How to pay less for eye drops

The most reliable ways to pay less for eye drops are to order fewer, larger shipments, pay with pre-tax HSA or FSA money, and avoid wasting drops. Quell has no coupons or promo codes, but an order of 3 or more bottles reaches the $89.00 free-shipping line, skipping the $10.00 charge, and the IRS lets HSA and FSA funds cover over-the-counter medicines without a prescription.

Are there coupons for eye drops?

Not for Quell. There are no promo codes, coupon fields or first-order discounts, and the price you see on the home page is the price everyone pays. That also means you don’t need to hunt for a code before checking out, or worry that someone else paid less for the same bottle. Are there Quell coupons or promo codes? explains why the site works this way.

If a website you’ve never heard of offers a steep discount on a product sold elsewhere for much more, be careful. Our guide to spotting a fake eye drop website lists the warning signs.

Use the free shipping rule

Shipping is the one cost you have real control over. Here is how it works at checkout:

• An order with a subtotal below $89.00 pays a flat $10.00 for shipping.
• That charge is per order, not per bottle, so two bottles in one order pay it once.
• At $89.00 or more, which 3 bottles reach, shipping is free.
• The cart shows how much more you’d need to qualify before you pay.

The difference adds up over a year. Someone who orders a single bottle every time they run low pays shipping on every order. Someone who orders 3 at a time pays none. What the saving in your cart means shows how the cart presents that comparison.

Combine orders instead of splitting them

If two people in the same household both use Quell, one order of 3 or more to a single address costs less than two small orders. The same goes for a couple of coworkers who keep a bottle at their desks, or a parent who orders for themselves and a grown child at home. Each person should still have their own bottle, because the label’s handling line applies to every user: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.

There’s no subscription to sign up for, and no auto-ship discount; you decide when to order. The site sends one reorder reminder email, which can help you combine a refill with someone else’s instead of placing a rushed single-bottle order later.

Pay with HSA or FSA money

Paying with money that was set aside before income tax is a real saving, even though the price doesn’t change. The IRS’s guidance on the CARES Act says over-the-counter medicines and products are reimbursable from HSAs, health FSAs and HRAs without a prescription, for amounts paid after December 31, 2019. Over-the-counter eye drops fall under that rule.

• How much you save depends on your own tax situation, which a tax professional or your plan administrator can explain.
• Some HSA and FSA cards work at online checkouts and some don’t; the site can’t confirm yours in advance.
• If the card doesn’t go through, you can pay another way and submit the receipt for reimbursement if your plan allows it.
• Health FSAs often have a deadline to spend the money, so unused funds near the end of the plan year can go toward eye drops you’ll use.

Our guides to HSA and FSA funds for eye drops and spending FSA money before year end go further.

Order what you’ll use before it expires

Buying a big supply only saves money if you use it. Each bottle has an expiration date printed on the bottle and carton, and you shouldn’t use drops past it. Before stocking up, think about how quickly you go through a bottle following the label’s directions, and order an amount you’ll finish well before the dates on the boxes.

If you over-order, the policy helps: 30-day refunds on unopened bottles, no need to send them back. An unopened bottle can be refunded within 30 days of delivery, so a bottle you realize you won’t need doesn’t have to be a loss. How many bottles should I order? can help you pick a number.

Don’t waste drops

A drop that runs down your cheek is a drop you paid for. The directions on the label are: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Getting each drop into the eye on the first try makes a bottle go as far as it’s meant to:

• Wash your hands, tilt your head back and look up.
• Gently pull down your lower lid to make a small pocket.
• Hold the bottle close but don’t let the tip touch your eye or lashes.
• Squeeze gently for one drop, then close your eye for a moment rather than blinking hard.
• If you miss often, try lying down or using a mirror.

Using more drops than the label directs doesn’t stretch your money or help you more; it just empties the bottle sooner. Our guide on how to use eye drops as directed walks through the technique.

Don’t lose a bottle to storage or handling

A bottle that gets contaminated or cooked has to be replaced, which is the most expensive outcome of all. The label’s storage line reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). That rules out a hot glove box in summer or a car left out through a freezing night. The label also says: If this product changes color. Knowing what normal looks like keeps you from throwing out a good bottle: Product appears as a milky brown solution. And if the tip touches anything, the safer choice is a fresh bottle.

Damaged orders are replaced

If a bottle arrives damaged, the wrong item comes, or the tamper seal is broken, don’t buy another one. Damaged, incorrect and broken-seal orders are replaced. Contact Aurora Pharmaceuticals, LLC at 615.465.6041 (M–F 9AM–5PM CST) or through the contact page, and keep the packaging until it’s sorted.