Does ARCO Accept Food Stamps, SNAP or EBT Benefits – ARCO gas stations owned by BP America are generally attached to Ampm convenience stores and are found in Northern California, Mexico and Washington. ARCO stores are open to the public 24 hours a day and apart from fuel they also sell sodas, bakery items, coffee, hot prepared foods, and even fresh sandwiches.
EBT cardholders who have an ARCO gas station near them wonder if they can use their SNAP benefits or food stamps at ARCO stations. Unfortunately, you cannot use your EBT card to purchase gas, however you can buy SNAP-eligible food items from ARCO gas station or any Ampm store near ARCO. This guide will provide an overview of whether ARCO accepts food stamps, SNAP or EBT benefits and what you can purchase using your EBT card.
Highlights of this Post
Key Takeaways
- ARCO accepts EBT cards at some locations, but only for SNAP-eligible food items.
- You cannot use EBT cards to buy gas or hot prepared food at ARCO.
- Not all ARCO locations accept EBT, especially in high-income areas.
- Only a few states allow SNAP recipients to use EBT cards at restaurants.
- Check the USDA SNAP store locator to see if your local ARCO accepts EBT.
What Is ARCO?
ARCO stands for Atlantic Richfield Company and is a U.S oil company that has operations in various states throughout the United States. One of the common American gas stations on the road–ARCO helps you to fuel your vehicle on your way and offers affordable gas. The services and products are similar to those provided by expensive brands.
Also read: Does Baskin-Robbins Take EBT, SNAP, or Food Stamps?
In Which States Does Arco Operate?
There are nearly 1600 ARCO gas stations located in 17 U.S. states and territories as of 5th March 2024. California has the maximum number of ARCO gas station locations throughout the United States of America with nearly 1098 locations accounting for 69% of the overall locations in America.
Following is a list of states and territories with the most ARCO gas stations:
- California – 1098 or 69% of the total number of ARCO gas stations.
- Washington – 154 or 10% of the entire ARCO gas stations in America.
- Nevada – 88 or 6% of the total number of ARCO gas stations.
- Arizona – 69 or 4% of the total number of ARCO gas stations.
- Minnesota – 65 or 4% of the total number of ARCO gas stations.
- North Dakota – 44 or 3% of the total ARCO stations.
- Oregon – 44 or 3% of the total ARCO stations.
- Indiana – 11 or 1% of the total ARCO stations
- Illinois – Only 7 ARCO gas stations are available here.
- Florida – Only five ARCO gas stations are available here.
Note: There are 39 states and territories where ARCO gas stations are not operating.
Read also: Does Honey Baked Ham Accept EBT?
Overview Of The SNAP EBT Program
The federal government has designed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help millions of low-income Americans purchase food and groceries for their families. Nearly 9.5 million low-income families with children throughout America are using EBT benefits to purchase healthy food and groceries. The Electronic Benefits Transfer card is the upgraded version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
It is the largest federal nutrition assistance program in the nation and the EBT card works similarly to a debit card. Each month SNAP credits get reloaded into the card so that eligible families can purchase food and beverages from participating stores. To qualify for this program you need to make sure you fulfill the bank and asset balance limits as per your household size.
Read also: Does Piggly Wiggly Accept Food Stamps, SNAP, or EBT?
Does ARCO Accept EBT or Food Stamps?
Yes, ARCO accepts EBT or food stamps in the majority of its store locations throughout the United States of America. SNAP recipients can use their EBT card to buy necessary food items that fall into the SNAP-eligible list.
EBT is a federal initiative that assists low-income families to afford healthy and nutritious food so you cannot buy anything that violates USDA SNAP guidelines like gas, fuel, hot prepared food items etc. To know more about places where you can use your EBT cards you can use the USDA SNAP Retail Locator.
Read also: Does Shipt Accept Food Stamps, SNAP, or EBT?
List Of Food Items That You Can Purchase With Your EBT Card
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps low-income families purchase healthy food, beverages and snacks at almost every EBT-authorized gas station, grocery store, farmers market and convenience store food.
