Why You Should Be Getting Your Eye Exams at Costco

Add affordable eye care to the list of amazing things Costco offers.

There are very few items you can’t buy at Costco. The membership allows access to discounted food in bulk, affordable vacation packages, and perks when purchasing things like gym memberships and even cars. One lesser-known perk is Costco’s great eye care.

Costco Optical offers access to all your eye care needs, including independent, licensed optometrists who will provide cheap eye exams. Pricing does differ from doctor to doctor, but most take varying types of insurance. It’s still a good idea to check with your local warehouse to make sure they accept your insurance. Annual eye exams for uninsured walk-ins are around $70, Southern Living reports. For comparison, NerdWallet reports the average vision tests and eye exams cost anywhere between $46 and $255 depending on location and if you’re an established patient. Here are 10 more bizarre things you never knew you could buy at Costco.

Cheap eye examErica Smit/Shutterstock

That said, you can technically check your vision with a Costco eye exam without having a membership. Billing doesn’t go through Costco since the optometrists are contractors, so your exam bill is separate from your membership. The glasses, contacts, and lenses are all Costco-owned, meaning you need a membership to buy those items. These are the 7 other things you can do at Costco without a membership.

People with memberships have extra perks beyond cheap eye exams when it comes to eye care. Costco currently offers $30 off each additional pair of prescription eyeglasses. In a 2016 Consumer Reports survey of more than 91,000 members, Costco topped the list of best eyeglasses retailers. Costco doesn’t disappoint when it comes to food, travel, and deals so it might be worth checking on your eyes or getting your new glasses there, too. Next, check out the 15 things you aren’t buying at Costco—but should.

Emily DiNuzzo
Emily DiNuzzo is a former staff writer at Reader’s Digest. There’s a 90% chance Emily is drinking tea right now, but when she’s not writing about food and health with a cuppa by her side, you can find her lifting at the gym, listening to murder mystery podcasts and liking one too many astrology memes.