Finally, Amazon is participating in a two-year government pilot program that allows some shoppers to pay for their online grocery orders with food stamps! This limited program has some caveats, but we have all the details.
Of course, Amazon has always been a great resource for low income families. I love that they offer discounted Prime memberships for low income families with Medicaid or food stamps!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The downside? The limited pilot program only works in certain areas. To start with, Amazon will only be able to accept New York EBT cards from customers in certain zip codes. Visit Amazon.com/SNAP to see if you’re eligible!
However, the pilot will soon expand to other areas of New York and other select states, including Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. It is not clear if the program will be expanded to other states during the two year pilot period.
If you are eligible for this program, eligible grocery items will be marked as “SNAP EBT eligible.” Only products that are shipped and sold by Amazon are eligible, so sometimes items will be deemed ineligible simply because they are sold by other retailers. You cannot use SNAP to pay for “subscribe and save” subscription items, either.
Although you don’t need an Amazon Prime subscription to place your order, you cannot use food stamps funds to pay for any service or delivery charges. Fortunately, you can click here to get a discounted Amazon Prime membership if you have EBT or Medicaid!
Walmart, ShopRite and other providers will also be able to accept EBT cards for online orders in participating states.
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I saw today that Amazon is giving EBT users a 45% discount on Amazon Prime!
Hi, Heather! That is very true! You can get all sorts of discounts with your EBT card. You can even get free museum admission! Click here for details. 🙂
The company is announcing on Friday that the Amazon Prime monthly fee is increasing from $10.99 to $12.99 in the U.S., an increase of 18 percent. The new price works out to nearly $156 a year.Jan 19, 2018
FYI
Yep been like that a year at least its awesome. 5.99 a month I pay
Sondra,
It’s such a helpful program! Thanks for sharing!
-Riley
schwans as well
Safeway in WA state does not accept EBT for food delivery. Why and how come
That’s frustrating. I was told that they do accept it for delivery to disabled customers. I will contact them again to clarify.
Does Wal-Mart and Safeway in WA accept EBT for online grocery shopping now?
I’m honestly not sure, Meranda! I’ll follow-up on that. I know some of these companies had issues rolling out their online EBT systems. I’ll do some investigating and publish an update. 🙂
When will Amazon take EBT cards in Nevada for food delivery?
Hi, Maryam! I don’t think so. There seems to have been some issues with the pilot program and I’m not sure what the current status is. :\
Hi was told by Amazon roughly a year ago that they do not accept ebt, even though every website said they did. Were u able to verify that they indeed do accept it now? And if so how do I apply my ebt card as payment? Thank you!
Hey, Leneka! I am still awaiting a response from Amazon’s press department. In the meantime, they are not currently accepting EBT cards for online purchases. I’m so sorry!
Thank you so much for all the info. I have signed up for Amazon Prime with our EBT card but I don’t know how to use our EBT card for purchases for food. I’m unable to put anything in my profile. Help. Thanks again for all the info
Kanoe,
As far as I know, at this time you cannot use EBT to purchase food on Amazon. Amazon has said that they are working on this, but it is not available yet. Thanks.
-Riley
thank you for the info @Riley
Kanoe,
You are welcome!
-Riley
its because snap/ebt will be suspended indefinitely come March.
Thanks for the veil of hope though
lastdragon,
We have not seen an official statement about what will happen with food stamps in March yet.
-Riley
I received a letter from DHR in the state of Maryland. All SNAP customers will receive March’s funds on March 6th. I hope this helps.
Cheryl,
Yep! We have a state by state guide for March Food Stamp Benefits here. I hope this helps.
-Riley
i was wondering how long does the discount for amazon for people who has ebt and medicade? because i just found out that theres a discount when you only pay $5.99 instead of $12.99 a month
Antoinette,
As far as we know, you can continue receiving the discount as long as you are on EBT and/or Medicaid.
-Riley
Hi Riley
I was reading the comments and some people are soooooo confused on using their SNAP cards at fast food places. There are 2 sides of your SNAP card (sometimes). Food stamp and cash benefit. (I don’t recieve any cash benefits). The cash benefit is what fast food companies accept, not the food stamp benefits. Remember you can’t purchase hot food with SNAP ;0) unless you receive cash benefits.
Deb,
Thanks for the tip!
-Riley
This (you) are such an amazing resource! I am so glad I found your “site” !!!! Thank you for doing the time consuming, and tiresome research so we can all benefit from it. You are very appreciated.. at least, to me! :0)
Lisa,
Thank you for the kind words! We appreciate you and all of our readers!
-Riley
When will AMAZON allow EBT orders online in Washington state.
Julie,
All we know is that eventually the program will expand from New York to a few other states, including Washington. It was unclear whether the expansion would happen within the 2 year pilot of the program or if it will happen later. Thanks for reaching out.
-Riley