Coupon Links:
- $10 off any order of contact lenses over $150 with FREE Shipping. Use code DCL10 at checkout. Expires 6/13/08.
- $5 off any $50 Contact Lens Order - Enter coupon code DCL5 in the instructions box of our order form. Expires 12/31/08.

Introduction

Discount Contact Lenses is located in the US. Pricing in USD, CAD, GBP, Euro, and JPY. They accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover/Novus, Paypal, Electronic Check (requiring bank info & drivers license info), and the option to phone/fax card info. They ship internationally. Methods of contact include local & toll free phone/fax numbers, email, and a mailing address.

Impressions

Discount Contact Lenses seems to be run from the same location as "AC Lens". The websites are set up in a similar fashion, and they share both an address as well as fax numbers.

The website is actually pretty impressive. While most of the sites reviewed here also make it easy to find what you're looking for, Discount Contact Lenses has what I feel is a superior ordering process. I say that in part because it's well thought out, and partly because they offer so many options without adding complication. For example, if you're order isn't above the free-shipping threshold, a little icon shows up at the start of the order, right under the shipping selection which lets you know that if you increase the order amount you'll qualify for free shipping. If you already do qualify it doesn't show up at all. Note that free shipping does not apply to international customers. Towards the bottom there's a "Special Comments or Instructions" box which you can fill out if necessary. The next page for those in the US is the "doctor info" page where you can either manually put in your Doctor's name and phone number, or search through their index. There is also an option on that page to fax in your prescription to save time, or even to scan & email it in. Finally, you get to the page where you choose the payment option, including by credit card, Paypal, electronic cheque, or a Fax/Phone option.

A couple minor irritations with the ordering process, but they only apply to international customers. First of all, even though international customers don't qualify for free shipping, the icon still comes up encouraging you to increase your order amount for free shipping, even once you've selected a non-US country. Second, all of the payment options show up, even though I'm pretty sure international customers won't be able to ue the Electronic Check option (the others should still be fine though). I realize I'm nit-picking here, but fixing those small things would bring the process from "impressive" to "pretty much perfect".

It wasn't very tough to find info from others on Discount Contact Lenses, and the majority of people had good experiences. Some had issues with the length of time it took to receive their order, but customer service was generally considered pretty top notch.

A BBB search shows "AC Lens (Discount Contact Lenses)" when doing a search, so I'm assuming their report applies to both companies. They're a BBB member, and have had 6 complaints, all of which were resolved. Between that and based on what I've heard, I would imagine most people would have a good experience purchasing from them.

Pricing

To compare online stores, I use the pricing for a *single* box of daily, 1-2 week, and monthly lenses made by CIBA. If you get 2 boxes (1 for each eye, only necessary if your eyes have different prescriptions), you can double the expected supply listed below.

Granted, you may be looking for other lenses, but this should give a general idea of what to expect when comparing prices.

Prices current as of Jan 20, 2008. There are also faster shipping methods available at an additional cost.