The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP benefits, and formerly called food stamps, not only offers economic allowances to low-income families for the purchase of food, but also comes with a series of additional benefits that also intervene to have a better quality of life.
And it is that the quality of life of people not only depends on that they also eat but also on the leisure and recreation to which they have access. That’s made very clear by the SNAP benefits program that also offers discounts in dozens of states on all kinds of entertainment, from physiological museums to Amazon Prime. The latter is available in Texas, along with the other discounts, and we tell you how you can access all of it for free.
Extra Benefits of your Lone Star Card – SNAP EBT in Texas
If you qualify for SNAP benefits in Texas, not only will they give you your Lone Star Card (EBT card) that is used to buy with the money assigned to you in stores that adhere to the SNAP program, but you can also have several interesting discounts that we are going to tell you below, because if you do not know them you have been wasting the potential of the program.
Discounts on Electricity and Air Conditioning
If you are already a SNAP beneficiary or are thinking about applying to qualify, you should know that the Texas Public Utilities Commission offers assistance to pay your electric bills. An essential requirement is that your income is equal to or less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. In such a case, you may also qualify for a free energy audit, in order to make your house more energy efficient. And you can also apply for the replacement of old appliances with new ones that use much less electrical energy.
Visit Texas Museums for Free or With a Discount With Your Lone Star Card
Nationwide, the Museums for All program, an initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, offers discounts or free tickets to SNAP recipients at more than 1,300 museums. In the state of Texas, there are more than thirty museums that offer one of the two options, and they range from science fiction museums to the craziest ones, such as the “DoSeum”, where children can explore and touch everything that is exposed, to the wacky Forgotten Dollhouse Museum.
Just a few examples:
Participants in the Texas Lone Star Card program can also present their card (via app or physical card), and a photo ID to receive general free admission for up to 6 family members, in the Children’s Museum of Houston.
Participants in the Texas Lone Star Card program receive free admission to the buildings on the Museum of Fine Art of Houston, in the main campus, as well as Bayou Bend and Rienzi. A guest who presents a Texas Lone Star Card and photo ID can receive free admission for up to 6 people on one card.
Enter to https://museums4all.org and use the search engine to find which one is closest to your location. Before visiting the museum, it is advisable to call or visit its website to confirm that the discount is valid on the day you decide to go.
Amazon Prime Discount With Your Lone Star Card
When you receive your Lone Star Card, you not only receive a means of payment, but you also qualify for a 50% discount on your Amazon Prime membership. In most states in the United States, Amazon also offers groceries at good prices that are available to be paid for with your EBT card.
“To qualify for Prime Access, please be prepared to upload one of nine forms of verification for any of the following government assistance programs: Supplemental Security Income (this is different from Social Security and SSDI), SNAP, Medicaid, Direct Express Debit Card (DE), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), Tribal assistance eligibility letter (TTANF), or Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP),” Amazon explains on its website.
Amazon then offers a Prime membership for $6.99 a month for SNAP recipients nationwide. This service offers free and fast delivery, as well as Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading and Prime Gaming. Find everything you need to know about this discount on this dedicated Amazon website.
Pay $9 in the Houston Zoo With Your SNAP Benefits Card
For only $9 per ticket, per child or per adult, Lone Star Card (SNAP and WIC) recipients can purchase up to a maximum of five tickets (2 adult and 3 child) with this special discount.
The Houston Zoo explains on its website that other household members beyond that number will need to purchase a ticket at the regular admission price, which ranges from $22.95 to $38.95 (adults) and from $17.95 to $31.20 (children and seniors).
You must buy the tickets online, prior to your visit, through the official website: https://www.houstonzoo.org/plan-your-visit/prices-and-discounts/lone-star /. Tickets are not sold at the zoo gate. Visitors must present their Lone Star card or phone app at the door for verification. This benefit includes only daytime admission to the zoo.
