1-800-Contacts vs Contacts Direct vs Lenscrafters (2024)

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Contacts can be so expensive, and sometimes it’s cheaper to buy them from somewhere besides our eye doctor’s office. You can save $20+ per box of contacts you order online depending on the type of lenses you wear. Some websites even offer free shipping. See how you can start saving money on your contacts and compare online companies.

Article Overview

• Best Online Contacts
• Comparison Tables
• Other Online Contact Website Reviews
• Is It Easy To Order Contacts Online? (Video)
• Save On Eyeglasses Too

Best Online Contacts

Before ordering from one of these online retailers, you’ll need a prescription from your doctor. You can obtain your prescription by asking for a copy of it after your eye exam.

Please know that the shipping time displayed is after the prescription has been verified with your doctor. Most websites allow up to 3 days for this verification, but it can vary by doctor and order.

Low Prices: AC Lens Review

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AC Lens offers a wide selection at some of the lowest prices you can find. If you’re a 1-Day Acuvue Moist wearer, you can get them here for $25 less than you can at Lenscrafters. If you order more than $99 in contacts, your shipping is free; otherwise, it starts at $5.99. This site also has a 1-year return policy.

AC Lens and Discount Contact Lenses appear to be identical companies (no pun intended). Despite their similarities, AC Lens is a little more widely known, which is why it’s listed first (but both are tied for lowest prices).

• Lens Brands:45 out of 53
• Types:Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, RGP, Vial/Conventional
• Returns: 1 year
• Auto shipments

Shipping

• Standard shipping (5-7 business days)
  • Free: orders over $99
  • $5.99: orders under $99
• Expedited (3-4 business days): $8.99
• Overnight (1 business day): $19.99

Coupon

Low Prices (Tied): Discount Contact Lenses Review

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Discount Contact Lenses was also consistently among the least expensive in the quotes we ran, charging almost $20 less for a box of Freshlook Colorblends than Lens Direct. They have a great 1-year return policy and offer free standard shipping for orders over $99.

AC Lens and Discount Contact Lenses appear to be identical companies. AC Lens is a little more widely known, which is why it is listed first.

• Lens Brands:45 out of 53
• Types:Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, RGP, Vial/Conventional
• Returns: 1 year
• Auto shipments

Shipping

• Standard shipping (5-7 business days)
  • Free: orders over $99
  • $5.99: orders under $99
• Expedited (3-4 business days): $8.99
• Overnight (1 business day): $19.99

Coupon

Free Shipping: 1-800 Contacts Review

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1-800 Contacts offers some of the lowest prices depending on what you wear. If you’re into color contacts, they may be cheaper here. From the quotes we ran, 1-800 Contacts was consistently among the least expensive. Standard shipping (5-7 business days) is free on all orders, which may make it less expensive than the competition depending on what you wear.

1-800 Contacts also has a price-match guarantee, so be sure to check with them to see if they’ll match a cheaper price you find on other sites. Another awesome feature that they offer is the ability to do an affordable eye exam online to renew your existing prescription. It’s a great option if you’ve run out of contacts, your prescription has expired and you can’t wait to order more contacts until you can get in to see your eye doc.

• Lens Brands: 10 out of 53
• Types: Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, RGP, Vial/Conventional, Soft
• Returns: 100% satisfaction guarantee
• Auto shipments

Shipping

• Free standard shipping (5-7 business days)
• Expedited (2-3 business days): $15
• Next day (1 business day): $19.99

Coupon

Coupons: Walgreens Review

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Walgreens frequently has coupons for 20% or more off contact orders. Taking advantage of these coupons can save you as much (or even more) on comparable orders from AC Lens and Discount Contact Lenses. Check their site regularly for brand-specific coupons, especially if you don’t need your contacts immediately.

• Lens Brands:21 out of 53
• Types:Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, Vial/Conventional
• Returns:30 days

Shipping

• Free standard shipping
• Overnight: $19.95

Coupon

Comparison Tables

Contact Brands

See which online retailers carry your brand of contacts.

