Does Kum & Go Accept SNAP or EBT?
This information is current as of July 11, 2022.
Kum & Go convenience stores are primarily located in the Midwest, and there are currently around 1,700 in 11 states throughout the middle of the U.S. Unlike most convenience stores, Kum & Go generally sells many more food products. However, Does Kum & Go Accept SNAP or EBT?
Kum & Go convenience stores accept SNAP or EBT as a payment in every one of their stores. The only caveat is that they currently do not accept EBT via the online stores.
Like many other convenience stores and small grocery chains, Kum & Go doesn’t accept EBT payments when shopping online. However, the retailer’s online store can be accessed via your desktop or the Apple or Android apps.
What Is Kum & Go’s Policy on EBT Cards?
Fortunately, like other convenience stores, Kum & Go places labels on most of its EBT-eligible in-store products.
That’s not always the case, and you’re more than likely to run into plenty of items that are perfectly fine for EBT purchases yet aren’t labeled in any way. If you pick out things that aren’t on the list of approved EBT items, you will have to use a separate form of payment to purchase them.
Some stores have the process expedited. For example, you can have a certain number of items eligible for EBT mixed with several things not. Once you go up to the counter and all the items are scanned, you would typically swipe your EBT card and wait for the total to separate, leaving you a second amount.
When the second total pops up, you would swipe your secondary payment method and be done with it. However, at Kum & Go, you will have to separate these items yourself and pay individually. You can’t swipe your EBT card and automatically pay for only the eligible scanned items.
Refunds
It is against the law to receive cash back or refunds on any items you bring back for returns. If an item is eligible for a return, Kum & Go will credit the amount back to your EBT card but cannot give it back to you in cash.
The retailer can process your return as a gift card or allow you to grab an identical item off the shelves for equal value exchange. In addition, according to Kum & Go, some returns can be processed as “store benefits.” Still, there’s no clarification on what that means exactly.
Kum & Go has a 90-day return policy that doesn’t cover open perishables. However, you can return purchases made with your EBT card if they are within that return timeframe. You will receive a refund back to your EBT card or store credit in one of the ways mentioned above.
What Can You Buy With an EBT Card in Kum & Go Convenience Stores?
Almost any essential foods will fall under the eligible items umbrella for EBT cards. However, you can also purchase several food and beverage products at Kum & Go.
- Breakfast cereals as well as grains, soy, and milk products
- Dairy products, including cheese, sour cream, and yogurt
- Pasta, rice, tortillas, bread, and most whole grains
- Non-carbonated juices
- Peanut Butter
- Fruits and veggies
- Any meats, including chicken or fish
- Canned legumes
If you have any experience shopping in a grocery store with your EBT card, then you know what qualifies. Often, carbonated drinks aren’t on the list. However, you will see tags on some items, such as Red Bull, that state they are EBT eligible.
You can even purchase tofu, soy, or hummus products if they are available at a Kum & Go convenience store. You’d be surprised at the number of grocery items on offer here.
What Are Ineligible Items at Kum & Go Convenience Stores?
Like every grocery store or convenience store chain, certain items are simply off the list of eligible items. However, unlike how they mark certain items with WIC or EBT labels, Kum & Go won’t necessarily mark anything as ineligible. You will have to recognize what you can and cannot buy or learn through experience.
- Anything beverage that contains alcohol, such as beer or wine
- Cigarettes and tobacco products are off the table
- Live animals
- Any hot foods
- Cleaning supplies
- Dog or cat food
- Paper products
- Hygiene items
- Cosmetics
According to Kum & Go, there is an exception to the “live animals” ineligibility. For example, suppose your local Kum & Go sells shellfish or fish alive and in an aquarium. In that case, those animals are eligible for EBT purchase.
Of course, Kum & Go is not an actual grocery store, so you aren’t likely to find live shellfish in aquariums at one of their locations. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco have long been a mainstay on the “off-limits” list for EBT purchases, so that’s no surprise.
However, some people may be surprised that you cannot purchase hot food at a Kum & Go with an EBT card. That includes their pizza stuff, hot dogs on the warming rotation device, nachos with hot cheese or chili, or anything else prepared on the spot and placed in warming ovens.
If there is a combination restaurant or a fast-food joint, all the items they sell are off-limits for EBT purchases.
What Happens if You Purchase Ineligible Items?
It doesn’t matter where you are. If you purchase items unapproved EBT list of food or beverage items, you can lose your benefits for some time. The amount of time you will have to go without benefits is based on the severity of the purchases.
A first, second, and third ineligible purchase will get you a 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year ban, respectively. The same is true for getting cash back on returned items or money back on your purchases. But, of course, whoever is working the register is also partly to blame.
However, you have the card, so it’s your responsibility to know what you can and cannot do with your EBT card.
Do the Cashiers Know You Are Using EBT?
It depends on the cash registers that they are using in the store. Most card readers on the cash registers will immediately know the difference between an EBT scan and a standard debit card or credit card scan and will let the cashier on the screen.
However, it doesn’t always work that way, and sometimes, you will have to let the cashier know that you are using an EBT card for your purchase.
All Things Considered
All Kum & Go convenience store locations accept SNAP EBT payments, so you don’t have to worry if you have a new Kum & Go store coming to your part of town. Aside from hot food, you’ll find plenty of EBT-eligible products at Kum & Go convenience stores.
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