You may be surprised to learn that Taco Bell does take EBT in certain circumstances! You have to be eligible for this special program and make sure you’re shopping at one of the seven Taco Bell locations approved to process SNAP EBT payments.
Wait! Before you rush out the door to buy your Crunchwrap Supreme or five-layer burrito, there are a few things you need to know about the Restaurant Meals Program and how it works. In this post, we’ll break down who can buy Taco Bell with EBT, what locations can process those payments and more.
Does Taco Bell take EBT?
Taco Bell takes EBT at seven locations across Arizona and California. These locations, which are listed by address below, are specifically authorized to accept food stamps through the Restaurant Meals Program.
If you’re craving tacos, you may prefer to look for a Del Taco location near you that accepts EBT. There are many more EBT-accepting Del Taco locations.
However, there is good news! Many other states are currently developing their own RMP. That means that restaurants in other states may soon be able to process those payments as well! If you’re a big fan of Taco Bell, be sure to bookmark this page because we will update this post when the program expands.
What can you buy with EBT at Taco Bell?
Since the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are meant to help low income households purchase food, it’s important to remember that you can only purchase edible food items at the restaurant. Your card will not allow you to splurge on merchandise or other non-food items.
However, most of the item sold at Taco Bell are edible food. You should have no problem purchasing burritos, tacos, Mexican pizzas, Crunchwraps, quesadillas, nachos, bowls or even drinks.
Please remember that you don’t get any extra food stamps through the RMP, so you’ll need to budget accordingly! The Cravings Value Menu is a great place to focus if you’re trying to stretch your benefits farther. Sometimes, you can get special deals in the mobile app or even through mailed coupons to help as well.
Who can buy Taco Bell with EBT?
In order to purchase Taco Bell 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:
- You must live in a state with a Restaurant Meals Program.
- You must be unable to cook your own meals at home because you are elderly, homeless or disabled.
- You must purchase food from a restaurant that has been approved to take EBT.
This isn’t an either/or situation. In order to use your benefits this way, all three of those statements must be true for your case.
Fortunately, if you are eligible, the process should be fairly automatic. Your caseworker just needs to check a box in the system to ensure that your EBT card can work at participating restaurants. If you believe that you are eligible but your card is declined, it may mean that the setting wasn’t enabled for your card. You’ll need to call your caseworker to follow up, if that’s the case.
Which Taco Bell locations take EBT?
This is one of the most complicated parts about this program. Each Taco Bell location has to be approved individually by the state and federal government before it can begin processing SNAP EBT payments. That’s why some cities may have only one or two locations that accept EBT even though there may be a dozen Taco Bell locations scattered across town.
For your convenience, we have organized a list of every single participating location across the United States. We’ve organized our list by state, county and city to make it easy for you to find a Taco Bell that takes EBT near you.
Please view the following PDF for a list of exact addresses.
Why doesn’t every Taco Bell take EBT?
Currently, SNAP EBT is accepted at around seven of all 7,726 Taco Bell locations nationwide. That’s a great start, but it’s still frustrating for people who don’t have access to this program.
Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands, a company that brought a lot of attention to this program several years ago. After their push to expand the program nationwide, the Restaurant Meals Program actually suffered a lot of bad press that made it harder to expand into other states.
The company would love to process SNAP EBT payments at all of their stores. They know it would increase their revenue, and it would also help low income people access more convenient food options. However, there are many politicians and health care advocates who do not approve of expanding this program so it’s not available in all areas.
In addition, some franchise owners do not think it is worth the hassle to do all the paperwork required to join and maintain their ability to process these payments. Sometimes, it can be very confusing or overwhelming for business owners to jump through all the hoops required to get approval.
How do I pay with EBT at Taco Bell?
When an eligible customer visits an eligible Taco Bell location, the checkout process is actually very easy. You’ll simply swipe your EBT card the same way you do at convenience stores and grocery stores. The process is exactly the same.
There’s one important catch. You need to be physically present at the store to swipe your card. You can pick up the meal or enjoy it in the restaurant, but you cannot order it for delivery through any mobile app. The only exception is if you have an authorized user on your account who can pick up the meal on your behalf, but even then they must visit the restaurant in person.
You should also know that Taco Bell cannot charge sales tax or gratuity on orders paid with EBT benefits. Always check your receipt for those charges, because sometimes you may find yourself billed more than you should have been.
FAQs about Taco Bell’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.
Does Taco Bell take EBT?
Yes, Taco Bell can take EBT at several locations in the United States. You can see the exact addresses for these locations at LowIncomeRelief.com.
Does Taco Bell take EBT food or cash?
Some locations can take both! In California, many restaurants that can process food benefits through the Restaurant Meals Program can also take EBT cash as well.
Does Taco Bell take EBT in the drive thru?
As long as you’re visiting one of the locations in our list, you should be able to pay with EBT in the drive-thru as long as you are present to swipe your card.
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.