Sam's Club Eye Exams: How Much They Cost and What to Know

The benefits of Sam’s Club membership aren’t limited to bulk groceries and the food court hot dog. Did you know you can also get your annual eye exam done at Sam's Club and order contacts and glasses, too?

Sam’s Club has over 600 warehouses nationwide, and there’s a Sam’s Club Optical Center located in most of them. There, you can get a basic eye exam performed by a licensed optometrist for under $100 (on average), which is pretty on par with what we found for Costco eye exam prices.

So if you’re in need of an updated prescription or new frames, it could be worth checking out the Sam’s Club optical center. Especially since you don't even need to be a Sam's Club member to take advantage of their cheap eye exams.

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Sam's Club eye exam costs are super reasonable, even if you're not a member.

Because the optometrists who work at the Sam’s Club Optical Center are not Sam’s Club employees, they're able to set their own prices to a certain extent. So the exact cost of a Sam's Club eye exam (without insurance) can vary by location.

We called around to a few different locations to see how the Sam's Club eye exam cost without insurance. Based on our research, the average cost of a Sam's Club eye exam is around $85. In most cases, the cost only varied by about $15 - $30 for different locations.

Considering the average cost of an eye exam without insurance is between $100 - $150 (according to a 2024 report by Mira), you could save up to $80 by going with Sam's Club!

If you add on a contact lens exam, you can expect to pay an additional $40 - $65 without insurance.

Sam's Club Eye Exam Costs

It's important to note that Sam’s Club optical centers accept vision insurance, too, so if you go that route, know that the price you pay could be different from the numbers quoted above.

KCL TIP: Since each Sam's Club Optical Center is run by an independent optometrist, make sure you call in advance to see if they accept your vision insurance — and to get an exact price quote.

How to Get an Eye Exam Without a Sam's Club Membership

To get an eye exam without a membership, just call the optometry department at the nearest store to make an appointment. When you get there, tell the associate at the entrance that you’re there for an eye exam. (This should be enough for them to let you in, but it doesn’t hurt to have your appointment confirmation email pulled up on your phone just in case.)

Note that you will need to have one of the two types of Sam’s Club memberships in order to purchase any glasses, contacts, or other accessories from the Optical Center.

Sam's Club glasses prices start at $59 — about $1 less than Costco.

Sam’s Club offers plenty of frames starting at just $59, which is $0.99 less than Costco’s cheapest frames (of the Kirkland Signature variety). That's one of the reasons why Sam’s Club is one of our go-to places to buy cheap glasses. Designers they carry include London Fog, Rachel Zoe, Betsey Johnson, and others. They also have a Member’s Mark line of store-brand glasses, which are the cheapest ones.

But just because Sam's Club frames are inexpensive, don’t assume they’re cheap quality. Even an optician on Reddit was thoroughly impressed with the quality and craftsmanship of the lenses at Sam’s Club Optical. You can choose from lens options like Diamond Standard, Diamond Thin & Light, Polarized Sunglasses (prescription is available as well), and Transitions. Each of these options has anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, water-repellant, and smudge-proof features.

TIP: If you’re ordering frames online from Sam’s Club, check out the virtual try-on feature. It’s surprisingly fun and gives you a good sense of how different shapes fit your face.

Tips for Using Sam's Club Optical

Bring your own prescription to skip the eye exam.

Whether you shop in-store or online, you will need a valid prescription to order glasses from Sam's Club. (Typically, this means a prescription given within the last calendar year.) But the prescription doesn't have to be from Sam’s optometry department.

If you’re using a prescription from another optometrist, be sure your prescription includes your pupillary distance (PD). If not, the Sam’s Club app has an online tool that lets you measure it yourself. Or you can stop into the Optical Center and have an associate measure for you.

Sam’s Club carries a good selection of glasses in the store, so you can always try them on in person if you prefer. They also have plenty of frames available to order online, ranging from $59 - $199. Sam’s has a separate website for ordering prescription contacts.

Consider upgrading to Plus membership for the 20% discount.

If you’re going to make Sam’s Club Optical your go-to for eye exams and glasses, it could be worth upgrading to the Plus membership.

With Plus, you get special Optical discounts like 20% off lenses and free shipping on most items. And if you end up needing a pricey pair of prescription glasses that cost around $300, your 20% discount would save you $60, which would pay for the upgraded membership cost!

Related: See our full breakdown of how to decide if Plus membership is worth it.

Wait for the back-to-school sale in July and August if you're buying multiple pairs of glasses.

If you’re purchasing multiple pairs of glasses, consider waiting until the yearly back-to-school sale. In 2024, they're offering a BOGO 50% off deal from July 10 - Aug. 28. When you buy multiple pairs of frames and prescription lenses in-store at Sam’s Club, you get 50% off each additional pair.

Both pairs have to be for the same prescription/patient, and any upgrades to the lenses — like tints, mirrors, or coating — will be an extra charge. Note that the back-to-school offer typically isn’t combinable with any additional Plus member savings or with vision insurance.