Current Ebt Program Rules
For the 40 million Americans currently receiving food stamps, the EBT card is how they access their benefits.
The EBT card acts as a debit card and allows the cardholder to purchase food that is on the approved list, from grocery stores and other merchants that are approved by the United States Department of Agriculture to accept food stamps.
However, even though online grocery shopping is available nationwide, EBT cardholders have been restricted in using their cards to buy food online until the USDA started the Online EBT pilot program in 2017.
Free And Discounted Food And Deliveries
Most programs provide both canned or boxed food items as well as some fresh fruit and vegetables when available and may include frozen chicken or meat.
Some programs require that you receive a referral but during this crisis most programs are now providing food to anyone who needs it.
You can use this map to find a location that is convenient to you.
The food banks are able to provide food but there is always a possibility during this crisis that some may run out on some days.
Yes, they are using social distancing protocols to protect the food bank workers and the public. There are also some drive-thru locations where a food box is placed in the trunk of your car while you remain inside the car.
At most pantries you can choose the food you want but at drive-thru sites you will get a standard box.
Adults age 60+, individuals with disabilities, and dependent adults are eligible to have free meals delivered from the Countys Elder Nutrition Program call 1-800-510-2020 to request this service. If you prefer to pay for your own groceries and have them delivered you may call 888-863-7411 for the Countys Critical Delivery Service.
The County is working to identify other delivery solutions for low-income individuals under age 60 who cant leave the home.
Discount Or Free Cell Phone Services
If you are currently on Food Stamps/EBT Cardholder, and your income is below a certain level, you may qualify for FREE or low-cost cell phone service for you or a member of your family through the Federal Lifeline Program, which serves nearly 13 million Americans.
This program provides discounts on cell phone service for qualifying low-income consumers, including those on Food Stamps. Here are the cell phone companies that participate in the program Nationwide.
Assurance Wireless 1 898-4888
Safelink Wireless 1 723-3546
Access Wireless 1 594-3644
enTouch Wireless 1 488-8719
Q-Link Wireless 1 754-6543
Life Wireless 1 543-3620
StandUp Wireless 1 544-4441
Read Also: Can You Use Food Stamps At Sams
How Do You Manage Refunds When There Are Multiple Payment Types Used To Pay For My Order
If youre not happy with any item, you may request a refund. If SNAP EBT is used as a payment type, well follow guidelines from the USDA on how to process SNAP eligible refunds. If your item to be refunded is SNAP eligible and you used SNAP to pay for your order, we will refund the payment back to SNAP. When all SNAP funds have been refunded, we will refund the remaining payment types used in the order. For non-SNAP eligible refunds, we will process refunds according to the EBT Cash and/or other payment card amounts you used to pay for your order.
Discounted Amazon Prime Membership

As a California EBT Cardholder, you can get over 50% OFF Amazon Prime when you sign up with your EBT Card. With the Amazon Prime EBT discount, you can get all the great benefits of Prime at a fraction of the cost.
For just $5.99 per month you get all these EBT Amazon Prime benefits:
- One-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Two-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Access to instantly stream thousands of FREE Movies & TV Shows
- Access to Unlimited FREE Prime Music streaming
- FREE 2-Hour Delivery on Prime Now items
You May Like: Kansas City Missouri Food Stamp Office
Can The Government Give Me A Free Laptop
The best thing about the EBT Pilot program is that it is available in more than 46 states in America and is highly backed and funded by the U.S Department of Agriculture. However, these grocery stores are only designed for online sales and therefore only online delivery and pick up are offered. The process is quite simple, as you just need to make payment to the designated grocery stores using your EBT card and get your groceries delivered at your doorstep.
What grocery stores accept ebt
+ Restaurants That Take Ebt In California
If you currently live in the state of California and receive CalFresh benefits, we have great news! There are restaurants that take EBT in California. Your CalFresh EBT Card or Golden State Advantage card can be used at select restaurants and fast food places if you meet the eligibility criteria. In this post, we will explain in detail how the Restaurant Meals Program works and how you can qualify to use your EBT at these restaurants.
