It’s time for your eye exam, and you want to go to Costco because of its amazing selection of eyewear and great prices. But does Costco Optical take insurance? Read on to find the answer!
Does Costco Optical Take Insurance?
Yes, Costco Optical does accept insurance. Costco accepts most vision insurance plans and provides affordable appointment rates even if you don’t have insurance. Additionally, you must be a Costco member to use any optical services.
To learn more about accepted insurance providers, wait time, glasses, and more, keep on reading!
What Insurance Does Costco Optical Take?
Costco Optical accepts several types of vision insurance, including major national providers such as:
- VSP
- VBA Vision
- UnitedHealthcare
- Superior Vision
- Spectera
- MetLife
- MESVision
- FEB BlueVision
- Davis Vision
It’s always best to check with your local Costco Optical when booking your appointment to see if they do, in fact, accept your insurance.
Costco Optical also suggests that you contact your vision insurance provider to ensure that Costco is an in-network provider.
Does Costco Optical Take EyeMed Insurance?
If you use Costco, Walmart, or other non-network provider insurance, you’ll have to pay the entire optical bill when the services are rendered and then submit a claim form to EyeMed Vision Care.
For any eye care services done at Costco Optical, you’ll receive a reimbursement that’s equivalent to in-network benefits.
How Much is Costco Optical Without Insurance?
A Costco eye exam will cost you between $50 to $100 for a comprehensive exam with glasses. Of course, the price will vary depending on your location.
The final price will also be determined by services you have done during your exam, such as dilation, contact lens fitting, and retinal imaging.
The median cost of glasses at Costco Optical without insurance is $186, compared to the price at major retailers without insurance of $369. That’s a huge discount!
Do I Need A Costco Membership To Go To Costco Optical With Insurance?
Yes, to be seen at Costco Optical or to purchase glasses and contacts, you must be a Costco member.
However, if you’re a member and want to purchase contacts or glasses for a non-member, you can do that as long as you have a valid prescription for the non-member.
How Do I Book An Appointment t Costco Optical With Or Without Insurance?
To schedule an appointment at Costco Optical, all you need to do is call the number of the independent Doctor of Optometry at your local Costco or call the Costco Warehouse and select the optical department when prompted.
Costco Optical doesn’t take walk-in appointments, so make sure that you’re always scheduling an appointment when you need to be seen by an optometrist.
Costco Optical is open 7 days a week, Monday through Friday 9 am – 5 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 9 am – 4 pm.
What Does A Costco Optical Exam Entail With Or Without Insurance?
In general, you’ll have roughly the same vision and eye tests at Costco Optical as you would at any eye doctor – especially when it comes down to vision correction.
All of these tests are considered to be part of the comprehensive eye exam, in which the doctor will measure your visual sharpness and ensure that your eye is healthy on the inside and outside.
The doctor will perform a variety of painless tests that monitor:
- Color blindness
- How your peripheral (side) vision is doing
- How your eyes move together
- Fluid pressure inside your eyes
- Your retinas health
- Presbyopia, astigmatism, farsightedness, nearsightedness
- Visual sharpness
After the exam, the doctor will give you an updated vision prescription that you can use to purchase new glasses, sunglasses, and contacts.
Will Costco Optical Put New Lenses in Old Glasses With Insurance?
The answer to that question is tricky because it’s up to the Costco location and its optical team to decide. It’s a very common thing that Costco Optical isn’t very happy about replacing lenses in your own frames, even if you have insurance.
How Long Does It Take To Get Glasses At Costco Optical With Insurance?
Costco takes about seven days to start and finish processing eyeglass orders and have them ready for you to pick up.
When you choose prescription glasses at Costco Optical, how long you’ll be at the store‘s optical center will depend on whether you bring a current prescription to work with or if you need an eye exam.
You can expect to be at the Costco optical location for about one hour if you brought in your own prescription and about two hours if you need a Costco eye exam, and then time to look for new eyeglasses.
What Brand Of Frames Does Costco Optical Provide With Or Without Insurance?
Costco provides its optical customers with a wide variety of name–brand contacts, sunglasses, and eyeglass frames. Some brands include:
- Oakley
- Ray-Ban
- Kate Spade
- CooperVision
- Acuvue
- Bausch and Lomb
Additionally, they offer their own signature brand, “Kirkland Signature.” These tend to be cheaper than brand-name glasses but still provide the same style and quality as name-brand eyewear.
It doesn’t matter if you go with name–brand eyewear or Costco’s signature brand; you’re going to be getting your glasses at a great price that can’t be beaten anywhere!
Does Costco Optical Allow Me To Return Prescription Eyewear Bought With Insurance?
Costco Optical doesn’t accept returns or exchanges of prescription eyewear, even if you did buy it with insurance.
You might succeed in getting the lenses in your glasses replaced if there’s something wrong with the prescription, but you won’t be able to return the entire pair of glasses because you don’t like them anymore.
Contacts can be returned as long as the package is unmarked, undamaged, and unopened.
To learn more, you can also see my guides on Costco glasses return policy, the Costco price match policy, and also Costco’s policy on accepting EyeMed and VSP.
Conclusion: Does Costco Optical Take Insurance?
Yes, Costco Optical does take most major vision insurance. If you’re worried that they won’t take your vision insurance, call ahead of time and ask them if they accept your insurance, contact your vision insurance to see if Costco is in-network to avoid any headaches. Even without insurance, Costco provides eye exams and eyewear at affordable prices!
