CBS News
Where to buy brand name contact lenses online and save
Warby Parker
If you wear prescription contact lenses instead of eyeglasses, there’s no reason why you should be paying top dollar for your lenses. We’ve done the research and have uncovered the best places to shop for prescription contact lenses online. It’s fast, easy, and all you need is a prescription from your optometrist or eye doctor.
Pro Tip: If you’re new to contact lenses, we recommend purchasing your first supply directly from your optomistist or eye doctor’s office, since you may wind up having to switch lens types or tweak your prescription. Once you know what type of contact lens works best for you, shop online to save money.
The 5 best places to shop for contact lenses online
No matter what type of prescription contacts you wear — daily wear, one- to two-week disposables, one- to three-month disposables, bi-focal or multi-focal, tinted lenses, or lenses that accommodate an astigmatism — chances are you’ll see savings when you start shopping for your lenses online. Plus, you’ll typically save even more if you sign up for a contact lens subscription service, or buy your six-month or one-year supply in a single order.
Best place for brand name contacts overall: 1-800Contacts
1-800Contacts
We selected 1-800Contacts as our top pick because the company offers a vast selection of contact lenses from top brands including Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, CooperVision, Clariti, Dailies, Air Optix and Johnson & Johnson.
Enter or upload your prescription once. Your contacts will be shipped right to your door. You even get 20% off on your first order.
1-800Contacts offers free shipping and returns, a free torn lens replacement service, 24/7 customer service, and has a best price guarantee on all contact lenses it sells. 1-800Contacts also accepts all major vision insurance plans, as well as HSA/FSA payments.
Plus, if you sign up for a contact lens subscription, you’ll save an additional 5% on every order. You can choose the quantity of contact lenses you want to receive and the frequency of shipments. When necessary, it’s easy to delay, skip or cancel a shipment (or your subscription) at any time.
Best brand name contact lens selection: PerfectLensWorld
PerfectLensWorld
PerfectLensWorld offers discounted pricing on contact lenses from ten major brands. This includes a variety of daily, weekly and monthly wear lenses.
You’ll often discover weekly discounts — like 15% off on select products when you use coupon code BNDS at checkout.
Another way to save money over time at PerfectLensWorld is to collect points on each of your orders and friend referrals. Every point you earn is worth $1 in value toward future purchases.
Best for contact lens subscriptions: LensDirect
LensDirect
Throughout the summer, LensDirect is offering 20% off your contact lens orders, plus free shipping when you use code SUMMER24 at checkout. LensDirect also offers free returns and a best price guarantee.
You’ll find a wide range of contact lens options from 14 popular brands, so whatever your needs, you’ll find the perfect lenses at LensDirect. Daily wear lenses are sold in packages of 30 or 90, while weekly wear lenses sold in 6-, 12- or 24-packs.
After placing your first order, LensDirect retains all of your key information, so re-ordering takes less than a minute. Another way to save is by signing up for a contact lens subscription. When you do this, you get 20% off your first order and 10% off all subsequent orders. Upon activating your subscription, as a bonus, a $100 off coupon for any single vision clear eyeglasses is provided.
The subscription service works based on the schedule you set. You can change, skip or cancel a shipment at anytime. All subscription orders always receive free shipping. LensDirect has earned a 4.7-star (out of 5) rating on TrustPilot, based on more than 8,700 customer reviews.
Best for specialized contact lens prescriptions: ContactsDirect
ContactsDirect
Like many of the popular online contact lens sellers, ContactsDirect offers ever-changing sales and promotions, like receiving 15% off all orders, plus free shipping when you use code MYLENSES at checkout. ContactsDirects is one of the largest retailers of contact lenses in the United States.
In fact, ContactsDirect stocks 100 contact lenses varieties from top brands like Acuvue, Softens, Optima, Proclear, Dailies, Biomedics and more. Most contact lenses are sold in packs of 2, 6, 12, 24, 30 or 90, so you can choose the exact quantity you need.
When you purchase a six month or annual supply of contact lenses, you’ll receive a bonus discount of $50 to $100 or more, depending on the brand and lens type.
ContactsDirect accepts most vision insurance plans, along with HSA/FSA payments. Plus, the company allows you to bundle insurance benefits with ContactDirect’s own sales and promotions to save even more. The company has a price match guarantee. And if you’re a student, military member, first responder, government employee, or teacher, you get an additional 15% off your contact lens orders.