In addition, we will provide you a complete list of fast food places and restaurants that accept CalFresh EBT for 2021.
However, first, we are going to explain what the California Restaurant Meals program is about and which counties are participating.
Second, we will explain the requirements for the RMP and how you can use your CalFresh EBT at these restaurants.
Finally, we will provide you a complete list of restaurants that take EBT in California, broken down by county.
All you need to do is scroll down and find the county where you live or a nearby county that has the meals program.
- How to use your EBT Card at Restaurants
- Restaurants that Take EBT in California by County
What is CalFresh?
CalFresh is the name for the California Food Stamps program. It is also known as SNAP .
The SNAP program is a federal nutrition program that helps people with low income buy healthy food.
SNAP benefits can be used to purchase food at grocery stores, convenience stores, and some farmers markets and co-op food programs.
You May Like: How Do I See If I Qualify For Food Stamps
Update Your Payment Info
To be able to use your CalFresh EBT card to shop online at Walmart, you first need to sign into your Walmart pickup & delivery account.
Visit the Walmart SNAP website here.
If you do not have a Walmart online account, you can create one.
Once you have signed in, Select Payment Methods.
If your local store accepts EBT Online, youll see an option to add your EBT card to your account.
Next, add your EBT card information, then click Save Card.
Alameda County Restaurant Meals Program
Here are the restaurants that accept CalFresh EBT in Alameda County:
Carls Jr.871 Marina Village Pkwy. Alameda, CA 94501
Carls Jr.3770 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94690
Pizza Hut2617 Decoto Rd. Union City, CA 94587
El Torero Taqueria5801 International Blvd. Oakland CA 94621
Jamba Juice3962 Mowry Ave. Fremont CA 94538
Also Check: Renew Food Stamps Over The Phone
Free Admission With California Ebt Summary
Heres the bottom line:
If you have a California SNAP EBT card , you are eligible for free or discounted admission to over 600 museums nationwide.
Participating museums provide reduced admission, ranging from free to $3.00.
One EBT card can be used to gain entry into any of these destinations for up to 4 individuals to take advantage of the free or reduced fee.
Ebt Food Delivery: Can I Order Food Online With Ebt
EBT food delivery options are available at various grocery stores and major retailers like Walmart.
In fact, you can go online right now to choose an EBT food delivery service and get groceries delivered to your door.
SNAP benefits offer specific things that you can buy via EBT food delivery.
The food items you can purchase include:
- Bread and cereals
- Non-alcoholic beverages such as juices or lemonades
- Seeds and plants
- Red meat, poultry, and fish
However, you cannot use an EBT card to purchase alcohol or tobacco products, vitamins, medicines, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, cosmetics, household supplies, and other non-food components.
Recommended Reading: Dhs Online Application For Food Stamps
What Are The Grocery Items That Can Be Purchased Using Ebt Cards
You should understand that the grocery stores that are accepting EBT online follow simple rules that include EBT eligible grocery items. Remember that all the grocery items cannot be purchased with the EBT card as they are not approved by the United States Department of Agriculture. There are only some particular grocery items that you can purchase using your EBT card.
Which Restaurants Take Ebt In California

California is one of the states that participate in the Restaurant Meals Program.
The Restaurant Meals Program is a federal program that enables qualified elderly, disabled, and homeless food stamps recipients to buy food at authorized restaurants. Any state or county can enroll in the Restaurant Meals Program.
The purpose of the program is to help expand food access to those who do not have a place to store and cook food, who may not be able to prepare food or who dont have access to a grocery store.
Here are the restaurants in California that accept food stamps as part of the restaurant meals program.
- Burger King
- Wendys
- Wienerschnitzel
Participating Counties: Alameda County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, Sacramento County, San Diego County, San Francisco County, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Clara County, and Santa Cruz County.
Don’t Miss: Apply For Emergency Food Stamps Oklahoma
How To Buy Walmart Groceries Online With California Ebt Card
Currently, Walmart only offers online grocery purchases with EBT for curbside pick-up and not for delivery. Delivery options will be added soon.
