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About 1800 Contacts
Fact: 1800 Contacts is the world’s largest seller of contact lenses, period. The brand sells literally millions of lenses annually from the world’s largest inventory of contacts. Newsweek named the brand the top contact lens store for customer service, and it has also had its bona fides touted by such outlets as Healthline, Reuters, Medical News Today, and Business Wire.
As to social media, the company has nearly 150K followers on Facebook and another 20K from Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Our 1800 Contacts review will give you a 20/20 look (wink wink) at the brand, its bestsellers, customer reviews, 1800 Contacts insurance info, and all manner of other FAQs so you can clearly see whether this is the vision solution for you.
Overview of 1800 Contacts
It began in 1995. It was a dark and stormy night. Maybe. We can’t be sure. But still, it did begin in 1995 with a dude named Jonathan C. Coon, who began selling contact lenses to his fellow students while finishing his degree in advertising and public relations.
This small business venture grew into a company when Jonathan partnered with his buddy John F. Nichols and set up shop in Draper, Utah. Soon thereafter, and long before the Amazon era, 1800 Contacts became the first-ever online contact lens retailer, breaking new ground by “enabl[ing] everyone to take control of their own vision care” through the miracle of the internet.
The brand also was the first contacts company to have an app, which made it even easier for customers to access and purchase their prescriptions. And the company has continued to innovate by introducing the 1800 Contacts eye exam (called ExpressExam), which allows you to have your eyes checked by a doctor completely virtually. Pretty cool, right?
Now we know you’re a busy bee, and just want all the info already (same, TBH). To that end, we’ll give you a brief overview of the brand’s pros and cons that our 1800 Contacts review explores in detail:
Pros
- Millions of prescription contact lenses accessible online
- Price-beating guarantee
- 20% off your first order
- 5% savings with subscription plan
- Rebates offered for many products
- Virtual eye exam
- Free app (downloadable from Apple App Store or Google Play Store)
- Free shipping and returns
- International shipping
- Insurance available
- Frequent deals
Cons
- If your eye doctor is outside the US, you cannot place an order on the website
Next, let’s steer our 1800 Contacts review over to the magical land of products. Strap yourself in as we run through some of the brand’s bestsellers.
1800 Contacts Review
Just a reminder that the prices you see quoted in the 1800 Contacts review below are the regular prices for these products. As you may have noted from our pros and cons rundown above (and if you didn’t, start paying attention!), you get an automatic 20% discount if you’re a first-time customer, because you’re special like that.
1800 Contacts Air Optix Colors Review
Eyeing some 1800 Contacts colored contacts? The Alcon Air Optix Colors has 12 fabulous shades to dress up your eyeballs, including amethyst, gray, and the ever-popular blue.
Made from 67% polymer and 33% water, these cuties can be used for a solid month until it’s time to bid them a tearful goodbye. The Air Optix Colors come 6 lenses to a box, and sell for $99 as a one-time purchase. If you subscribe to get a refill every 6 or 12 months, you can knock that per-order price down to $94.
1800 Contacts AIR OPTIX® plus HydraGlyde® Review
The 1800 Contacts Air Optix plus HydraGlyde is a monthly contact lens with extra-super-duper moisture power for people with astigmatism. The specially engineered balance technology in these babies makes it so that your lenses are less likely to swim all over your eye and blur your vision.
To get into the sciencey specifics, the lenses are made from 67% lotrafilcon B and 33% water. Soft as a baby’s bottom, the Air Optix plus HydraGlyde lenses come 6 to a package and will set you back $70, or you can save 5% if you sign up for a subscription.
1800 Contacts Biofinity Toric Review
The Biofinity Toric 1800 Contacts are monthly lenses for those with astigmatism. Designed to keep moisture in while still allowing plenty of air to circulate around your precious eyeballs, these lenses will also make for a perfect fit, so you’ll get none of that discomfort that comes with so many run-of-the-mill disposables.