With the help of the EBT cards, you can shop for dozens of eligible items in convenience stores like Trader Joe’s and Circle K. In case you have an Ampm store near an ARCO fuel station in your area of residence you can purchase the following items.
- Bread and cereals: This includes all types of bread, crackers, cereals, pasta, oatmeal and rice.
- Meat, poultry and fish: This comprises all forms of meat such as pork, beef, turkey, chicken, fish and lamb
- Beverages. While, you cannot purchase hot coffee, teas or lettuce using your SNAP benefits card. You can purchase brew-it-yourself tea and coffee using SNAP Benefits including cold beverages like cold drinks, fountain drinks, smoothies, and iced coffees that are intended for human consumption.
- Plant, seeds and seedlings: You can use your food stamp benefits to pick up plants, seeds or seedlings that can help you produce fruits, vegetables or herbs at your home.
- Baby Formula: You can use SNAP benefits to purchase infant formula including cereals, baby food and juices to feed your baby.
- Protein powders, shakes and bars: You can purchase meal replacement shakes, protein powders, bars or any other shakes that come with a Nutrition Facts label instead of a Supplements Facts label.
- Live Lobsters and Seafood: You can use your SNAP benefits to purchase live seafood such as lobsters, clams, and shrimp including live fish removed from the water.
- Snack items: This includes bakery cakes, chips, cheese, crackers, and gift baskets comprising eligible food items.
Depending on your area of residence you can also purchase food items like hot prepared meals from participating restaurants. The U.S Department of Agriculture has extended the SNAP program in the form of the Restaurant Meals Program and only a few states are participating in this initiative such as Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and Rhode Island. Even the state of New York is working to enroll on the RMP initiative.
Read also: Does Amazon Accept EBT Card, Snap or Food Stamp?
List of Food Items That You Cannot Purchase At ARCO or Ampm With Your EBT Card
As per the USDA guidelines, you cannot use your food stamps or EBT card to purchase the following items at gas stations, grocery stores or convenience stores.
- Hot Prepared Food: This includes food items that are ready for immediate consumption such as hot prepared meals and food from restaurants.
- Health and Beauty: This includes cosmetics, medications, vitamins, hygiene products and supplements.
- Household Supplies: This includes non-food items like paper goods and cleaning products
- Alcohol and Tobacco: EBT funds cannot be used to buy alcoholic beverages like wine, liquor, beer, cigarettes and any other tobacco products.
- Pet Supplies: This includes pet food, bedding and toys
- Live animals (except fish and shellfish).
Read also: Does Target Take EBT OR Food Stamps?
How To Pay For SNAP-Eligible Items With Your EBT Card?
The process of using the EBT card or food stamp benefits at authorized locations anywhere throughout the country is a simple procedure. This is similar to shopping with your debit or credit card at any convenience store or grocery chain food store.
Most of the stores for instance Ampm stores have tags on groceries and food that are EBT approved which will help SNAP recipients purchase eligible items conveniently without much confusion.
Following are the steps through which you can make use of your EBT card at participating stores to use your food stamp benefits:
- Separate your EBT-eligible and non-eligible items as soon as you reach the operator register while loading the checkout
- Swipe or insert your EBT card at the point of sale and provide your 4-digit PIN for the transaction
- Inform the cashier at the participating store about whether you will be charging your order using SNAP benefits or cash.
- Re-enter the four-digit PIN on the point of sale keypad and confirm if the charges are accurate. Once done the purchase total will be deducted from your SNAP or Cash account as per your direction. Take the receipt to see the latest balance on your EBT account. For any ineligible item that you cannot cover with your EBT card use an alternate source of payment like cash, credit or debit card.
Does ARCO Accept EBT or Food Stamps Online?
Unfortunately, ARCO does not accept EBT or food stamps from SNAP recipients online. This is because the company is not participating in an Online SNAP Pilot Program so you cannot buy any goods online with the help of your EBT card. To use your EBT card at any ARCO food store you have to purchase necessary food and groceries that fall within SNAP guidelines at the physical store while checking out.
