When it comes to medical expenses, it can be hard to know how and where you can save money. In many situations, you simply have to pay whatever you’re billed for and have very few options for doctors or clinics to visit or what services you receive.
Luckily, there is one area of your health where you have much more control over what you get, what you spend, and how you get your assistance—your eye care.
So to help you find ways that you can save money and get the exact experience you want in this realm of your health, here are three tips for saving money on glasses and contacts.
Determine If You Actually Need Vision Insurance Coverage
Unlike medical or car insurance, not everyone needs to have vision coverage through their insurance. Even if it’s offered to you through work or some other form of medical insurance, paying for this additional coverage might not be essential for some people.
According to Susan Johnston Taylor, a contributor to U.S. News and World Report, you should really only be paying for vision coverage if your expenses per year exceed how much you’d pay out-of-pocket for things like an eye exam.
If you consistently need help with glasses or contacts, then it would probably make sense to get insured. Otherwise, you could be saving money by not paying for an insurance premium each month.
Try Online Retailers
If you do need to use glasses or contacts but don’t want to pay a high price for them, Torrey Kim, a contributor to The Balance every day, suggests taking a look at some online retailers rather than buying from your eye doctor or from a glasses store.
As long as you have your prescription and can follow instructions for how to choose the right size of frames, buying glasses online can be very easy. And because there’s no store or office to have to upkeep, overhead costs are lower for online retailers, which means they can pass their savings onto you.
Look For Discount Codes or Coupons
Whether you’re going to be using an online retailer to buy your vision products or you’re choosing to go a more traditional route, Andrea Cannon, a contributor to Money.com, advises that you always look for any discount codes or coupons that might be available to you before you make a purchase.
Both manufacturers and retailers will oftentimes offer some type of discount or promotion that can help to reduce prices for your products or services. So before you pay full price for something, make sure there’s not an available discount that you’re missing.
If you’re wanting to save some money on your eye care and vision costs, consider using the tips mentioned above to show you how you can do just that.
What are you doing to save money on glasses and contacts?
