Does Sam’s Club accept WIC? (Updated in 2022!)
WIC is a great program that helps many women and children in America. However, not every store and retailer accepts it.
So Sam’s Club is a cornerstone store in America, which makes us wonder if Sam’s Club accepts WIC…
Does Sam’s Club accept WIC?
Sam’s Club does not currently accept WIC electronic benefit transfer payments. The WIC program includes support for healthy food purchases, issuing members a payment card that can be used to buy groceries. However, the card cannot be used at Sam’s Club.
This article describes the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program) program benefit system: how it works, where you can use it, and how you will benefit from it.
What is a Sam’s Club?
Sam’s Club is an American chain of membership-based retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Walmart.
Membership is required for purchases at Sam’s Club, and there are two membership types to choose from: club and addeach has an annual fee.
Plus membership is a more comprehensive membership program that includes cash rewards, additional savings on pharmacy and glasses, free shipping on items purchased from their website, and (in some clubs) early shopping hours before stores open to the public.
Allow EBT payments via Sam’s club Membership in the SNAP program. However, the WIC program does not allow this.
Notably, Walmart accepts WIC payments through recurring checkout lines at all of its stores nationwide, but not for online purchases.
What is WIC?
WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children. It is funded at the federal level to support the health care and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women and children under five.
Basic eligibility requirements are assessed by household income, but those already enrolled in the benefit program are usually automatically approved.
The program works with other services that are vital to the well-being of children and families, such as supermarkets and pharmacies. However, Sam’s Club is not one of those partners.
The program provides nutritional counseling, parenting advice, breastfeeding support, food assistance and referrals to help families lead healthy everyday lives.
Current WIC services and benefits include:
- Nutritional Counseling
- Breastfeeding advice and support
- Support the purchase of healthy food
- Referral to child care and health insurance plans
- Medical and Dental Care Referrals
- Health and Social Services Resources
- Immunization Screening
- Healthy Eating Advice
Foods currently approved by WIC include:
- milk
- cheese
- cereals
- peanut butter
- Egg
- juice
- canned vegetables
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- Infant formula and food
- whole grains
- yogurt
Is WIC the same as Snap?
The WIC program is similar to the SNAP program (Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program) in supporting low-income families to purchase nutritious food. However, the WIC program has stricter restrictions on the types of food that can be purchased with funds.
Both programs issue funds through EBT cards: so there is confusion as to which retailers accept which cards. For example, while Sam’s Club does accept SNAP EBT payments, it does not accept WIC EBT payments.
Please also note that while Sam’s Club currently accepts SNAP at all club locations, they do not accept SNAP on purchases from SamsClub.com (a paid plus membership program with additional benefits).
The Sam’s Club Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program information web page includes an access button to access more information about WIC benefits and a list of eligible products and sizes.
The list of participating retailers varies from state to state, and the number of approved participants continues to grow. The best way to contact a retailer partner is to ask your local WIC office. They will provide you with an updated list of authorized stores and the WIC Shopping Guide.
How do I use my WIC card?
If you are an approved member of the WIC program, you will receive a monthly food inspection. You will now receive an EBT card that you can use in-store at participating institutions or at a few approved online institutions.
Your card is used as a swipe, just like you would use a debit or credit card. Each month, your household’s WIC food benefits will be deposited on your card. Eligible items you purchase will be deducted from your benefit total, and you don’t have to use all of your benefits at once.
Some useful things to keep in mind when using cards include:
- The card benefits last 30 days before expiration.Unused items will not be carried over to the next month
- WIC transactions are separate from your normal purchase transactions.
- You can check your WIC account balance and expiration date on your receipt
- Always keep your card in a safe place
- Shop early during the benefit period to get what you need
- Each state’s official health service has posted information pages about applying for and using a WIC card. For a good example of a typical (and useful) WIC resource page, you can read the California WIC card page here.
Does Sam’s Club accept EBT?
EBT or Electronic benefit transfer is a system that allows the State Welfare Department to issue benefits electronically. Distribute benefits using magnetically encoded payment cards used in the United States.
Therefore, EBT is the system that WIC uses to distribute benefits to participants. Each eligible participant will receive an EBT card that allows them to purchase nutritious foods at participating stores.
However, while Sam’s Club accepts EBT payments, they do not accept EBT payments from the WIC program.
Sam’s Club is one of the companies that contracts with the government to accept EBT payments from the SNAP program, which, while similar to WIC, is a completely separate program.
Both programs used to use associated coupons or food checks: they are now almost entirely replaced by electronic benefit transfer systems that use plastic cards.
Want to learn more about Sam’s Club? Check out our related articles to learn about:
generalize
The Sam’s Club retail warehouse sells a variety of groceries, beverages and everyday household items.
However, although they hold a range of common household needs, they are not participants in the WIC program.
For an up-to-date list of WIC-approved retailers in your area, it is best to ask your local WIC center.
