Sam's Club Eye Exam Cost in 2026: $50-$100
Sam's Club publishes no eye exam price, and you do not need a membership to have the exam. Customers report paying $50-$100 without insurance. The exam is done by an independent Doctor of Optometry who sets their own fee, which is why no national figure exists; call your local club to get the one that applies to you.
How much is an eye exam at Sam's Club, and do I need a membership? Sam's Club publishes no exam price, and membership is not required to see the optometrist, as of 3 October 2026. Customers report $50-$100 without insurance. The $60 a year membership is what you need to buy the glasses afterwards.
Where these numbers come from. Sam's Club's own help centre states that membership is required to purchase optical products, “however, membership is not required to see the Doctor of Optometry”, and its optical page says members and non-members alike can make appointments with its doctors of optometry (both checked 3 October 2026). Neither surface prints an exam price, so $50-$100 is what customers report paying, not a Sam's Club figure. For a price someone does publish: $95 is the median starting fee across the 1280 US retail optical stores that print one (30 September 2026), and Medicare pays $149.64 for the same comprehensive exam for a new patient (CPT 92004, CY2026).
| Service | 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive eye exam (no insurance) | $50 - $100 |
| With a vision plan | Plan copay |
| Contact-lens fitting add-on | $85 - $120 |
| Sam's Club membership (buys the eyewear, not the exam) | $60/year |
| Medicare, comprehensive exam, new patient (CPT 92004) | $149.64 |
| Median published starting fee, US retail optical | $95 |
Sam's Club publishes no exam price, so the exam, copay and fitting rows are reported ranges, shown in amber. The membership fee, the Medicare amount and the published median are printed by Sam's Club, CMS and the chains' own store pages respectively, and are shown in blue.
Sam's Club Optical Pricing Table (2026)
| Service | 2026 Cost | Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive eye exam (no insurance) | $50 - $100 | Reported | Sam's Club publishes no exam price; the independent OD sets the fee |
| With a vision plan | Plan copay | FEDVIP brochures | $0 or $10 on the four 2026 FEDVIP plans, where the plan is in network with that OD |
| Contact-lens fitting add-on | $85 - $120 | Reported | Higher for toric / multifocal. No Sam's Club figure is published |
| Sam's Club membership (buys the eyewear, not the exam) | $60/year | Published | $120/year Plus. samsclub.com/join |
| Medicare, comprehensive exam, new patient (CPT 92004) | $149.64 | Published | CY2026 national non-facility amount. What Medicare pays a practice, not a cash price |
| Median published starting fee, US retail optical | $95 | Published | Across the 1280 US stores that print one. Not Sam's Club |
Reported means customers say they paid it and Sam's Club publishes nothing to confirm or contradict it. Published means the figure is printed by the organisation named in the note. Sam's Club uses independent optometrists, so individual fees differ club to club.
With Insurance vs Without Insurance
Reported, not published by Sam's Club. No membership needed for the exam itself. Contact-lens fitting is reported at $85-$120 on top.
The in-network exam copay on the four 2026 FEDVIP plans (VSP $10, $0 at Premier Edge; BCBS FEP Vision, MetLife, Aetna $0; brochures read 25 Oct 2026). VSP's and MetLife's brochures name Sam's Club for their frame allowance. Your plan prints its own copay.
Membership Math: Where the $60 Actually Lands
The club fee is not the price of entry to an exam. Sam's Club's own help centre draws the line exactly: membership is required to purchase optical products, not to see the Doctor of Optometry. So the fee only changes your total if you walk out with glasses. Every exam figure below is a reported range rather than a published price, because none of these three chains publishes one.
| Scenario | Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Sam's Club exam only, not a member | $50-$100 exam, no club fee | $50-$100 |
| Sam's Club exam and glasses, not a member | $60 club + $50-$100 exam + eyewear | $110-$160 before eyewear |
| Walmart Vision (no membership at all) | $75-$100 exam | $75-$100 |
| Costco (same split: member to buy, not to be seen) | $79-$110 exam | $79-$110 |
If you only want the exam, Sam's Club is reported at the lowest entry point of the three and costs you nothing in membership to use. The fee becomes a real comparison point once eyewear is in the basket, which is where Walmart Vision Center has no fee to pay and Costco charges $65.
FAQ
How much is an eye exam at Sam's Club in 2026?
Sam's Club publishes no exam price, because the independent Doctor of Optometry sets the fee. Customers report $50-$100 without insurance and with a vision plan you pay its exam copay ($0 or $10 on the four 2026 FEDVIP plans) where the plan is in network with that doctor. For published benchmarks: $95 is the median starting fee across the 1280 US retail optical stores that print one, and Medicare's CY2026 national amount for the same comprehensive new-patient exam is $149.64 (CPT 92004).
Do I need a Sam's Club membership?
Not for the exam. Sam's Club's help centre says membership is required to purchase optical products, "however, membership is not required to see the Doctor of Optometry", and its optical page says members and non-members alike can make appointments. Membership is $60/year Club and $120/year Plus, both printed on samsclub.com/join, and is what you need to buy the eyewear.
Is Sam's Club cheaper than Costco?
Neither publishes a price, so this can only be answered on reported figures, where they overlap: $50-$100 against $79-$110. Both treat membership the same way, needed to buy eyewear but not to see the optometrist. Costco edges Sam's on glasses pricing. See the direct comparison page for the full breakdown.
Does Sam's Club accept Medicare?
Original Medicare Part B does not cover routine exams. Many Medicare Advantage plans include vision benefits usable at Sam's Club; verify with your plan.
Can I use FSA or HSA at Sam's Club Optical?
Yes. Eye exams, prescription glasses and contact lenses are all FSA and HSA eligible (IRS Publication 502).
Sources
- Sam's Club help centre: membership is not required to see the Doctor of Optometry
- Sam's Club Optical: members and non-members can make appointments (no exam price published)
- Sam's Club membership pricing: $60 Club, $120 Plus
- CMS Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool (CY2026 national rates)
- Medicare: routine eye exams are not covered
Membership pricing and the membership-is-not-required-for-the-exam position both re-read on Sam's Club's own pages, 3 October 2026. Sam's Club publishes no exam price, so every exam figure on this page is a reported range rather than a chain-published price, and is labelled as such. The Medicare amounts are CMS national non-facility amounts for CY2026, what Medicare pays a practice rather than what a cash-pay patient is charged. Costs vary by club; coverage varies by plan.