The Best 11 Places to Buy Glasses Online
While it certainly has its benefits, a trip to your eye doctor is often time-consuming and costly. And if you need a new pair of glasses, your options are fairly limited. You’ll get a bigger selection at your local eyewear boutique, but the prices will likely be astronomical. As it turns out, there’s a much simpler and more cost-effective way to shop for glasses—and you’ll have thousands of frames to choose from. Whether you’re looking for the best sunglasses for UV protection or sophisticated specs that will make you look smart, you just might want to buy glasses online.
To do that, you’ll need a current prescription, and you’ll need to know your pupillary distance, which is a fancy way of saying the space between your eyes. Your optometrist will be able to give you both of these, and once you have that information, you’re free to go home, put on your favorite online shopping ensemble—and by that, we mean your favorite lounge pants and a cozy robe—and start shopping. The prospect of sorting through thousands of pairs of glasses on your own might seem daunting, but it’s easier than you think. Some sites enable you to virtually try on glasses, while others will send you multiple pairs at a time to try on at home. Already know what you want? Just check out the measurements on your current pair and search for something similar.
Once you’ve made your selection, check to see what, if anything, your vision insurance plan will cover. In most instances, you can even use your FSA or HSA for glasses. Then be sure to read the site’s return policy in case you don’t love your new glasses once they arrive. We’ve gone ahead and rounded up the 11 best places to buy glasses online, and we’re confident that you’ll find your perfect pair. Happy shopping!
Most popular: Warby Parker
Price: $95 and up for frames; lenses included
Shipping: Free. Delivery takes 7 to 10 business days for prescription and non-prescription glasses and 5 business days for non-prescription sunglasses and home try-ons.
Returns: 30 days
Warby Parker has made quite a name for itself, and it’s easy to see why. The company’s user-friendly website allows you to start off with a quiz that will help narrow down your choices based on the size of your face, preferred frame shape, material, and colors. Once you get your results, you can select five pairs of frames with demo lenses to try at home, risk-free. If you’re not quite ready to buy glasses online or think you may need to try on more than five pairs, Warby Parker has retail stores across the United States and Canada that you can visit and, at some locations, even book an eye exam.
Pro tip: Give your eyes some extra protection by adding blue-light-filtering lenses to any pair of glasses with or without a prescription for just $50.
Best for budget glasses: EyeBuyDirect
Price: $6 and up for frames; lenses not included
Shipping: $5.95 for normal delivery, or free for orders over $99. Delivery takes 7 to 14 business days, and 2-day shipping is available starting at $19.
Returns: 14 days
With frames starting at just $6, EyeBuyDirect is one of the most affordable options out there. The site has tons of options for men, women, and children, and while lenses cost extra, the most popular ones are just $18.95. If your budget is on the higher side, EyeBuyDirect also carries Ray-Ban, Oakley, and its own premium line of frames, RFLKT. Since EyeBuyDirect is so inexpensive, it is perfect for those who have a tendency to lose or beat up on their glasses. Here are 10 ways you abuse your eyeglasses without even knowing.
Best for high-end designer frames: Fashion Eyewear
Price: $16.95 and up for frames; lenses included
Shipping: Free for orders over $70. Delivery takes 7 to 14 business days.
Returns: Unworn glasses must be returned within 14 days
If you’re in the market for higher-end frames from Versace, Alexander McQueen, Dior, and more, you’re in the right place. Fashion Eyewear purchases its products directly from brand manufacturers and guarantees that every item is 100 percent authentic. No knockoffs here! While designer frames can run as high as $1,950, the company offers four different lens packages. The bronze package consists of standard lenses and is included with your frames, and upgraded packages are available at additional costs.
Best deals on name-brand glasses: GlassesUSA
Price: $19 and up for frames; lenses included
Shipping: Free. Delivery takes 7 to10 business days, plus 3 to 6 days to process. Expedited shipping is available starting at $9.95
Returns: 14 days
If you want to score a great deal on a pair of name-brand glasses, head over to GlassesUSA. The site offers some of the best coupons, sales, and promos we’ve seen, including 65 percent off new customers’ first frames, BOGO deals, and extra percentages off clearance frames. You’ll find a bevy of familiar brands here, including RayBan, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Oakley. Plus, you’ll get free lenses with every pair. Even better? There’s an extensive selection at every price point, so you can comfortably grab some new specs for everyone in your family.
Pro tip: GlassesUSA will send up to two pairs of glasses for you to try for 14 days (or one pair for multifocal lenses). If you love them, keep them. If you decide they’re not for you, just send them back. You’ll only pay for what you keep.
Most stylish glasses for women: Zenni Optical
Price: $6.95 and up for frames; lenses included
Shipping: $4.95 for standard shipping. Delivery takes 14 to 21 days.
