Have you ever wondered: Does Walmart accept EBT? The EBT card, or Electronic Benefits Transfer card, can be used in place of cash to pay for food and other necessities at most supermarkets and convenience stores. As long as the store accepts EBT, you can use it there to purchase your groceries and household items.
If you have an active EBT card, you can use it at Walmart. Although these rules vary from state to state, you can even use your EBT card at Walmart stores in some states. If you have any further questions, read the article in its entirety.
This guide will help you understand the rules about how to pay for your purchases at Walmart.
What is Walmart?
Well, you know that it’s a chain of supermarkets. But what you might not know is that it’s been around since 1962 and now operates more than 11,000 stores in 28 countries.
Walmart is the largest company globally by revenue, and it’s also the largest private employer in the U.S.! You can find almost anything you need or want there, from groceries to electronics, from baby diapers to clothes.
Walmart’s low prices attract millions of customers every day. With such a massive amount of traffic, it is one of the largest stores to accept EBT.
More than 25 million shoppers have access to Walmart’s online Grocery Pickup program. For around $30, you can get same-day grocery delivery from Walmart at your doorstep with this service.
Does Walmart Accept EBT?
With the rise of Walmart and the growth of online grocery shopping in general, more people wonder if they can use EBT to buy groceries online.
The short answer is: Yes, Walmart accepts EBT at most of its locations across the nation.
Walmart does accept EBT as payment for in-store grocery purchases. The retailer notes that it doesn’t accept cash benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
Instead, you can only use SNAP benefits to purchase food items and seeds, and plants that produce food. You cannot use your EBT card to pay for hot foods or hot food products at Walmart.
Walmart’s EBT policy is dictated by federal law, which prohibits EBT transactions for everything except food and drink products. However, stores are allowed to operate their SNAP programs and decide whether or not to participate.
How to Use EBT at Walmart?
Suppose you have a food stamp or EBT card from your state’s welfare department or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In that case, you can pay for your purchases with that card.
You can use your EBT card at any Walmart location but be aware that not all stores will allow you to purchase the same products with your EBT card.
For example, most Walmarts will not allow you to purchase hot food or alcohol with SNAP benefits.
However, Using your EBT card at Walmart is easy peasy!
When you get to the checkout, follow these steps:
1. Say, “I’d like to use my EBT card.”
2. Swipe your card at the terminal, or hand it to the cashier if you have a manual card.
3. Enter your PIN into the terminal, or tell it to the cashier if you have a manual card.
4. Pay for any remaining balance with cash or debit/credit card if necessary.
Conclusion
Our research discovered that Walmart does accept EBT and that you can pay to Walmart stores with an EBT card. They accept all types of food stamps and both SNAP and WIC.
So, whether you’re currently using SNAP benefits or want to in the future, the bottom line is that Walmart accepts EBT. It’s a convenient way to help yourself and your family deal with financial strains without sacrificing too many of your favorite things.
And when you use an online marketplace like Amazon, you can even keep some extra money in your pocket by using Walmart promo codes when you check out.
Interested in finding out if other supermarkets accept EBT? Check out these articles.