GlassesUSA Review: Cost, Pros And Cons, And How GlassesUSA Works
Thinking of getting your next pair of glasses from GlassesUSA? Read on to find out if this online eyewear seller might be a good choice for you.
GlassesUSA, headquartered in New York City, sells eyeglasses, blue light glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses online. They offer a wide selection of prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses, including a range of designer frames.
Our review will explain how to order glasses from GlassesUSA, how the company works and how to decide whether to buy glasses from them, a different online seller or your eye doctor.
GlassesUSA product overview
Considering buying glasses online? GlassesUSA sells prescription and non-prescription glasses and sunglasses, as well as contact lenses. You can buy men’s and women’s glasses including bifocals, trifocals and progressives.
They offer a choice of over 7,000 frames. The selection of designer frames includes:
Miu Miu
Muse x Hilary Duff
Popular product lines and styles include:
Amelia E. glasses – Amelia E. is a women’s eyewear brand sold at GlassesUSA in a variety of styles including Amelia E. Laura, Amelia E. Louisa, Amelia E. Tricia and Amelia E. Nettle.
Elliot glasses – The unisex Elliot frames are made of acetate and metal. They’re described as a modern take on 50s browline-style glasses.
Henry rimless glasses – Henry glasses are a classic style suitable for men or women. These rimless glasses are made of lightweight titanium.
When ordering, you have choices for how to protect your eyes from UV rays and other light. You can add UV-block coatings, or you can get blue light or transitional (photochromic) lenses. The company also sells prescription sunglasses and sunglasses with polarized lenses.
GlassesUSA offers contact lenses from brands such as Acuvue, Biofinity and Bausch + Lomb. They sell daily, weekly and monthly contacts, soft contacts for astigmatism and colored contacts.
How to buy glasses from GlassesUSA
It’s fairly easy to navigate the website. Here are six steps to ordering glasses:
Shop frames. You can search by gender, brand or type of glasses. For example, you can filter by categories such as Women’s Eyeglasses, Kids’ Glasses, Designer Glasses, Multifocal Glasses, Clearance Sale or Ray-Ban. You can arrange search results by cost or look at the most popular styles.
Pick your frames. Once you find frames you like, you can read reviews and use the try-on tool to upload a photo of yourself to see how the frames might look on you. Frames come in a variety of colors, from basics like tortoiseshell and black to fun colors like pink, red, kelly green and blue.
You’ll want to verify the frames are a good choice by clicking “Frame & Measurements” on the right side of the page to check frame size. You can also find out whether the frames will work with bifocals or progressive lenses.
Choose your lenses. The website will ask what you use your glasses for to help you choose lenses. Choices are distance, reading, distance and reading (progressive), distance and reading (bifocal) or fashion (non-prescription). Both progressive and bifocal lenses cost extra.
Enter your prescription. You have several choices for how to enter your prescription. You can fill in a prescription form online, have your eye doctor send your prescription, send your prescription yourself by email or fax, upload it or use a saved version from a previous purchase.
Choose a lens package. GlassesUSA offers “lens packages” that vary based on which frames you buy and how you will use your glasses. These packages include different combinations of optional lens upgrades such as anti-scratch, anti-reflective and UV-block coatings, and featherweight or ultra-thin lenses. Choosing a lens package that has an upcharge can increase the cost of your glasses considerably.
Note: You may see a coupon code when shopping that will give you a discount on lens packages such as the gold, platinum, diamond or other lens packages.
Buy your glasses. Once you’ve made all your selections and entered your prescription, you can check out and pay for your glasses.
How much do GlassesUSA glasses cost?
GlassesUSA glasses are not quite as low cost as eyeglasses from some other online sellers, such as Zenni Optical. The cost for a pair of clearance-priced prescription glasses starts at $29 and can go up significantly depending on the type of lenses and the “lens package” you choose.
If you get cheap frames and have a simple prescription, glasses may cost less than $50. If you choose high-end designer frames and a premium lens package, the price could reach $600 or more.
GlassesUSA coupons and discounts
Checking for deals and discounts can help you save money on your new glasses. For example, we got a coupon code for 65% off a first-time purchase of frames in exchange for signing up for promotional emails. We also spotted a sale for $10 off all sunglasses and an offer for 25% off plus free shipping on contacts.
Deals may include:
Buy one, get one (BOGO) offers.