Returns: 30 days for a 50 percent refund
Do you prefer vintage-inspired frames or the latest and greatest on the market? Looking for some specs to match your astrological sign? Or do you want some frames that will pair perfectly with your favorite wine? Whatever you’re looking for, Zenni has it. The site allows you to search for the most stylish frames based on your interests, and with prices starting at just $6.95, you can snag a pair for each day of the week. The virtual mirror will help you “try on” your glasses before you buy them, but if you don’t love them in real life, you have 30 days to send them back. It’s worth noting that if you simply want to return them, Zenni will only refund you 50 percent of the purchase price. If you opt for store credit, however, you’ll receive a full refund, minus shipping, so you can pick out a new pair. Read on to find out what your glasses secretly reveal about your personality.
Most stylish glasses for men: Privé Revaux
Price: $84.95 and up; lenses not included
Shipping: Free on orders $45 and up. Delivery takes 7 days.
Returns: 30 days
Founded by Jamie Foxx, David Schottenstein, and Jeremy Piven (among others), the fancy-sounding Privé Revaux has one of the best selections of fashion-forward eyewear for men that we’ve seen. You can search by color, shape, style, celebrity capsule collection, or their newest collection, which was inspired by Disney Pixar’s Soul. Privé Revaux is new to the prescription-eyewear scene, so you can only shop for single-vision lenses, which start at $55, include 100 percent UVA/UBV protection and anti-reflective coating, and are scratch- and impact-resistant. Best of all, the site offers rapid 7-day delivery, so you’ll have your new specs in the blink of an eye.
Glasses that give back: DIFF Eyewear
Price: $95 and up for frames; premium lenses included
Shipping: Free for orders over $115. Delivery takes 5 to 10 days.
Returns: 14 days for prescription products and 30 days for non-prescription products, with a $6 return fee
If you’re looking for trendy and stylish frames and also want to do some good, then look no further than DIFF Eyewear. Though DIFF Eyewear has been providing people with eyeglasses for the past several years, the company has only recently partnered with Sightsavers, an international organization leading the charge in providing vision to billions of people around the world. Now, every pair of DIFFs sold helps to provide the gift of sight to someone in need through eye exams, surgeries, glasses, medicine, and more. If you love the idea of shopping with a purpose, check out these 40 beautiful holiday gifts that give back.
Best shopping experience: Felix + Iris
Price: $119 and up; lenses included
Shipping: Free. Delivery takes 3 to 5 business days.
Returns: 30 days
Felix + Iris goes above and beyond to ensure that everything goes smoothly when you’re shopping for new glasses. They allow you to select four pairs of glasses to try at home risk-free, provide free frame adjustments to make sure you have the perfect fit, and include free anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and UV lens protection on all lenses. They also have consistent pricing, so you know exactly how much you’re going to spend. Felix + Iris doesn’t work directly with insurance providers—meaning you’ll have to pay in full and then file for reimbursement from your insurance company—but they do accept FSA and HSA payments.
Best return policy: Liingo
Price: $69 and up; single-vision lenses included
Shipping: Free. Delivery takes 14 days.
Returns: 60 days
If there’s a company out there that really wants to be sure you love your new glasses, Liingo is it. Its website features both virtual try-on and Find My Fit tools to help you select the ideal frames, but if that’s not enough, they’ll send you up to five pairs to try at home completely risk-free. What really sets apart this site, however, is its 60-Day Delight Guarantee. You have a full 60 days to try out your new glasses, and if you don’t love them, Liingo offers free returns, providing the most generous return policy out there. Here are another 14 stores with the absolute best return policies.
Best for kids: Pair Eyewear
Price: $60 and up; lenses included
Shipping: Free. Delivery takes 4 to 7 business days.
Returns: 30 days
Pair Eyewear is the fun, customizable children’s eyewear brand you might have seen on Shark Tank. Their glasses have five base frame shapes and come in a variety of colors, and they start at just $60. Kids (and adults) can change their look as often as they change their underwear with the brand’s extensive collection of toppers, which start at $25. And the collection just got even more magical. Pair recently partnered with Harry Potter (the brand, not the actual boy wizard) to launch limited-edition toppers that pay homage to each of Hogwarts’ four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Accio, glasses!
Best for people who are nervous about buying glasses online: LensCrafters
Price: $99 and up; lenses included
Shipping: Free. Delivery takes 5 to 7 business days, plus 7 days to process.
Returns: 30 days
LensCrafters has been around for 30-plus years and has more than 1,000 stores worldwide, making it a safe bet if you’re nervous about ordering glasses online. Its website offers the same types and brands of glasses that you would normally see in stores, and if your frames ever need to be adjusted, you can easily take them to your local retailer. LensCrafters accepts FSA and HSA payments and offers generous discounts to AAA and AARP members, but it’s worth noting that although LensCrafters works directly with several major insurance companies, insurance plans are accepted in stores only. Now that you have the perfect set of frames, make sure to pick up the under-$11 spray that keeps your glasses fog-free over a face mask.
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