Does Walmart Online Grocery Accept EBT? What You Need to Know

Online ordering at restaurants has grown 300% since 2014. Now, grocery stores are getting in on this trend, providing online ordering, delivery, and in-store pickup for all your grocery needs.


Did you know that you can pay for Walmart online grocery with EBT? Walmart was one of the first retailers to take SNAP for online orders. Now, many other superstores, specialty food retailers, and independent grocers have followed Walmart’s lead.



To use your EBT card online, you must live in a participating state, and you can only shop at eligible stores. The good news, however, is that Walmart isn’t the only supermarket that accepts SNAP benefits online.


Check out this guide to learn which supermarkets and independent grocers accept your SNAP benefits for online orders.


States Where You Can Pay for Walmart Online Grocery With EBT


You can pay for Walmart online grocery with EBT in all but five states. These states are Arkansas, Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, and Montana. 


You can’t pay for your groceries online in these states, but you can purchase groceries online and pay with your EBT card when you pick up your order at the store.


Don’t have a Walmart near you? No worries. SNAP participants can now use their benefits online through the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service online purchasing pilot.


SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot Participating States


During COVID, in-store shopping changed. We could no longer drop by the local grocery store whenever the need arose. Instead, our trips to the supermarket had to be well-choreographed and planned.


Retailers have responded to this crisis with many new programs. One such program is SNAP’s Online Purchasing Pilot.


New York was the first state to start offering the pilot program in 2019. Washington state followed in 2020, and, soon after, Alabama, Iowa, and Oregon launched their own versions of the program.


As of this writing, the following states are participating in the pilot program:


  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

If you live in one of these states, you can pay online with your EBT card. You can then pick up your groceries or have them delivered to your home.


The only thing your SNAP benefits won’t cover is any related service fee. So, for example, SNAP won’t pay for delivery fees.


The only three states that aren’t currently participating in SNAP’s pilot program are Alaska, Louisiana, and Montana. 


Where Can You Shop Online with EBT?


If you live in one of the above states, you can use EBT for groceries at multiple online stores, not just Walmart. The Department of Agriculture initially chose eight retailers for its pilot program, including Amazon, Safeway, and ShopRite.


You can shop online with Instacart and all of the following food retailers and pay with your EBT card.


Instacart


Instacart is a California-based company founded in 2012. It offers online grocery shopping, pickup, and delivery services from local superstores like Aldi and Publix.


In December 2020, Instacart started accepting EBT payments for the following retailers:


  • Giant Food
  • Aldi
  • Brookshire’s, Spring Market, Super 1 Foods, and Fresh by Brookshire’s
  • Fairplay Foods
  • Food Lion
  • Hannaford
  • Homeland, United Supermarkets, CashSaver, and Food-World
  • Market 32
  • Market Bistro
  • County Market
  • Piggly Wiggly
  • Price Chopper
  • Publix
  • Save Mart, FoodMaxx, and Lucky Supermarkets
  • Strack & Van Til
  • Woodman’s Market

To find out which states accept EBT at these stores via Instacart, click this link.


Amazon


You can order groceries and pay with EBT on Amazon in all US states except Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Montana. In addition, you have access to Amazon Fresh food deliveries as well as Whole Foods products sold on Amazon.


EBT card-holders don’t need a Prime membership to shop on Amazon Fresh, but heavily discounted Prime service is available for qualifying customers. You can also buy and pay for your order with your SNAP Benefits through Amazon Pantry and Amazon Grocery. 


BJ’s Wholesale


BJ’s Wholesale Club is similar to Costco or Sam’s Club, but as of this writing it’s the only wholesale warehouse that accepts EBT for online orders.


If you’re a BJ’s member, you can buy groceries online, pay with your EBT card, and pick up your order at the store or curbside. In addition, the company has announced plans to offer delivery services soon.


You can only order online and pay for them using EBT in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Florida, and North Carolina.


Kroger/Mariano’s


Kroger and its subsidiary, Mariano’s, recently started offering EBT as an online payment option. You can order groceries online and pick them up at a participating Kroger or Mariano’s store.


