Does Instacart Accept EBT Cards (Grocery delivery or Pickup)

Do you know if Instacart accepts or takes EBT cards? this is one of the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.

Instacart has grown in popularity in the past several years, bringing convenience to the grocery shopping experience.

Perhaps the best perks of this mobile app-based grocery shopping experience are that it allows you to pick out your groceries from home and either pick them up or get them delivered.

In either case, a personal shopper does the work of grabbing the items off of the shelves for you.

It eliminates the time it normally takes to go grocery shopping, and as an added benefit, you can budget yourself in real-time as you watch the virtual cart fill up.

So, does Instacart accept EBT cards? Yes, Instacart accepts EBT cards. Customers are eligible on certain orders to pay for their groceries with EBT cards that connect through a credit card on their Instacart account. However, the Instacart shopping experience wouldn’t be nearly as great without the inclusion of EBT card payments.

Read on to learn more about the Instacart EBT card acceptance system and who can use it.

Table of Contents

Conditions You Must Meet to Use EBT Cards with Instacart

While EBT card payment is an acceptable way to pay for your Instacart pickup and delivery orders, you should be aware of the criteria you and your order must meet in order to use this method.

Firstly, your first three eligible orders must include at least $35 worth of products to avoid delivery fees. You need to make sure your cart includes EBT-eligible products.

Eligible Food Items

When using an EBT card with Instacart, the card will only cover eligible staple food items, which the US government chooses.

You can find a list of these eligible food items on the USDA website. Or, you can check your cart before you check out on the Instacart app and look for the “EBT” label beneath each item you wish to purchase with your EBT card.

Common items not included in this list include alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, medicine, hot/prepared foods, pet foods, cosmetics, and cleaning supplies.

What States take EBT with Instacart – Eligible States

Another aspect of eligibility comes in the form of your location of residence. Only certain US states pair their EBT card system with Instacart, and unfortunately, Alaska, Montana, and Louisiana are not on that list.

Below you can find a list of states that use EBT with Instacart:

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Further, if you’re going to pay with an EBT card in an eligible US state, you must use that card in the same state in which you received it. You cannot cross borders and use your card for Instacart.

Participating EBT SNAP Retailers at Instacart

Now, the convenience of paying for Instacart orders with your EBT card only extends so far, since there are eligible retailers you must buy your food from.

Among the list of participating retailers for Instacart are Food Lion, ALDI, Save Mart, Price Chopper, FoodMaxx, Market 32, Lucky Supermarkets, and Market Bistro.

How to Pay for Instacart with EBT Cards

It’s just as important to know how to pay with EBT cards on Instacart as it is to know whether or not you’re eligible to pay with them.

In order to use your EBT card, you need to first set it up in connection to your Instacart account, confirming the validity and information of the card.

You’ll also need to connect either a debit or personal credit card to your Instacart account. This will be how you pay for runover costs in your orders.

Partial Payments

One nice thing to note is that, in the event that not all of your items are eligible for EBT or you don’t have enough EBT funds to cover your order, you can use a partial payment system.

This means that you can cover the remaining portion of your order on a valid personal credit card or debit card. Note that you can only use one EBT card in a single order, though.

This option to use two forms of payment will not only be convenient for EBT cardholders; it is also going to be necessary in most cases since you’ll incur taxes and fees.

Fees

Note that once you place your first three orders with an EBT card, your delivery and pickup fees will start kicking in.

When it comes to these fees, as well as taxes, tips, and other extra costs not related to eligible foods, you’ll have to pay for these with the credit card connected to your account.

Conclusion

Instacart has taken over the world of grocery shopping and personal shopper services.

With the ability to order your groceries from the comfort of home and save time, this service is a necessity for those with busy lives.

Customers can also use government benefits in the form of EBT card funds to pay for certain eligible foods at certain participating stores.

As long as you connect your EBT card to your Instacart account, along with a valid debit or credit card, you can use this as a valid form of payment on most orders.

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