Clark Howard

1-800 Contacts vs. Lens.com vs. LensDirect.com: Who has the cheapest prices?

If you’re in the market for inexpensive lenses, there are plenty of sites that have affordable wares for sale. But how do you know which is best?

Who’s cheapest? 1-800 Contacts, Lens.com or LensDirect.com

Three of the main discount contact sellers are

and

. Aside from having some of the most recognizable names for contact lens purchasing online, who has the cheapest prices?

READ MORE: Get this nifty contact lens coupon

We took a look at the prices of some popular contact lenses that were available across all three sites. Here’s how they stacked up.

 Item  Lens.com 1-800  LensDirect.com
Johnson & Johnson 1 Day-Acuvue Moist 30-day $28.95 $27.99 $26.28
Johnson & Johnson 1 Day-Acuvue Moist 90-day $65.00 $59.99 $56.60
Biofinity 6-pack $37.99 $49.99 $39.27
Air Optix Aqua 6-pack $35.99 $54.99 $33.81
Dailies AquaComfort Plus 90-pack $47.99 $51.99 $49.69
Freshlook 1 Day 10-pack $19.95 $21.59 $25.99
SofLens Daily Disposables 90-pack $34.95 $42.39 $47.19
TOTAL $270.82 $308.93 $278.33

As you can see, Lens.com is the cheapest option overall, with LensDirect.com a close second and 1-800 Contacts lagging pretty far behind. When it comes to shopping for contacts, there are some other things to consider.

Contact lens price comparison: Shipping

As far as shipping goes, 1-800 Contacts has a free shipping policy on online orders, while Lens.com has free shipping only on select items. LensDirect.com has free shipping over $49. Under that price, and you’ll pay a flat rate of $6.95 via UPS.

Contact lens price comparison: Discounts & other perks

LensDirect.com promises tons of savings through its auto-fill program, which is basically a subscription service that bills you automatically when you reorder. They offer $5 discount on your first auto-fill. If you haven’t opened the box, you can return your order for a full refund within a year, the company says on its site.

Lens.com has a

that promises that “If you’re not 100% satisfied with your Lens.com purchase, we’ll cheerfully refund all your money.” In the fine print, though, it says that your box must be unopened. Their “hassle free” return policy says that you have an unlimited amount of time to mail them back unopened products. They’ll even pay for shipping.

Although 1-800 Contacts has the highest overall advertised highest prices, they’re also the only one of this trio that offers a real

. It says, “We’ll beat any price on every product we carry by 2%. Any competitor’s authorized price. Any brand—even yours. Does it make you happy?”

That does make us happy, and assuming the 1-800 Contacts guarantee applies to your situation, that should also make them the cheapest. To ensure they keep their word, call them at 1-800-266-8228.

Now that you’ve got some clarity on contact lens prices, here’s what you need to know about

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