Safeway


Safeway is part of Albertson’s Companies. It offers online EBT payments and pickup services in Alaska, Washington, California, Colorado, Arizona, Maryland, Hawaii, New Mexico, Virginia, and Oregon. Select stores in Washington D.C. also offer this service.


Vons


Vons is another member of the group of Albertson’s Companies. Vons shoppers can pay with EBT online and pick up orders at the store. However, this only applies to select stores in Nevada and Southern California.


Albertsons


Albertsons also provides an online EBT payment option for groceries for pickup, but this service is only available in Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, California, Colorado, Washington, and Texas.


ShopRite


New Jersey’s largest food retailer, ShopRite, accepts EBT for online grocery purchases. For some locations this includes orders for delivery and in-store pickup, though other locations only allow the use of SNAP benefits for in-store pickup.


In addition to New Jersey, ShopRite offers this service in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York.


Hy-Vee


Hy-Vee is a Midwestern grocery store chain that also owns the discount retailer Dollar Fresh. 150 Hy-Vee and Dollar Fresh locations allow shoppers to use EBT for online orders. However, you must pick up your order at the store to qualify. 


H-E-B


Texas-based H-E-B accepts EBT for online grocery orders at the majority of its store locations. The retailer doesn’t offer delivery, but you can pick up your order curbside at an H-E-B near you.


Independent Local Grocers with Online EBT Options


Many smaller grocers accept EBT for SNAP-eligible items available online, too, including the following: 


  • Wright’s Market: Alabama residents can order groceries online and pay with EBT for pickup and delivery
  • Woods Supermarket: EBT cardholders in Missouri can use EBT for online pickup, and delivery at certain store locations
  • Town & Country Market: SNAP’s pilot program recently approved this Indiana grocer to offer online EBT options
  • Supermercados El Guero: Residents can use EBT online and pickup orders at this food retailer’s three locations in Illinois
  • Super Foods: Eight Memphis, Tennessee locations and one Superlo in Southaven, Mississippi, accept EBT payments for online orders.
  • St. Mary’s Galaxy Food Center: West Virginians can pay for groceries online and pick up orders curbside
  • Sooner Foods: This Oklahoma grocer allows EBT payments for curbside pickup online orders
  • Reasor’s: EBT is available for online pickup and delivery orders at 16 Reasor’s stores in Northern Oklahoma
  • Piggly Wiggly: The Deatsville, Alabama location only allows EBT payments for online pickup orders
  • New Pioneer Food Co-op: Iowans can use EBT for groceries online and pick up the order curbside at all three locations
  • HG Hill Food Stores: SNAP benefits holders can pay online with EBT and pick up groceries curbside at this Tennessee grocery store
  • Hays Supermarket: One Missouri location and five stores in Arkansas accept EBT payments for online pickup orders
  • Giant Eagle: Some store locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia enable EBT payments for online groceries when you pick up your order at the store
  • The Fresh Grocer: New Jersey and Pennsylvania residents can use EBT online for pickup and delivery orders at select stores
  • FreshDirect: This New York grocery store offers free delivery to SNAP beneficiaries in specific zip codes in the Bronx, New York City
  • Carli C’s IGA: Shop online with EBT at all 25 North Carolina locations
  • W.H. Koch Co.: Missouri-based W.H. Koch companies, including The Cameron Market, Sliced Bread Market, and Sweet Springs Market, accept EBT online for pickup and delivery orders

More and more independent food retailers are adding EBT as a payment option these days. Check out your grocery store’s website to find out if you can use EBT online and how you can get your order.


Start Shopping Online With EBT Today!


You can now pay for Walmart online grocery with EBT. You can also use your SNAP benefits online at Instacart, Amazon, BJ’s Wholesale, Kroger, and more. Limitations may apply (e.g., you may have to pay in person at pickup).


Save Money on Your Wireless Phone Service


If you qualify for SNAP benefits, you also qualify for Lifeline service. Lifeline is a federal benefit program that makes it possible for low-income consumers to receive access to free or heavily discounted communication services. Click here to find out more and apply for this valuable benefit.