Does Shipt accept EBT? (Everything to know..)
Since the pandemic began, a record number of Americans have applied or attempted to apply for food assistance benefits in order to feed their families. As a result, more and more food retailers are accepting food benefits as a form of payment.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP) allows people to pay for groceries in-store using an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. Grocery stores in more states are embracing these benefits, and that acceptance is extending to online grocery delivery.
Read on to find out more about Shipt’s grocery delivery service and whether they accept EBT as a payment method for their service. We’ll also discuss some other details of the SNAP program and review a list of other grocery services that accept EBT cards as payment.
Does Shipt accept SNAP EBT?
Traditionally, online services that deliver food are not eligible for SNAP benefits. This may be due to the difficulty in regulating payments for online orders, and the USDA’s slow progress in implementing new ways for recipients to use benefits.
However, in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are receiving SNAP benefits, so many new eligible services have sprung up. However, not all grocery delivery services accept EBT as a payment method.
Shipt is a delivery service owned by Target Corporation. Their business model includes delivering groceries, home products and select electronics from local retailers directly to customers’ doorsteps. Since their inception in 2014, they have grown rapidly to cover many metropolitan areas in the continental United States.
Unfortunately, Shipt does not accept EBT as a payment method for its services due to USDA regulations. SNAP benefit recipients looking to get grocery delivery from Shipt will have to look elsewhere.
If you want to learn more about Shipt’s service and the types of payments it accepts, you can visit their customer service page.
Fortunately, there are many other services that do accept EBT cards. We will discuss available alternatives later in this article. Now, let’s look at the reasons why Shipt does not accept EBT cards as payment.
Does Shipt plan to adopt EBT in the future?
Although the Shipt website states that they accept all major credit cards as payment methods, we apologize for the inconvenience of their inability to accept EBT. There could be several different specific reasons for this to happen, but we’ll discuss them later in this article. The question is; will Shipt start accepting EBT in the future?
Shipt currently has no plans to begin accepting EBT cards in the foreseeable future. SNAP benefit recipients are encouraged to find other grocery delivery services to meet their needs.
If you want to learn more about what payment types Shipt accepts, you can visit their customer service page. Next, we’ll look at why Shipt doesn’t accept EBT cards as payment.
Why doesn’t Shipt accept EBT?
The SNAP benefit program in its current form is relatively new. The issue of feeding those who can’t feed themselves is a hot topic that has undergone many regulatory changes since switching from the food stamp program in 2008.
As a result, the eligibility of people who receive SNAP benefits and stores that accept EBT cards has changed a lot. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States has accelerated this process.
The main reason Shipt does not accept EBT is that USDA regulations still limit the service’s eligibility to accept EBT. EBT cards also lack the CVV number used to verify online payments on debit and credit cards.
In the end, this is primarily a safety and regulatory issue. Customers looking to use their EBT card for grocery delivery will have to look elsewhere. Fortunately, there are grocery delivery services available that accept EBT as a payment method for their services, which we’ll cover now.
Which grocery delivery services accept EBT?
Traditionally, the popularity of grocery delivery has been limited to individuals who cannot properly purchase their own groceries in-store.
This includes seniors, people with disabilities, and people who are far from urban centers but don’t have effective transportation to and from grocery stores.
The popularity of online grocery delivery has boomed as more people order food online due to the global coronavirus pandemic. More and more people are ordering food online as they try to protect their health by limiting contact with other people in public.
Currently, the only online delivery service that accepts EBT cards is Amazon. Amazon offers “fresh” grocery delivery in several U.S. cities and allows customers to have fresh produce delivered directly to their door.
However, it is important to note that as EBT payments are limited to food, it is not possible to use EBT to pay for delivery. Customers who use EBT to pay for Amazon grocery delivery will still be required to pay for delivery through other methods.
You may also be interested in similar articles such as Does Costco Accept EBT, Does Whole Foods Accept EBT Cards, Does Amazon Accept EBT?
in conclusion…
SNAP benefits have changed a lot since switching from the Food Stamp program in 2008. As more people embrace the idea of a grocery delivery service, the number of options you can use to pay for groceries with EBT should start to expand as well.
That being said, the only online grocery delivery service currently available for SNAP recipients to pay with EBT is Amazon. Additionally, Amazon Fresh delivery is only available in select U.S. cities. Still, this is a start.
The main difficulty in accepting EBT payments for online grocery orders is the lack of a CVV number on the EBT card. CVV is used as a secondary security measure, allowing online retailers to confirm that the card you use to pay is actually yours. Online orders are difficult to verify due to the lack of CVV on EBT cards.
