SNAP Benefits 2023: Are Walmart, Kroger, BJ's Wholesale Club Still Accepting SNAP EBT Payments?

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) allows qualified stores, including big retailers, to accept SNAP benefits payments.

There is a store eligibility requirements that the FNS Imposed on authorized retailers. It includes the store having three stocking units of three different varieties for each staple food category continuously.

Two staple food categories must also have at least one perishable variety. A store must also have more than 50% of its total gross retail sales from staple food sales.

Butcher shops are usually SNAP-authorized stores due to this eligibility requirement. In 2019, the USDA allowed SNAP benefits payments to be accepted during online purchases through the SNAP Online Purchasing pilot program.

The pilot program tested both online ordering and payment. SNAP beneficiaries were able to use their benefits to purchase eligible food items but were not able to use SNAP benefits to pay for service or delivery charges.

The pilot program included Amazon and Walmart as participating retailers in the pilot launch of the program.

SNAP Benefits Walmart

Walmart noted on its website that paying your online purchases using the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card is accepted on 49 states. In Alaska, SNAP participants can use their EBT cards at pickup.

To use SNAP benefits online in buying goods in Walmart, customers should select payment methods and choose the option to add an EBT card to their account.

The SNAP benefits funds cannot cover the entire order. Recipients should pay the remaining amount with a personal debit or credit card.

Upon payment, you will then be directed to an external page and be asked to enter your PIN. California, Florida, New Mexico, and Texas are among the states accepting SNAP benefits online on Walmart.

Walmart stores also accept SNAP benefits in their physical stores.

SNAP Benefits Kroger and Other Stores

More than 70 retailers accept EBT cards for online orders, including grocery chains, e-retailers like Amazon, and online delivery platforms such as Instacart.

Kroger is included in the list of large retail chains accepting SNAP benefits payments. In 2020, Kroger Co. started taking SNAP benefits for its online grocery pickup service.

The retail giant noted that SNAP beneficiaries can shop online for groceries at Kroger.com or through the Kroger mobile app and collect their order curbside at a Kroger store near them.

Kroger said the pickup service offers a "low-contact, convenient service" to customers concerned about shopping in stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from its pickup service, it also accepts EBT cards in all its locations, which allows customers to pay for their groceries.

Customers can pay for their SNAP purchases using their EBT cards as credit or debit cards when getting their orders from Kroger stores and for delivery.

The retail giant announced last March that SNAP recipients will get free delivery for any order above $35.

SNAP benefits recipients can also use their EBT cards at checkout on B.J.'s website or its mobile app. EBT card users can also choose the type of service they want, whether it is a free pickup, shipping, or same-day delivery.

Other large retail stores accepting SNAP benefits payments include Aldi, Food Lion, Publix, Safeway, ShopRite, Stop&Shop, Hy-Vee, and H-E-B.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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