1-800 Contacts Review: What You Should Know Before Buying

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Ordering contacts from 1-800 Contacts may be less expensive than purchasing through an eye doctor or brick-and-mortar eyewear retailer. But you must have a prescription from an eye doctor in order to place your order.

If you’re in need of contacts but have a strong aversion to paying retail prices, you may have gone the route of ordering your own batch online. It certainly is convenient, as all you need is a prescription from your eye doctor to summon your desired haul from an online supply store.

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And since there are many online options to choose from these days, it’s natural to assume 1-800 Contacts is pretty much the same as the rest. Well, we gave it a whirl just to see how this service stacks up.

Keep reading for an in-depth look at what 1-800 Contacts provides, what other customers say, and what you should know if you’re considering becoming a customer, too.

Pros of buying from 1-800 Contacts

Like other direct-to-consumer companies, 1-800 Contacts may be less expensive than buying your contacts through an eye doctor or brick-and-mortar eyewear retailer.
The company offers a generous return policy that includes defective or torn lenses and lenses you don’t need because of changes in your prescription.
They have 20 years of experience providing customer service, which is a long time compared with some competitors.
Customers love that a person takes their phone call and handles their orders if they need help.

Cons of ordering from 1-800 Contacts

Online retailers like 1-800 Contacts don’t provide services the way an eye doctor does. If you want help figuring out how to put your contacts in and care for them, there are videos online. If you’re having issues with comfort, reach out to an eye doctor.
As with any items from any retailer, back orders can happen sometimes. Once you’ve put in your order, if that ends up being the case, you’ll just have to wait.
Lenses you return because your prescription changed will earn you store credit, not your money back.

Notes on free shipping

1-800 Contacts offers ground shipping (which takes 5 to 7 days) for free. Note that this is pretty standard for companies that ship contacts.

If you want your contacts to come earlier, you can pay for one of their faster shipping options. You’ll get a delivery estimate as soon as you place your order. But, the contacts may even come a day or two sooner than expected.

What if I need new contacts right now?

If you really need a set of contacts ASAP, you can contact your eye doctor’s office and ask if they have any in stock. You can also pay 1-800 Contacts $15 extra for overnight shipping.

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You can place your order online or you can still call the number 1-800-CONTACT.

What you’ll need before ordering

The first time you place an order with 1-800 Contacts, you’ll need:

a copy of your prescription or your doctor’s contact information
your payment information (credit card or PayPal)
a copy of your insurance card, if you have vision insurance

For subsequent orders, 1-800 Contacts will save your prescription information in your account.

The ordering process itself is pretty simple. You’ll select the contact lens brand that you typically use, and enter the prescription numbers listed as your OS (left eye) and OD (right eye). You may also need to note in your order if you have astigmatism.

Then, you’ll enter in your doctor’s information and place your order. Once you’ve ordered, 1-800 Contacts will confirm your prescription and process your order for shipment. If you have a copy of your prescription, you can submit a photo of it along with your order using the website’s automated system.

If you have vision insurance, you’ll need to enter in that information, too. 1-800 Contacts accepts most major forms of vision insurance.

If you’re going to submit to a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) for reimbursement, make sure to print off a copy of your receipt.

20% off new orders

Severs said, “Ordering is straightforward. Assuming your prescription is still valid, you either need to have a copy of your prescription or give them your eye doctor’s info so that they can retrieve it, but they’ll work with your doctor to get it if you don’t have a physical copy of it.”

1-800 Contacts Review: What You Should Know Before Buying