	1-800 Contacts	AC Lens	Coastal	Contacts Direct	Discount Contact Lenses	Lens Direct	Lenscrafters	Walgreens	Walmart
Accucon
Acuvue
Air Optix
Alcon
Aquaflex
AquaSoft
Avaira
Bausch+Lomb
Biofinity
Biomedics
Biotrue
Boston
Clariti
Clarity
ClearSight
CooperVision
Dailies
Dailies Total1
Encore
Equate
Expressions
Extreme H2O
Flosi
Fluorex
Fluoroperm
Focus
Frequency
FreshLook
Hydrasoft
Hydro
Johnson & Johnson
Lagado
MyDay
Novawet
Ocusil
O-Perm
Optacryl
Optima
Optimum
Paragon
PMMA
Polycon
Preference
Proclear
Purevision
PureVision2
SGP
Silsoft
SofLens
Transaire
Ultra
Ultraflex
Vertex

Lens Types

	1-800 Contacts	AC Lens	Coastal	Contacts Direct	Discount Contact Lenses	Lens Direct	Lenscrafters	Walgreens	Walmart
Toric/Astigmatism
Multifocal & Bifocal
Color
Daily
1-2 Week
Monthly
RGP
Vial/Conventional

Cost Comparison

The pricing below is without a subscription, coupon, rebate or any other type of discount (and excludes shipping). We chose these lenses because they were offered by all of the websites and they are popular options for contact wearers.

Other Online Contacts

Coastal | ContactsDirect | Lens Direct | Lenscrafters | Walmart

Coastal Review

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Coastal offers contacts that can be more or less more expensive than other websites; it just depends on your contact brand. If you wear Air Optix Night & Day Aqua, for example, you can get them here for $30 less than Lenscrafters. Unfortunately, Coastal doesn’t offer a free shipping option.

• Lens Brands: 14 out of 53
• Types: Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, RGP
• Returns: 30 days
• Auto shipments

Shipping

• Paid parcel shipping (4-5 business days): $5.95
• Priority shipping (3-4 business days): $8.95
• Overnight: $14.99

ContactsDirect Review

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ContactsDirect is slightly more expensive than other websites, but it still has decent prices. It has an awesome 1-year return period and offers free standard shipping, which may make it less expensive than other websites for your contacts.

• Lens Brands: 22 out of 53
• Types: Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly
• Returns: 1 year

Shipping

• Standard (7-10 business days): Free
• 3-Day (3-5 business days): $11.99
• Overnight (1-2 business days): $19.99
• Puerto Rico standard shipping (7-10 business days): $7.00

Lens Direct Review

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Overall, Lens Direct sways on the expensive side of the spectrum, but you can find a few deals here. If you spend more than $49, standard shipping is free; otherwise, shipping costs vary based on your location. It has a long 1-year return period, too.

• Lens Brands: 19 out of 53
• Types: Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, Vial/Conventional
• Returns: 1 year
• Auto shipments

Shipping

• Standard shipping: Free for orders over $49
• USPS priority (3-5 business days): price varies based on location
• USPS overnight (2-3 business days): price varies based on location
• UPS ground (up to 5 business days):price varies based on location
• UPS 3-day (up to 3 business days): price varies based on location
• UPS next day (1 business day): price varies based on location

Lenscrafters Review

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Lenscrafters was consistently among the most expensive in the quotes we ran. However, if you’re in a pinch and need contacts fast, it offers next day shipping for less than $10, which is pretty affordable.

• Lens Brands: 12 out of 53
• Types: Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, Vial/Conventional
• Returns: 30 days

Shipping

• Ground (5-7 business days): free
• 2nd-day air (2 days): $7.99
• Next day air (1 day): $9.99

Walmart Review

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Walmart was priced in the middle for the quotes we ran. Nothing about it stood out too much, but it does have a 1-year return period and free standard shipping. And you can try the “price match policy” and see if they will honor some of their competitors’ pricing. Walmart may be a convenient option for you if you’d prefer to pick up your contacts in the store.

• Lens Brands: 15 out of 53
• Types: Toric/Astigmatism, Multifocal & Bifocal, Color, Daily, 1-2 Week, Monthly, Vial/Conventional
• Returns: 1 year

Shipping

• Standard (5-7 business days): free
• Expedited (3-4 business days): $11.95

Is It Easy To Order Contacts Online?

See how easy it is to order your contacts on the internet.

Save Money On Eyeglasses

If you’re in the market for eyeglasses and want to save on them as well, read our Best Online Eyeglasses article. Wouldn’t it be nice to purchase a pair of prescription glasses for $20 instead of $200? Not only is it possible, but the glasses can still be in style, too.

How much do you normally pay for contacts?

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