Ray-Ban Price Tracker

Ray-Ban goes back to the 1930s, when the Rochester optics company Bausch & Lomb developed anti-glare sunglasses for US Army Air Corps pilots – the origin of the Aviator. Italy's Luxottica bought the brand in 1999, and since the 2018 merger with Essilor it has belonged to EssilorLuxottica, which runs it from Milan. US and UK customers each have their own official store on ray-ban.com, and the brand has its own shops in both countries, such as those on Carnaby Street and in Covent Garden in London.

The official stores mark down selected frames – the US store gathers them in a clearance section – and some limited editions are sold only online. Advertised discounts elsewhere are kept in check: in 2016 Luxottica introduced a minimum advertised price policy that bars its wholesale partners from advertising Ray-Bans at extreme discounts. Sunglass Hut, which belongs to the same group, opticians and department stores still run their own promotions, so the same frame can be reduced at one retailer while staying at full price at another.

An alert is most useful for Ray-Ban's pricier lines: the smart glasses developed with Meta, which come in several generations and frame styles, each with its own product page, and limited editions that are only made in small numbers. Set the alert on the exact page you would buy from – the US or UK store, or a retailer you trust – and you'll get an email as soon as that page shows a lower price, without checking the clearance section every week.