If you have a CalFresh EBT Card, you will now be able to use your cards to buy groceries and select curbside pick-up.
You can only use your EBT card to buy eligible grocery items and you cannot use your food stamps dollars to pay for delivery.
Step 1 Go to the Walmart Grocery website
The first step to purchasing groceries online at Walmart is to go to the Walmart Grocery website at www.grocery.walmart.com.
Step 2 Find Walmart Store Near You
Next, enter your zip code to find the Walmart store location near you. This is the location you will pick-up your online grocery order from.
Step 3 Shop for Groceries Online
Once you have selected your Walmart location, begin shopping for grocery items online by adding EBT eligible items to your shopping cart.
You will be asked to sign in to your Walmart Account or Create an Account once you place an item in your shopping cart.
Step 4 Checkout and Choose Delivery Option
Once you sign into Walmart, you can continue shopping until you have selected all the grocery items you want.
Next, click the Check out button. There is a $30 minimum for Walmart online grocery shopping. You will not be able to proceed to checkout until you reach this limit.
Once you hit the check out button, you will be taken to a page where you can Reserve a time for pickup.
Step 5 Checkout with your EBT Card
Restaurants That Take Ebt In California Summary
Heres the bottom line:
The California Restaurant Meals program applies to those who are homeless, elderly , or disabled.
If you are one of the groups above and have an active California EBT Card, you can use your CalFresh benefits to buy food at select restaurants.
This includes hot food that can be eaten at the premises.
Currently, 15 counties in California participate in the program, including Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside county.
Recommended Reading: Apply For Food Stamps Online New Jersey
Snap: Can You Use Food Stamps On Instacart
Use EBT SNAP to buy groceries at participating stores on Instacart
Many people rely on SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.
Users can use EBT cards or electronic transfers to acquire SNAP benefits.
With time, SNAP benefits are more convenient for millions of Americans and have easier access to the people.
Does Instacart Take Ebt
Yes, Instacart does take EBT. The popular grocery delivery service has been instrumental in making online grocery shopping available to SNAP beneficiaries, partnering with a number of smaller retailers nationwide. Instacart began introducing payment options for SNAP EBT beneficiaries late last year, and the list of stores covered has been growing steadily. Participating retailers now include Aldi, Food Lion, and Publix, , and numerous smaller chains. Instacart has pledged to continue to expand the EBT online payment option to more states and retailers in the future.
When ordering with EBT on Instacart, customers must use a credit or debit card for non-eligible costs, including delivery and service fees, taxes, tips, and bottle deposit fees in some states. Customers over 60 who may be new to online grocery shopping can take advantage of Instacart’s Senior Support Service, which offers help with everything from setting up an account to placing an order.
Through the end of June, shoppers paying for Instacart orders with EBT SNAP at select retailers can get free delivery or pickup on their first three orders of $35 or more.
Recommended Reading: Can I Get Wic And Food Stamps
Video Result For Food Maxx Grocery Delivery Using Ebt Card
Harps now accepting EBT snap for delivery
3 Easy Ways to Get Grocery Delivery with EBT
How to Use Your EBT/ SNAP Card for Grocery Delivery at…
grocerygrocery
newwww.msn.com
grocerydelivery
deliverydelivery
trendshop.foodmaxx.com
delivery
bestwww.quora.com
deliveryfoodfoodgrocerydelivery
greatwww.shopfood.com
grocerydeliverygrocery
trendromola-garai.com
maxxebtebt
trendwww.fns.usda.gov
using
grocerydeliveryusing
trendpocketsense.com
grocery
food
fooddeliveryfoodusing
grocerydeliveryfoodgrocery
grocerydelivery
greatmwphp.ns01.info
deliveryusing
Useful News
Diocese of Greensburg cookbook shares recipes for food, faith, lifeYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link
bestrecipe
24 Brothy Soups You’ll Want to Make ForeverYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link
chickenrecipes
‘Siling duwag,”pinakbet’ pizza and other Ilocano delightsYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link
bestchicken
cakeswhitecake
White Christmas CakeYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link
cakepuddingwhite
Is Ebt Hot Meal Program Delivery An Option
Each state has guidelines that determine what can and cant be purchased with EBT SNAP benefits. Some states do allow EBT hot meal program delivery in the form of restaurant prepared meals. To learn more about whether this is an option where you live, visit the USDA website to connect with your state EBT page.
