Can You Use EBT at Subway in California?

Does Subway Accept EBT? If you’re curious about using your EBT card at Subway, you’ll be surprised at the answer. Subway is a well-known fast-food chain.

That is famous for its customizable subs and salads, made with fresh ingredients and served quickly.

We will tell you if Subway uses EBT, explain how it works, and give you a list of locations where it’s accepted.

Does Subway Accept EBT?

Many Subways in states with restaurant meal programs accept EBT when ordering food from their menu.

Subway can take EBT at specific locations that are authorized to accept food stamps through the Restaurant Meals Program.

There are just a few states that have participating locations. Subway can accept EBT at certain locations like Arizona, California, and Rhode Island.

These states have other restaurants that accept EBT as well. However, Subway can only accept EBT cards for purchases made in-store.

As the Restaurant Meals Program rolls out to more states, there might be new Subway locations that can accept EBT.

Some of our users have also reported that they can purchase Subway sandwiches at locations inside grocery stores, gas stations, and travel plazas.

It is not entirely obvious how this works or if it should work.

We have not been able to independently verify that it works, but we have had dozens of users report success.

How Does Subway EBT Work?

here are the steps to use your EBT card at Subway:

1. Check Eligibility: Ensure you’re eligible to receive benefits.

2. Ordering: Choose any EBT-approved item from the Subway menu and inform the employee.

3. Customization: Customize your sub or salad according to your preferences.

4. Checkout: Proceed to the cash register to pay for your order as usual.

5. Establishing Account: Make sure your account is established in your name, and money is loaded onto your EBT card at the beginning of each month.

6. Card Receipt: Receive a plastic EBT card, similar to a bank debit card, for making qualified purchases with your benefits.

7. Select PIN: Select a secret PIN (Personal Identification Number) for your card. The local worker will explain this process to you.

8. Purchase: Once your card is set up and loaded with funds, you can purchase selected items at any Subway location with available point-of-sale registers.

What You Can Buy with EBT at Subway

If you are currently on EBT, you know probably that the EBT Card is intended for you to buy food to make at home.

This means that you may not buy food that can be eaten at the location, including hot food, deli food, and fast food.

However, the USDA has made exceptions, in what is called the Restaurant Meal Program, which we will review below.

For those who are not part of the Restaurant Meal Program, here is what you are allowed to buy with your EBT Card: bread and cereals, fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry, and dairy products.

However, you may not use your EBT card for purchasing food items like liquor, cigarettes, pet foods, soaps, paper products, vitamins, and medicines.

Who Can Buy Subway with EBT?

To buy restaurant meals with EBT, you must be eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program.

This implies that all three of the following criteria must be met:

1. You must reside in a state that has an operational Restaurant Meals Program.

2. You must be unable to prepare your own meals at home because you are elderly, homeless, or disabled.

3. You must buy food from an eligible restaurant that has been approved by the state to process EBT payments.

If all three of those things are correct, then your caseworker should automatically enable your card for use at participating restaurants.

If your payment is rejected, you should talk to your caseworker and figure out why you weren’t authorized to make those purchases.

Why Doesn’t Every Subway Take EBT?

Unfortunately, not every Subway can accept EBT. That is because the Restaurant Meals Program is not available in all locations.

Some franchise owners may not be qualified to participate due to past issues with the food stamps program.

There are actually a lot of details that can prevent a restaurant from accepting EBT benefits through this program.

Sometimes, they just don’t like to deal with the extra paperwork.

On these grounds, the vast majority of Subway’s 21,147 locations in the United States are not able to process SNAP EBT payments.

Only 534 can, which indicates that only 2.5% of all Subways take EBT.

States with Subway Locations that Accept EBT Cards

These are the locations we could confirm accept EBT cards, by state. All of these states have restaurant meal programs.

1. Arizona

In Arizona, you can use your EBT card at many Subway restaurants if you’ve registered for the state restaurant meals program, which operates throughout the entire state.

Furthermore, you must be elderly, homeless, or disabled to register for the program.

However, 61 Subways in Arizona accept EBT cards, so many that it would be counterproductive to list them here. Instead, refer to this list of restaurant meal program-approved restaurants.

2. California

You can use your EBT card at Subway if you qualify and register for the restaurant meal program.

To do so, you must be homeless, elderly, or disabled, and register for restaurant meal program benefits in a county that administers the program.

Hundreds of Subways in California accept EBT cards, so many that it would be counterproductive to list them all for you here.

Additionally, you’ll only find them in the seven counties that administer restaurant meal programs. Select your county, and type “Subway” into the “retailer or bank name” box.

3. Rhode Island

To qualify for restaurant meals in Rhode Island, you must be homeless, disabled, or elderly. Even more, the program operates throughout the entire state.

EBT cards for meals in Rhode Island are accepted at ten Subway locations: 255 Weybossett Street and 2 Kennedy Plaza in Providence, 719 Westminster Street, 583 Elmwood Avenue, and 962 Cranston Street in Providence.

The rest are; 483 Clinton Street in Woonsocket, 104 Broadway Unit 1A in Newport, 614 Pawtucket Avenue in Pawtucket, 310 Broad Street in Central Falls, and 258 Post Road in Westerly.

Subway’s decision to accept EBT cards isn’t just about serving a meal; it’s about making dining more inclusive.

By joining government assistance programs, Subway helps people access a variety of healthy food options.

This not only promotes a sense of community but also makes fast-food dining more accessible to everyone.