The lenses’ manufacturer, CooperVision, cooked these up using 52% comfilcon A and 48% water—and while we can’t speak to the first thing (or know what it is), water’s good for everyone, isn’t it?. For the 6 lenses per package, you and/or your insurance company will need to cough up $70, but it’ll be worth it.
1800 Contacts ACUVUE® OASYS® Review
Introducing the 1800 Contacts Acuvue Oasis! Oh, wait… sorry, no, it’s actually the Acuvue Oasys (the “y” just makes it that much more hip, doesn’t it?). The goal here is comfort to the x-treme (look, we can do it too!). These lenses not only keep your peepers swimming in moisture, but also block out 99% of UVB and 95% of UVA-1 rays.
Manufactured by Johnson & Johnson from 62% polymer and 38% water, these lenses are made for 1-2 weeks of wear. A 12-pack of the Acuvue Oasys is $79, but remember you can shave off 5% if you subscribe.
1800 Contacts ACUVUE® OASYS® 1-Day Review
Made from senofilcon A and 38% water, the Acuvue Oasys 1-Day lenses use the brand’s “HydraLuxe” technology to keep your lookers moisturized and comfortable. Kick off your shoes after a long day, but remember to pluck these off your eyeballs while you’re at it, because these can only be used once—but you’ll remember their tender comfort for years to come, surely.
One pack of Acuvue Oasys 1-Day contains 90 lenses, and will run you $98.
How Do I Change My Doctor On 1800 Contacts?
You can change your doctor information via the brand website or on the mobile app. You can also contact the company by phone and speak to a friendly customer service rep, if you’re feeling like talking to a real human instead of staring at a screen.
How Do I Add Insurance To 1800 Contacts?
1800 Contacts is an in-network provider for many insurance companies, so you can easily add your insurance info via the brand website or by phone. It’s billed directly!
If 1800 Contacts is out-of-network for your insurance company, you just have to fill out and submit the online claim form and order invoice to them.
Does 1800 Contacts Call My Doctor?
If you’d like them to, heck yeah! If you don’t have a copy of your prescription or the contact lens box you are currently using, you can call 1800 Contacts and have the company contact (get it?) your doctor for you. Easy peasy.
Who Is 1800 Contacts For?
1800 Contacts is for people with prescriptions only—you can’t just be buying your eyeball-wear all willy-nilly. To order, you either have to provide a photo or copy of your prescription, or have the company contact your eye doctor.
Comparison: 1800 Contacts vs. AC Lens
AC Lens offers similar services as 1800 Contacts, so let’s have them battle it out head to head (or more appropriately, eye to eye). We want this 1800 Contacts review to be a speedy but informative read, so we’ve boiled this comparison down to bullet-point lists of three similarities and three differences between the companies.
Similarities:
- Online vision exams
- Subscription service available for automatic contact lens delivery
- Free shipping within the US
Differences:
- AC Lens also sells glasses, sunglasses, readers, and other eye care products
- 1800 Contacts has a larger selection of contact lenses
- AC Lens’ online eye exam not available to all US states
So basically, if contacts are the only game in town for you, then 1800 Contacts is the way to go. Wanna glom some glasses? They can’t help you—I mean, it’s right there in the name. So in that case, maybe check out AC Lens instead.
1800 Contacts Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
It’s time for our 1800 Contacts review to give the floor to the people’s voice. We looked at reviews on both the brand website and external sources like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Trustpilot, and the Google Play Store.
First things first: 1800contacts.com doesn’t share ratings and reviews for specific products. Bummer. But the front page does advertise a few reviews for your pupils to admire.
These testimonials praise the company’s “dependable” customer service for sending out reminders when you need new contacts. They’re also chuffed that actual human beings answer the phone when you call, instead of subjecting you to a robot interrogation first.
One of the reviews from social media wrote in celebration of the brand’s remote care, “@1800CONTACTS does smartphone eye exams people!!! Didn’t need to go to the Doctor to update my rx. The visually challenged and lazy thank you.”
But enough of the yes crowd—third-party sites tell a different story than the one on the home site. On BBB, the brand has a perfect A+ rating based on responsiveness to customer issues.
