EBT Food Stamps – Grocery Stores that Accept Food Stamps & SNAP

ByGamelial Reading Time: 10 minutes

EBT Food Stamps: There are countless grocery stores that will accept EBT, and some even permit you to use an EBT card to shop online and have your groceries brought to you. We have made a list of major grocery store chains that accept EBT, which includes  Albertsons, BI-LO, Costco Wholesale, Kmart, Kroger, Publix, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and Whole Foods. 


What Can You Buy with Your EBT Card?

Lots of Americans get benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to purchase food items.

SNAP is watched over by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which makes the rules and guidelines that state agencies would use to administer the program at the state level.

State agencies approve and confirm SNAP benefit recipients and offer benefits through Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, which work like debit cards — unless they can only be used to buy food.

You can use EBT benefits to buy any food for home consumption except hot foods ready for instant consumption.  You can use your EBT card to buy these categories of food

  • Bread and cereals
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Meats, fish, and poultry
  • Dairy products
  • Seeds and plants that produce food

Foods you can’t buy using an EBT card to:

  • Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
  • Any non-food items, such as pet food, soaps, paper products, household supplies, etc.
  • Vitamins and medicines
  • Food that will be eaten in the store
  • Hot foods

Can You Use Your EBT Card Outside of the Issuing State?

The answer is Yes, EBT cards are “interoperable.” Because SNAP is a national program, all states must acknowledge EBT benefits

One exception is if your allotting state provides the Restaurant Meals Program, which permits some   EBT recipients to buy hot meals at participating restaurants.

If you’re eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program in your state, you might not be able to buy hot foods outside your county or state.

The Long List: Grocery Stores That Accept EBT

Below are grocery stores accepting EBT, this is according to the USDA’s directory of participating retailers. The states listed below every store name have their locations that would accept EBT; some states and/or store locations might not accept EBT.

There are also small grocery stores and farmers’ markets that acknowledge EBT, so if you’re looking for a precise small store check out the USDA directory.

99 Ranch Market

Acme Fresh Market

Albertsons

ALDI

  • Locations: AL, AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV
  • Find an ALDI

BI-LO

Big Y

BJ’s Wholesale Club

Braum’s

Bravo Supermarkets

Brookshires

Cash Saver

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Costco Wholesale

  • Locations: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI
  • Find a Costco Wholesale

Country Fair

Dillons

Earth Fare

El Super

Fareway Store

Festival Foods

Food 4 Less

Food City

Food Depot

Food Giant

Food Lion

Foodland

Fred Meyer

Fry’s Food

Giant Eagle

Giant Food

Giant Food Stores

Gordon Food Service

Hannaford

Harp’s Food Store

Harris Teeter

Harvey’s Supermarkets

H-E-B Texas Grocery Store

Hy-Vee

Ingles Markets

Jewel-Osco

King Soopers

Kmart

  • Locations: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, GU, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VI, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
  • Find a Kmart

Kroger

  • Locations: AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, MO, MS, NC, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
  • Find a Kroger

Lowe’s Food Store

Lidl

Market Basket

Meijer

Owen’s

Pay Less Super Markets

Pick ‘n Save

Piggly Wiggly

Price Chopper

Publix

QFC

Raley’s

Randalls

Safeway

  • Locations: AK, AZ, CA, CO, DC, DE, FL, HI, ID, IN, MD, MT, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, VA, WA, WY
  • Find a Safeway

Sam’s Club

  • Locations: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY
  • Find a Sam’s Club

Save-A-Lot

  • Locations: AL, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV
  • Find a Save-A-Lot

Schnucks

Shaw’s

ShopRite

Smart & Final

Smith’s Food and Drug

Sprouts Farmers Market

  • Locations: AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, KS, MO, NC, NM, NV, OK, TN, TX, UT
  • Find a Sprouts

Stater Bros Market

Stop & Shop

  • Locations: AL, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MS, NC, NJ, NY, RI, TN, TX, VA, WA
  • Find a Stop & Shop

The Fresh Market

  • Locations: AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI
  • Find a The Fresh Market

Tom Thumb

Tops Friendly Market

Trader Joe’s

  • Location: AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI
  • Find a Trader Joe’s

Vons

Walmart

Wawa

Wegmans

Weis Markets

Whole Foods

  • Locations: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI
  • Find a Whole Foods

WinCo Foods

Winn Dixie

Grocery Stores That Don’t Accept EBT

The majority of grocery store chains or food stores accept EBT stamps, though not all of them do. The reason is that grocery stores have to pay to apply to be an EBT-approved retailer, including any equipment charges associated with accepting EBT cards.

For bigger stores, the additional business outweighs the charges associated with becoming an EBT-approved retailer, but, for small grocers, it might not cost that much. Having said this, we found no major national or regional grocery store chains that will not accept EBT.

Can You Use Your EBT Card Online?

Presently, the USDA has run a few pilot programs to assess how it can best permit qualified people to use their EBT cards to have their groceries delivered. Most grocery delivery services like Instacart do not presently accept EBT.

There are other stores that will accept EBT food stamps or EBT for grocery delivery, the biggest of which is Albertsons (although it will only do so for the incapacitated living in some areas).

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