The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, popularly known as food stamps, provides monthly benefits to low-income or non-income households to provide help with food payments.
This is administered by the federal government, the food stamps benefit is paid by the state and local authorities to the citizens of the United States who otherwise find it difficult to achieve adequate nutrition levels with their own income.
Benefits are credited to prepaid electronic benefit transfer cards, which are similar to a bank debit or credit card, which beneficiaries can use in stores across the country or for online purchases. An online shopping pilot plan was implemented in 2017 and expanded to all 50 U.S. states by 2023, so online shopping is now available to all SNAP beneficiaries in the country.
The Best Retailers for Online Shopping with SNAP Benefits
“SNAP online is currently available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. There are only two United States territories. (Guam and the Virgin Islands) that have not yet implemented online shopping,” a USDA spokesperson said.
- According to the USDA website, the following major retailers receive SNAP payments for online grocery orders:
Aldi - Amazon
- Costco
- Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA)
- Hy-Ve
- Jewel-OscoNew Pioneer Food Co-op
- Ramsey’s Market
- Sam’s Club Scan and Go
- Target
- Walgreens
- Walmart
- Whole Foods
Are EBT Cards Accepted in the 50 States?
State by state, the retailers that receive online EBT payments may vary. For example, in February there was a report that Thrive Market, a store that is exclusive to online purchases, will begin accepting SNAP among their payment methods on their platform in the contiguous 48 states, but not in Alaska or Hawaii. For a complete list of online retailers that receive SNAP benefits in your state, see the USDA website.
The amount of benefits a person receives will depend on the size of their household and the income they have, a family of four, for example, can qualify for a maximum of $973 per month, although this figure may change.
In recent years, the use of benefits for online purchases has increased, the USDA reported, approximately 3.7 million households using SNAP benefits made online purchases in the month of April 2023, compared to 35,000 households in the month of March 2020.
Things You Cannot Buy With SNAP Benefits
While many of these retailers sell more than just groceries, SNAP benefits can be used only on select foods and beverages, which include the following:
Breads and cereals, Desserts, Drinking water, Dairy products, Fruits and vegetables, Meat, poultry and fish, Non-alcoholic beverages, Snacks, Spices, seasonings and sweeteners, Seeds and plants for growing food.
When purchasing food using SNAP online, EBT cards cannot be used to pay for other services, such as delivery or processing fees, if SNAP recipients prefer to make in-store purchases, more than 250,000 retailers nationwide accept SNAP benefits, including major chains and independent stores.
