contests and giveaways

How to Save Money on Contact Lenses (plus a giveaway!)

Lens cases [This is a guest post by Cecily Kellogg. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a guest poster? Contact Em at em [at] blondeandbalanced [dot] com to learn more about becoming a guest poster yourself!]

 

I was 16 years old before I got my first pair of contact lenses. Back then, they were very expensive, requiring a series of crazy equipment that also cost money (anyone else remember the contact lens cooker?), and each pair was meant to last six months to a year. I can still remember walking out of the store the day I got my lenses, stunned at how much better they corrected my vision than my glasses did. The trees! I could see the branches way up high! It was love at first sight (literally).

Thankfully, times have changed, and now you can buy contacts that are only meant to last a week or two (no more cooking!), plus they are far more comfortable and easy to replace than they were 30 years ago. But you can still find yourself paying a fair amount for lenses if you’re not careful and smart about buying them.

So how do you go about getting the lenses you love but continue to practice frugal living, and save money on your contact lenses? For starters, you can enter the giveaway to win a pair of contact lenses from Replace My Contacts! (See details at end of post.) However, even if you aren’t the lucky winners, here are some great tips everyone can use for saving money on contact lenses.

Buy Your Lenses Online

There is no better way to save money on your contact lenses than purchasing them online. Buying your lenses online (with a prescription and examination done by a licensed optic professional, of course) can save you literally hundreds of dollars a year. Buying online is perfect because not only do you save money, but you get the lenses delivered right to your home. Online contact lens sources offer a full range of brands and styles, so you are sure to find your perfect lenses.

Manufacturer Rebates

Another bonus feature of ordering your contact lenses online is the fact that sites track contact lens manufacturer rebates and pass those savings directly on to you. These rebates can range from as little as $15 to big savings of $65 or more.

Insurance Coverage

It can be easy to overlook your insurance provider as a way to help you with saving money on your contact lenses, but it’s very likely you have some type of vision coverage as part of your plan. I know I was shocked to learn that my plan allowed me to order a full year’s worth of lenses fully covered—as long as I ordered them from an online source and not the optometrist. (I could only get six months of lenses directly from my eye doctor.)

Need help finding your insurance form?  Here is a list of insurance forms to help you find discounts for buying your lenses.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to save money on your contact lenses. Personally, I’m incredibly grateful that the option to buy my lenses online exists; I’ve been working harder to stay within budget these days and practice living a frugal life. Buying my lenses online really helps—particularly when, after 30 years of wearing lenses, I have to switch to the bifocal version of my favorite brand. Ouch!

Giveaway Details

Prize: A pair of contacts from any of these brands:

Rules:

  • You must be a U.S. resident to enter.
  • You must have a current contact prescription.
  • If you’re chosen, you must provide your address and contact information so your prize can be shipped to you.
  • To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling us which brand of contact lenses you’d want if you win.

It’s that easy!  The contest will be open through Monday, May 6th at midnight. I’ll choose a random commentor the next day to be the lucky winner, so get your votes in now. Happy commenting!

Cecily Kellogg is a writer, blogger, and content strategist. She’s also a social media junkie. You can read more from her at uppercasewoman.com.

Photo credit:  ☺ Lee J Haywood

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