If you do decide to pay for a meal delivery service not using your EBT, keep in mind that these meals still need to be either prepared or heated. These types of services do not offer hot meal delivery at this time.
Also Check: I Have Medicaid Can I Get Food Stamps
Ebt Online Purchasing Pilot Program
In 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture announced a pilot program for online EBT purchases. The program allows EBT Cardholders to purchase groceries online for delivery or pick-up.
When the USDA initially set up the pilot program, the following states were approved for the program:
- New York
- Nebraska
In addition, the following grocery retailers were approved to work with the states above to launch the program:
- Amazon
New York state was the first to actually implement the program, starting in .
In March 2020, the states of Alabama, Iowa, and Oregon launched their pilot programs.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, pressure has mounted on the USDA to expand the program to allow more states to implement the SNAP EBT shopping online program.
As a result, the USDA began approving more states for the program.
Is The La Zoo Free With An Ebt Card

Currently, the Los Angeles Zoo does not offer a discounted admission to CalWORKs or CalFresh EBT Cardholders. You will have to pay full admission prices to visit the LA Zoo.
However, there are several other places in LA County that offer free admission to Golden State Advantage Cardholders with your photo ID.
However, only general admission is provided free of charge. Special exhibits or attractions are not included in this program.
Also Check: How To Accept Food Stamps At My Business
Food Delivery Apps That Accept Ebt Cards
Often, SNAP benefits cannot pay for restaurant food deliveries, which means DoorDash doesnt take EBT, and neither does GrubHub, Uber Eats cannot accept payment via an EBT card.
However, several online grocery delivery apps do accept EBT cards.
For instance, , including AmazonFresh, and AmazonPantry can all be paid using EBT or SNAP benefits.
Furthermore, SNAP recipients can even get a discount on Amazon Prime.
Nonetheless, all purchases on these apps are restricted to food items.
You can also make food delivery orders online via Walmart or Whole Foods.
Whether you are disabled or fear contracting COVID-19 by shopping in-person, EBT food delivery services will provide you what you need.
Los Angeles County Restaurant Meals Program
Here are the restaurants that accept CalFresh EBT in the county of Los Angeles.
For a more detailed list, including addresses and phone numbers, see our post on Restaurants that accept CalFresh in LA County.
Note: Before you visit a particular restaurant below, call that location to make sure they participate in the Restaurant Meals Progam .
That is because not all locations of a particular chain of restaurants may be participating in the RMP.
Recommended Reading: How To Apply For Medicaid And Food Stamps In Texas
Stores Accepting Snap Online
SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot
How will I know when the pilot is available in additional states or with additional retailers?
Several additional states have recently added online purchasing as a shopping option in their state. There are currently no states/territories that have been approved to move forward but are not yet live.
Watch this page for updated information.
How can retailers add SNAP EBT to their retailer web site?
All retailers, including internet retailers, must abide by the FNS retailer stocking requirements in order to be authorized. In addition, SNAP-eligible retailers who want to add online shopping to their ecommerce platform must meet online purchasing requirements and submit a letter of intent to the SNAP Online Purchasing mailbox: . If you have already reviewed these webpages, and have additional questions, please see our technical assistance questions and answers.
How will I know if these retailers can deliver to my home?
The best way to determine if grocery delivery is available for your location is to visit the retailer websites.
The delivery zip codes available are those where retailers are able to provide their full line of groceries, which includes the ability to deliver perishable items to that area.
Can SNAP be used to pay for delivery?
Only eligible food may be purchased with SNAP benefits delivery fees and other associated charges may not be paid for with SNAP benefits.
Online Purchasing Background