Does Subway Take EBT?

Does Subway take EBT? The answer may surprise you! It turns out that there are hundreds of Subway locations around the United States that can process SNAP EBT payments for eligible customers.

There are few caveats to this program, however. You must be eligible for something called the Restaurant Meals Program and you have to make sure that you are visiting a location that has been authorized by the state to process those payments.

Let’s discuss exactly how all this works and how you can buy your next sub with your food stamps benefits!

Does Subway take EBT?

Subway can take EBT at certain locations that are authorized to accept food stamps through the Restaurant Meals Program. There are only a few states that have participating locations.

Subway can take EBT at certain locations in the following states:

• Arizona
• California
• Rhode Island

These states have other restaurants that can accept EBT as well.

As the Restaurant Meals Program rolls out to more states, there may be new Subway locations that can take EBT. We will update this list as we find them.

Some of our users have also reported that they have been able to buy Subway sandwiches at locations inside of grocery stores (like Walmart), gas stations and travel plazas. It is not entirely clear how this works or if it should work. We have not been able to independently confirm that it works, but we have had dozens of users report success.

What can you buy with EBT at Subway?

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are intended to help you purchase food for human consumption. Through the special rules of the RMP, you can purchase restaurant meals with those benefits as well.

However, you can only purchase edible food with your benefits. You will not be able to buy any non-food items, such as merchandise or even refillable cups. You must only purchase eligible food items, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, cookies, chips and sodas.

If you have any questions about what you can purchase at Subway with EBT, ask the person who is helping you at the restaurant. They can help you understand the restaurant policies, as these may vary by location.

Who can buy Subway with EBT?

In order to purchase restaurant meals with EBT, you need to be eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program. This means that all three of the following criteria must be met:

1. You must live in a state that has an operational Restaurant Meals Program.
2. You must be unable to cook your own meals at home because you are elderly, homeless or disabled.
3. You must purchase food from an eligible restaurant that has been approved by the state to process EBT payments.

If all three of those things are true, then your caseworker should automatically enable your card for use at participating restaurants. If your payment is declined, you should talk to your caseworker and figure out why you weren’t authorized to make those purchases.

Which Subway locations take EBT?

Each and every Subway location must be individually authorized by the state it is located in. That’s why some cities have dozens of Subway locations but only a few of them may accept EBT. You have to make sure that you are visiting a participating location.

For your convenience, we have organized a list of every participating location. It is separated into state, county and city so that you can quickly and easily find a Subway that takes EBT near you.

Please view the following PDF for details.

Why doesn’t every Subway take EBT?

Unfortunately, not every Subway can take EBT. That is because the Restaurant Meals Program is not available in all states. Some franchise owners may not be eligible to participate due to past issues with the food stamps program. There are actually a lot of things that can prevent a restaurant from accepting EBT benefits through this program. Sometimes, they just don’t want to deal with the extra paperwork!

For these reasons, the vast majority of Subway’s 21,147 locations in the United States are not able to process SNAP EBT payments. Only 534 can, which means that only 2.5% of all Subways take EBT.

How do I pay with EBT at Subway?

If you are visiting a Subway that has been authorized to take EBT, then the process of paying is easy! You just need to swipe your card the same way that you would at a grocery store or gas station. The process is exactly the same.

However, you need to know that the restaurant should not charge sales tax or gratuity for your payment with you pay with benefits. You should always check your receipt to make sure that your transaction was handled properly.

What else can I buy with food stamps?

Typically, food stamps is used to purchase:

• Fruits and produce
• Meat, poultry and fish
• Dairy
• Bread
• Cereal
• Snack foods
• Non-alcoholic beverages
• Seeds and produce-bearing plants
• Birthday cakes
• Gift baskets
• Live lobster
• and more!

You cannot use food stamps to purchase:

• Alcohol
• Vitamins
• Medicine
• Live animals
• Non-food items
• Hot food (outside of D-SNAP and the Restaurant Meals Program)

Of course, there are many other things you can buy with food stamps! We’ve found over 500 other restaurants that accept EBT! You can also get some incredible EBT discounts just by showing your card.

FAQs about Subway’s EBT Policies

Most EBT users have always been told they cannot buy hot food or restaurant meals with EBT, so it’s understandable why so many people have questions about this program. We’ll do our best to answer the most common ones in this section.

Nicole Thelin

Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.