Trustpilot reviews were mixed. The good reviews shared amazingly positive experiences with customer service and an appreciation for the affordable pricing. This customer shared how the company went above and beyond to fix an error that wasn’t even its fault:
“I ordered the wrong brand by accident and they were quick to catch what my doctor had recommended and fixed it instantly, 10/10 customer service the agents were very helpful and it seems like they truly care about their customers.”
Over on the Google Play Store, reviewers gave the company a sterling 4.8/5 stars from 29K reviews. Commenters said that the whole service was “fast, easy, and cheap.” They especially loved the access to prescription and doctor info, virtual exam, reminders to change contacts, and the convenient 1800 Contacts prescription renewal.
According to these happy folks, this app is like having your own contact lens fairy godmother. This 1800 Contacts review from an enthusiastic customer recounts the great customer service they received:
“This app and company is phenomenal. … due to my lenses being out of stock and an insanely high prescription, I called them to see if there was steps I needed to take. Both reps I spoke with were extremely helpful and did a wonderful job. I recommend this app to everyone wearing contacts. 🙂 if i knew the owner id thank him/her personally.”
Is 1800 Contacts Worth It?
Short answer: yeah, 1800 Contacts is worth it, or at the very least it’s worth a shot. Especially if you live in the US, it’s most likely that you’ll have a smooth ordering experience.
1800 Contacts Promotions & Discounts
Our 1800 Contacts review didn’t have to squint too hard to find promos and discounts. It seems like the brand always has a new 1800 Contacts coupon code on the helpful “Offers & Coupons” page of the website. Here’s what we gleaned:
- Get 20% off your first order, discount automatically applied at checkout
- Check the 1800 Contacts promo code page for currently active deals
- Giveaways are announced on social media, so follow along and watch out for those!
Where to Buy 1800 Contacts
Where can you buy 1800 Contacts? Directly from the site itself, or by calling the company at 1-800-266-8228. The only catch is that customers whose eye doctors are outside the US cannot order through the website.
FAQ
Where is 1800 Contacts located?
1800 Contacts headquarters is located in Draper, Utah. The brand has been owned by many other companies since 2008; most recently, it was acquired by the acronym-and-abbreviation-happy firm KKR & Co. Inc.
Who owns 1800 Contacts?
As stated above, 1800 Contacts is owned by KKR & Co. The new parent firm acquired the contact lens retailer from AEA Investors in 2020 for a purchase price of reportedly $3 billion.
Where is 1800 Contacts made?
Since 1800 Contacts sells a big-boy list of brands on its site, the products are made in various places. Major manufacturers whose products are sold through the site include Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb, and CooperVision.
What is 1800 Contacts’ Shipping Policy?
In awesome money-saving news, 1800 Contacts offer free shipping on all orders. But there are also express options available if you wanna get your paws on your order faster. Estimated shipping times are as follows:
- Standard—5-7 business days
- Ridiculously Fast—2-3 business days
- Teleported—1 business day
(Note: the above might not be the actual names of the shipping options.)
More awesomeness: 1800 Contacts ships internationally. These deliveries will be a little more complicated, because you’ll have to order via phone, but you’ll still be able to get contact lenses conveniently delivered to you and receive virtual eye exams from your own home.
What is 1800 Contacts’ Return Policy?
Don’t worry if you got a new prescription but still have unused contact lenses lying around: our 1800 Contacts review found that the company actually has free returns and exchanges. Opened or unopened, you can return unused contact lenses without paying for shipping anytime, anywhere. International orders included!
Bonus: 1800 Contacts is down to replace torn lenses, too.
How to Contact 1800 Contacts
Got a question that wasn’t answered in our 1800 Contacts review? Don’t worry, we’re not offended. You can get in touch with the company using any of the following methods:
- Phone: 1-800-266-8228
- Email: [email protected]
- Contact form on brand website
- Text HELP to 41800
FYI: the call center is open 24/7.
For more contacts and glasses options, check out these in-depth reviews:
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