Did you know you can double your SNAP benefits in Arizona just by shopping at certain stores?! This is a really incredible way to get more food with your benefits.
Arizona has one of the most generous Double Up Food Bucks programs in the country. They give you more places to shop, more variety of food that you can buy, and they’ve even removed the maximum daily limit at most locations.
What is the Double Up Food Bucks program?
The Double Up Food Bucks program is a nationwide movement to help low income people purchase more fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables with their food stamps dollars. The program is spearheaded by a nonprofit in Washington DC that focuses on sustainable grocery practices.
Ultimately, the program invites shoppers who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to shop at certain retailers. Those retailers will double the value of their purchase. So, if the shopper spend $20, they can take home $40 in fresh produce.
Most states have a cap or limit on how much free produce you can get every day. Arizona has suspended that limit at most markets and farm stands.
You can Double Up your SNAP Benefits at many places.
The Double Up Arizona program allows you to shop from a wide variety of retailers. In most states, it’s only Farmer’s Markets that will double your benefits… but in Arizona, you actually have a lot of different options.
There are Farmer’s Markets, mobile markets, CSAs, farm stands, grocery stores and even convenience stores that will help you double your SNAP benefits. Many of these locations operate year-round and are open five days a week or more.
You can Double Up on more than just produce.
Although most states will limit your Doubled Up purchases to just fresh locally grown fruits or vegetables, that’s not the case in Arizona. You can Double Up your purchases on fruits, vegetables, herbs, seeds, cactus fruit and even dried beans. Plants that produce food are also eligible.
According to their pamphlet, the foods you purchase with your Double Up bucks can be fresh, roasted, steamed, smoked or cut. However, they cannot have any added sugar, oil or salt.
There may be a daily limit depending on where you shop.
Arizona has temporarily lifted the daily limit at Farmer’s Markets, Mobile Markets, CSAs and Farm Stands due to the strain of the coronavirus pandemic. It does not appear that the limit has been reinstated as of this publishing date in March 2023.
If you choose to redeem your Double Up benefits at a grocery store or convenience store there is a $20 per day limit. That means you can spend $20 to receive $40 worth of eligible foot items.
Using Double Up Food Bucks is a three-step process.
In order to use the benefits under this program, you’ll need to follow this three-step process:
First, you need to apply for SNAP. You have to be shopping with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefits in order to use the Double Up program. If you already have SNAP, you can skip this step.
Second, you need to find a participating Double Up location near you. There are many locations around the state for your convenience.
Third, you need to visit the information booth or customer service center at the location you visit. Usually, you will have to swipe your card to receive tokens that can be used to redeem your benefits.
Don’t forget your Arizona EBT discounts!
If you have EBT in Arizona, you can get discounted admission to zoos and museums throughout the state! We have a list of Arizona EBT discounts here.
Nicole Thelin
Nicole is the owner and lead researcher for Low Income Relief. She has over 20 years of professional research and writing experience, and she has been solely dedicated to investigating low income topics for the last 10 years. Nicole started Low Income Relief after a personal experience with poverty. When her husband was medically discharged from the US Army, their family experienced tremendous financial hardship. Nicole was able to gather help from multiple community agencies and move into a nearby low income housing unit in just two weeks! Since then, Nicole has been dedicated to helping low income families in crisis. She regularly spends hundreds of hours combing through countless resources to make sure that Low Income Relief has the most comprehensive and complete resource directories on the internet today. Prior to starting Low Income Relief, Nicole worked as a novelist, journalist, ghostwriter and content creator. Her work has been featured in various print and online publications, including USA Today, The Daily Herald, The Chronicle and more. Her work has also been featured by Google for Publishers and other leading industry publications.