Best option for using vision insurance or HSA/FSA payments: Warby Parker
Warby Parker
Scout by Warby Parker is the company’s in-house, daily wear contact lens brand. In addition to free shipping, customers receive 20% off their first contact lens order. A 90 pack of Scout by Warby Parker is priced starting at $52. However, if you purchase an annual supply, you also get a $50 eyewear credit as a bonus.
Warby Parker also sells prescription contact lenses from Acuvue, Alcone, Dailies, Biofinity, Air Optix, MyDay, Bausch & Lomb and several other popular brands. Simply select your desired brand and contact lens type, and then choose the quantity you want to order. Warby Parker keeps your prescription, billing and shipping information on file, so reordering contact lenses from the Warby Parker website takes less than one minute.
Just as with its prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses, Warby Parker accepts most vision insurance, as well as HSA and FSA payments. The company also prides itself on offering personalized customer service by phone, online or when you visit any of the Warby Parker retail locations.
If you’re shopping for prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses, be sure to check out our coverage of the seven best places to buy prescription eyeglasses online in 2024, the best prescription sunglasses for 2024, where to buy prescription glasses for kids online, the best places to buy cheap prescription glasses online and the best places to buy cheap prescription sunglasses online.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Getty Images
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to access a large sum of money right now, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better alternative than a home equity line of credit (HELOC).
Compared to personal loans and credit cards, HELOC interest rates are many points lower (the average credit card rate now is nearly triple what a HELOC rate is). Unlike some other borrowing options, home equity loans and HELOCs also provide access to a substantial amount of funding. Right now, the average homeowner has around $330,000 worth of equity to tap into. And HELOC interest rates are variable, meaning that they’re well-positioned to decline as additional interest rate cuts are issued.
So, if you’re thinking a HELOC is your best way to access extra financing currently, you’re likely not wrong. To confirm this speculation, however, it’s critical to carefully calculate your potential monthly costs. No matter whether you’re looking to borrow $100,000 with a HELOC or just $30,000, you must understand your payments. But, how much does a $30,000 HELOC cost monthly now that rates are falling? That’s what we’ll calculate below.
See how low of a HELOC interest rate you could secure here.
How much does a $30,000 HELOC cost monthly now that rates are falling?
When calculating HELOC monthly payments it’s important to remember that these are just estimates. After all, variable interest rates are exactly that – variable. For HELOCs, borrowers can expect them to change monthly. But while that may have been an issue in recent years as rate hikes were continuous, it’s a timely benefit now in the face of what may be an extended rate-cutting campaign. Here, then, is what a $30,000 HELOC could cost monthly now, tied to two common repayment periods and the assumption that the rate will remain static:
- 10-year HELOC at 8.69%: $375.01 per month
- 15-year HELOC at 8.69%: $298.77 per month
So while you’ll save more each month by going with the longer option, you’ll pay more in interest to do so. But remember that these payments are only approximated. Here, then, is what they could become if rates fall by 25 basis points in November:
- 10-year HELOC at 8.44%: $371.00 per month
- 15-year HELOC at 8.44%: $294.37 per month
That noted, HELOC interest rates are unlikely to fall by the same precise amount that the federal funds rate does. So calculate on the assumption that it does, but understand that they don’t move by the same amount each month.
Get started with a low-rate HELOC online now.
Don’t forget about your credit score
Remember that the interest rates you see listed on lender websites are as low as they are on the assumption that borrowers are qualified – meaning that they have a high credit score and clean credit background. If you don’t have both, you won’t be eligible for the above rates and may have to pay significantly more, depending on your financial circumstances. If you have a low score – and can afford to delay the needs you were planning to cover with a HELOC – it may be worth improving your credit before applying. So, don’t apply for other credit in the interim, pay down (or off) all of your current debts and make sure to pay your current monthly payments on time (or, preferably, early).
The bottom line
A $30,000 HELOC comes with monthly payments between $299 and $375, approximately, right now. But those rates will change over the life of the line of credit. And you won’t be eligible for the best rates and terms if you don’t have a good credit score, so make sure to check that before applying. Finally, remember that your home is collateral in any home equity borrowing exchange, therefore it’s critical that you withdraw only an amount that you can afford to pay back or you’ll risk losing your home in the process.