Does Harris Teeter Accept EBT Online? (SNAP or Food Stamp)

Do you know if Harris Teeter accepts EBT online? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

There are those who probably haven’t heard of Harris Teeter, despite its popularity in the 7 states where all of its 261 stores are located.

However, if you live near a Harris Teeter and need a place to spend your EBT benefits online, you’re probably curious as to whether or not you can.

Also known as Harris Teeter Neighborhood Food ; Pharmacy, Harris Teeter gladly accepts online EBT payments. That includes some of their online services. However, if you want to pay with EBT, you can do so online but you will have to enter the store to finalize the payment.

WIC, being an extension of SNAP benefits, is also accepted at Harris Teeter, both online and in the store.

In early January of 2021, Harris Teeter made some significant changes to their online service and whether you are shopping with an EBT card or some other method of payment, you’ll want to take advantage of some of these new services.

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How do EBT Payments Work with Harris Teeter?

EBT payments work just like debit and credit card payments.

Harris Teeter only has one stipulation, you have to come inside the store when you arrive to pick up your items.

There are some blogs and FAQ articles out there that indicate you can use EBT with no caveats.

Unfortunately, it’s on Harris Teeter’s Terms and Conditions page and it’s stated quite clearly: “Currently if you would like to pay with EBT or Harris Teeter Charge Card, you will be required to come inside to finalize your payment.”

That does mean that you can take advantage of their online ordering and pickup service, with the additional step of running inside of the store to finalize your payment. Everything is essentially the same online.

You select your groceries, select a pick-up time, and you will receive a reminder (when you pay with EBT), that you have to come inside.

Harris Teeter has what is called ExpressLane Online orders for delivery and pickup. In fact, when you shop online with Harris Teeter, you will probably notice the ExpressLane logo at some point while you are browsing through their stock.

How to Use ExpressLane

Harris Teeter’s ExpressLane is a membership, much like joining Sam’s Club, except you can still shop at Harris Teeter without an ExpressLane membership.

For the most part, ExpressLane simply caters to those who prefer to shop online and don’t want to shop in the store.

ExpressLane is kind of like a built-in Instacart, with similar rules and layout.

To use ExpressLane, you have to have a minimum order of $25
Pickup is only free if your order is $100 or higher
For $25 to $49.99, the pickup fee is $4.99
For orders that are $50 to $99.99, the pickup fee is $2.95
Harris Teeter does accept EBT for pickup
No tipping allowed
Pickup hours are from 9 in the morning until 8 in the evening
Any orders placed after 3 pm cannot be picked up on the same day

There are two ways to place an online order with Harris Teeter. The first is by visiting their website. The second is by downloading their iOS or Android app and placing your order directly from the app.

On the website, choose pickup or delivery (if paying with EBT, pickup only)
Enter your city, state, and zip code
Select your Harris Teeter location
Browse through the available online stock, selecting what you want to purchase
When you are ready, select “Checkout”
Enter your payment information from your EBT card
Select a time when you want to pickup
You will receive a link via text message
When you are ready, select the link from your text message and if your order is ready to go, you can head that way

It’s not quite as streamlined as Instacart, especially with the back and forth text message link, but it’s still a convenience when you just want to avoid spending time in a grocery store.

The only other inconvenience is that Harris Teeter requests its customers to allow for a pickup time that is four hours after you complete your order.

So, if you are ready to get dinner started, you may want to plan ahead before placing an order with Harris Teeter.

Can You Use Instacart to Deliver EBT Purchases from Harris Teeter?

While Instacart is renowned for making online shopping and saving a lot easier, along with accepting EBT payments for participating providers, Harris Teeter is not on the Instacart list as a participating provider.

If you use Instacart with Harris Teeter, you will still have to travel to the store and go inside to finalize your payment.

Instacart is in constant talks with various grocery outlets and retailers, so at some point, Harris Teeter may change their policy in relation to Instacart but don’t cross your fingers for now.

Although Harris Teeter allows you to pick up orders, so long as you go inside to finalize EBT payments, they don’t participate with Instacart with EBT payments at all. That means that using Instacart with Harris Teeter will not give you the option to pay when you pick up. You will have to online shop through Harris Teeter directly for that.

All Things Considered

Harris Teeter hasn’t quite caught up with everyone else when it comes to making EBT payments a little simpler and their online ordering process could use a few refinements.

However, it’s a relatively small grocery chain, especially when stacked against the likes of Publix or Winn Dixie. In time, change will probably come.

References

https://www.shopfood.com/grocery-stores/harris-teeter-pickup/

How do EBT Payments Work with Harris Teeter?

How to Use ExpressLane

Can You Use Instacart to Deliver EBT Purchases from Harris Teeter?

All Things Considered

References

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