Clearance sales on specific frames.
Coupon codes for discounts.
Daily deals for up to 60% off frames.
Discounts on categories or types of frames or lenses.
GlassesUSA also may offer free glasses — for example, we saw an offer for free glasses with contact lens orders over $120.
And you can use the GlassesUSA refer-a-friend program to get a $10 Amazon gift card for every referral. Friends you refer get 10% off their first order.
It’s worth taking some time to look at offers and sales to see how you can get the best deal on your glasses.
Does GlassesUSA accept insurance?
GlassesUSA does not accept vision insurance. If you purchase glasses from GlassesUSA, you will have to submit an insurance claim form to your vision insurance company to request reimbursement. GlassesUSA offers insurance forms you can download, fill out and submit to your vision insurance provider.
GlassesUSA delivery time
How long does it take to get your glasses? That depends on the type of lenses, where you live and the shipping speed you chose at checkout.
Here’s the delivery time U.S. customers can expect with standard free shipping:
Single vision lenses (regular prescription): 10 to 13 business days.
Single vision lenses (strong prescription of +/- 3.0 or higher): 13 to 16 business days.
Multifocal or progressive: 13 to 16 business days.
If you need your glasses sooner, you can choose expedited shipping for $9.95 or express shipping for $12.95. Even with express shipping and a simple prescription, it could still take 6 to 8 business days to get your glasses.
If you’ve already ordered glasses, you can track your order by visiting the order tracking page. Just enter your order ID number and the email address you used to place the order.
What is the GlassesUSA return policy?
GlassesUSA offers free returns within the first two weeks after purchase. If you want to return your glasses, go to the Returns page on the website and fill in the form. They will provide a prepaid shipping label to send the glasses back. You can choose a full refund (if you paid for the glasses rather than using a store credit), a new pair of glasses or a 100% store credit to use later.
Check GlassesUSA reviews before you buy
It may be helpful to check reviews and to look at other sites such as the Better Business Bureau GlassesUSA profile (BBB) to see customer complaints and read reviews. Keep in mind that sites like the BBB are designed to help resolve consumer complaints, so they don’t necessarily paint a full picture of a business or service.
GlassesUSA guarantees
GlassesUSA offers a few guarantees that may give customers some peace of mind. These include:
110% Best Price Guarantee – If you find a lower price on the exact same glasses, they will give you 110% of the price difference.
Satisfaction Guarantee – You can return glasses “no questions asked” in the first 14 days after purchase. GlassesUSA will pay the return postage if you decide to send your glasses back. You can choose a refund, a 100% store credit or a new pair of glasses.
These guarantees sound good, but be sure to read the fine print. For example, the Best Price Guarantee doesn’t include premium frames.
How do you reach GlassesUSA customer service?
GlassesUSA offers 24/7 customer service. The number for customer service is (844) 244-1186. You can also email or chat live with customer service.
Customer service representatives can help with questions about your order or assist you if you want to check order status or cancel your order.
GlassesUSA and broken glasses
What can you do if your GlassesUSA glasses broke? That depends on the situation. Here are a few common scenarios:
Your glasses arrived broken – If your new glasses were damaged during shipping, snap a photo and send it to returns@glassesusa.com and they will “sort it out.”
Your glasses broke after they arrived – If you purchased GlassesUSA 20/20 enhanced coverage, that will cover damage from normal wear and tear for a year.
If you lost or broke a nose pad, you may be able to contact customer service to get a replacement nose pad. Unfortunately, they don't offer other replacement frame pieces to repair broken glasses.
Our thoughts on GlassesUSA
There are many sites where you can buy cheap eyeglasses online. GlassesUSA offers a big selection with prices to fit many budgets. They’ll even give you a refund if you don’t like your first pair of glasses.
But if you’re considering spending $100 or more for a pair of glasses online, it’s worth considering a visit to your eye doctor. You’ll get a high-quality pair of glasses that comes with a professional fitting.
You can check out the selection of glasses and prices when you visit your eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam and glasses prescription. You may find that your eye doctor offers a better deal than you can get from GlassesUSA or other online sellers.
READ NEXT: SmartBuyGlasses review
GlassesUSA home page. GlassesUSA. Accessed April 2021.
GlassesUSA Better Business Bureau profile. Better Business Bureau. Accessed April 2021.
Page published on Wednesday, May 12, 2021
