The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal benefit program that helps eligible Americans afford food (from an approved list) to feed themselves and their families. While brick and mortar locations like grocery stores and chain supermarkets have accepted SNAP in person for a long time, more stores are now beginning to accept online SNAP payments as well, using an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card (like a debit card).

                By                    Jordan Rosenfeld

See: SNAP Benefits Available in Your State in 2022Find: 10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About SNAP

The SNAP Online Purchase Pilot program, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, began in April 2017 with New York and Washington states, and by 2022 has expanded to 48 states. Only Montana and Alaska have yet to sign on. Here is a list of many of the major chain stores that now accept SNAP Online, plus some additional, useful information.

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Major Chains That Accept SNAP/EBT Online

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Regional or State-Specific Stores

  • Piggly Wiggly of Deatsville (Alabama)
  • Eddie’s Country Store (Arizona)
  • City Markets (Arkansas)
  • Cardenas Markets (California)
  • BJs Wholesale Club (Connecticut)
  • Giant of Maryland (Delaware)
  • Hitchcock’s Markets (Florida)
  • Earth Fare (Georgia)
  • Woodman’s Markets (Illinois)
  • Van Til’s Supermarket (Indiana)
  • New Pioneer Food Co-op (Iowa)
  • Harps Food Stores (Kansas)
  • Hannaford (Maine)
  • Giant Eagle (Maryland)
  • Stop & Shop (Massachusetts)
  • Garden Fresh Market (Michigan)
  • Hugo’s Family Marketplace (Minnesota)
  • Superlo Foods (Mississippi)
  • Price Cutter (Missouri)
  • Save Mart Supermarkets (Nevada)
  • McKinnon’s Supermarkets (New Hampshire)
  • Food Bazaar (New Jersey)
  • Manhattan Fruit Market/ GreenStar Food Co-op (New York)
  • Piggly Wiggly of Kingston (North Carolina)
  • Hugo’s Family Marketplace (North Dakota)
  • Giant Eagle (Ohio)
  • Homeland Food Stores (Oklahoma)
  • Roth’s Fresh Markets (Oregon)
  • Tops Market/The Fresh Grocer (Pennyslvania)
  • Buche Foods (South Dakota)
  • H.G. Hill Foods Store (Tennessee)
  • Super 1 Foods (Texas)
  • Davis Food and Drug (Utah)
  • Weis Markets (Virginia)
  • St. Marys Galaxy (West Virginia)
  • Woodman’s Markets (Wisconsin)

SNAP Eligible Foods

According to the USDA, the following foods are eligible for SNAP EBT:

  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Meat, poultry, and fish
  • Dairy products
  • Breads and cereals
  • Snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages
  • Seeds and plants, for gardening purposes

Foods you cannot buy with SNAP EBT:

  • Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
  • Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. (Look for a Supplement Facts labels–these area ineligible)
  • Live animals (except shellfish and fish removed from water)
  • Hot foods
  • Nonfood items, including:– Pet foods  – Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies– Hygiene items, cosmetics

Fresh Direct and Instacart

Not only can you order online using your SNAP EBT card, in some states, and with certain stores, you can have your food delivered through services such as Fresh Direct and Instacart, according to Food Stamps Now.

Instacart locations include:

  • Aldi (in 37 states and the District of Columbia)
  • Brookshire’s Food & Pharmacy (in Arkansas and Texas)
  • Food Lion (in 17 states)
  • Market 32 (in 7 states)
  • Nieman Foods (Illinois)
  • Price Chopper (in 6 states)
  • Price Rite (in 8 states)
  • SaveMart/FoodMaxx/Lucky Supermarkets (in California and Nevada)

Fresh Direct

Fresh Direct customers can sign up for an account, and use their EBT card, so long as they make a minimum purchase of $30, according to Food Stamps Now. Not all food items are eligible, but Food Stamps Now offers a list of approved foods. At checkout, you select EBT as your payment option.

Fresh Direct currently delivers groceries to select Bronx, New York ZIP codes of 10454 and 10455 for customers using Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. If this pilot is successful, the company does plan to extend this service to other states/regions.