Does Subway accept EBT in Washington? (You´ll Be Surprised)

Have you ever asked yourself or your friend if Subway takes or accepts EBT in Washington? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

If you are a recipient of EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) in Washington state, you may be wondering if you are eligible to use your benefits at Subway or other fast food restaurants.

So, does Subway take or accept EBT in Washington state? No, does not accept EBT in Washington state. Subway only accepts EBT at specific locations in states who are a part of the Restaurant Meals Program, also known as RMP. Currently, these states only include California, Arizona, and Rhode Island. So, if you live in Washington state, you are unfortunately out of luck when it comes to using your EBT benefits at a Subway.

The rest of this article will detail everything you need to know about EBT at Subway, the Restaurant Meals Program, and more.

Does Subway accept EBT in Washington?

No, Subway does not accept EBT in Washington. Currently, Subway will only accept EBT benefits at locations in states participating in the Restaurant Meals Program.

However, there may be some exceptions to this rule. Some Subways outside of these programs may accept EBT for cold food items, but this is generally left up to the discretion of the manager.

So, you would have to contact the store to find out if they accept EBT for cold food items.

What is the Restaurant Meals Program?

The Restaurant Meals Program is a program which allows certain EBT benefit recipients to purchase prepared meals at restaurants.

Usually, EBT benefits only apply to grocery items and certain cold food items. So, the RMP makes exceptions to this rule and allows for purchasing hot prepared food.

This program is a state option, meaning that individual states must opt in in order to participate. It is not currently available in the majority of the states.

What states participate in the RMP?

Currently, the only states who participate in the Restaurant Meals Program are California, Arizona, and Rhode Island.

If you are outside of these states, even if you are eligible for the RMP, you will not be able to use your benefits at restaurants.

Who is eligible for the RMP?

The Restaurant Meals Program is intended for individuals who are unable to prepare meals on their own, or who do not have the housing available to store and prepare food.

This program allows them to buy pre-prepared meals at restaurants.

In order to be considered eligible for the RMP, you must fit one of a number of criteria. Firstly, you can qualify if you are 60 years old or older.

You can also qualify if you are either disabled or homeless. Lastly, if you are the spouse of an EBT recipient who fits any of these criteria, you may also be eligible for the RMP.

Do any other Subways accept EBT?

It is not common, but some other subways outside of the Restaurant Meals Program umbrella may occasionally accept EBT. The catch is that you would not be able to use your EBT benefits on hot prepared food.

Any other Subways which elect to accept EBT would only be eligible for cold food items or grocery items.

Even if a Subway accepts EBT, it should be noted that the benefits are only accepted for in-store purchases.

Should you wish to make an order through the Subway app or online, a different method of payment would be required, such as a debit card or credit card.

We will go into detail about the things you would be able to purchase at a participating Subway in a later section.

How can I find out which other Subways accept EBT?

Whether or not a Subway outside of the RMP umbrella accepts EBT is left up to the discretion of the store manager.

So, the only way for you to find out whether the individual store accepts EBT or not would be to contact the store and ask the manager.

The manager will be able to tell you whether their store does accept EBT benefits or not, and in some cases, they may be able to point you in the direction of a store which does accept them even if they do not.

What can I purchase using EBT at Subway?

If you are a recipient of EBT benefits, you are surely aware that there are some items which you are unable to purchase using your benefits.

So, if you are not in a state which participates in the Restaurant Meals Program, or you are not eligible for the RMP, you will not be able to purchase hot prepared food at Subway.

There are, however, some other items which will be available for you to purchase. This is, of course, assuming that the manager of the Subway has indicated that their store does accept EBT benefits. These are some of the items which can be purchased using your benefits at a Subway:

• Crackers and chips
• Pork products
• Bread and cereals
• Dessert items
• Soft drinks and energy drinks
• Poultry products
• Cold sandwiches
• Salads
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Red meat
• Dairy products

Why can I only buy some items using EBT?

The items which are eligible to be purchased using EBT include any food or grocery items which hold nutritional value.

One food item which is excluded from EBT benefits includes food items which are hot at the point of sale. This is why you must be a part of the RMP in order to purchase hot food items from a Subway.

Conclusion

So, does Subway take EBT in Washington state? The answer is most likely no. In order to use EBT benefits for hot prepared food items, you must live in a state which participates in the Restaurant Meals Program, or RMP.

Currently, this only includes California, Arizona, and Rhode Island. However, some Subways outside of these states may accept EBT for cold food items.

In order to find out if your local Subway will accept EBT for cold food items, you should get in contact with the manager of the store.

This is because whether or not they accept EBT benefits is up to the discretion of the individual store manager. They will be able to give you more information upon contact.

References

https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items

https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer/restaurant-meals-program