Interested in knowing about: Does WinCo Accept EBT? Read our next guide here.
Do All ARCO Accept Food Stamps or EBT?
Unfortunately, not all ARCO locations accept EBT or food stamps due to the following reasons:
- Legal Compliance: Gas stations are not considered food retailers under the SNAP guidelines so they are not authorized to accept EBT payments.
- Location: ARCO stores that are located in low-income neighborhoods with a maximum concentration of SNAP participants are more apt to take food stamps or EBT payments.
- Cost of Compliance With EBT Program: Like any other gas station or convenience store ARCO has to pay a small fee to its payment processor to start accepting EBT or food stamp payments from SNAP beneficiaries. This fee can be a bit expensive for smaller stores like ARCO. If cost is a hurdle for ARCO locations then they may not enroll on the SNAP EBT initiative.
- Type of Stores: There are a wide number of store varieties available at the airport including convenience stores, gas stations, food markets etc. While some types of ARCO stores are authorized to accept EBT from SNAP beneficiaries, others are not. Only stores that include food markets accept EBT payments.
Recommended: Does Buc-ee’s Accept SNAP, EBT, or Food Stamps?
Does EBT Work At Gas Stations?
EBT system works at most gas stations in the United States of America that are authorized by USDA and this includes big chain stores like Loves, Marathon and Shell. This is however not true at all locations as gas stations have to go through a complex USDA approval procedure to start accepting EBT payments.
Similar to grocery stores, gas stations sell varieties of products some of which are EBT eligible while some are not. EBT benefits come from two sources: TANF and SNAP food benefits. You can use SNAP EBT benefits to purchase grocery items, snack foods, bread, non-alcoholic beverages and other food that has nutritional value instead of hot food, non-food items, vitamin supplements, medicines, tobacco or alcohol. TANF cash on the other hand allows households to purchase gas, fuel, food, hygiene items, and household items. While, you cannot use your SNAP EBT card to purchase gas, you can use your EBT cash to purchase fuel or gas.
Recommended: Does Murphy USA Take EBT?
Which Gas Stations Near Me Accept EBT Cards?
EBT is accepted at gas stations that are authorized by the USDA to process SNAP benefit payments. With EBT cash you can purchase gasoline and other essentials whereas, for EBT food benefits, you have to make EBT-eligible purchases that do not include gas or hot food items. The following is the list of big-name gas stations that accept EBT:
- 7-Eleven
- 76
- Chevron (Note: Listed twice in the provided list)
- Circle K
- ConocoPhillips
- ExxonMobil
- Holiday Stationstores
- Kroger
- Kum & Go
- Kwik Trip
- Loves
- Marathon
- Maverick
- Mobile
- Phillips 66
- Pilot Flying J
- QuickTrip
- Shell
- Sheetz
- Sinclair
- Speedway
- Sunoco
- Texaco
- TravelCenters of America
- Valero
- Wawa
Which Grocery Stores Allow To Shop For EBT Eligible Food?
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s is popular for catering to vegan/ vegetarian needs and selling good quality food items to its customers. Trader Joe’s accepts EBT or food stamp cards. All locations of Trader Joe’s stores accept EBT payment and you can use your SNAP cash benefits to purchase accepted products.
Circle K
With more than 7200 convenience store locations Circle K is located throughout the United States of America. It is amazing to know that this retailer accepts EBT as a method of payment from customers on SNAP-approved items. Circle K sells a lot of items like beverages, snacks, bakery items, hot food, and essential groceries like milk, butter, eggs etc.
Instacart
You can use your EBT card for online grocery delivery and pickup with Instacart. Being one of the biggest grocery chains in the United States of America, Instacart accepts payments from SNAP recipients and helps them purchase food items and groceries at participating locations. In this guide, we will explore the process of using your EBT card on Instacart.
DoorDash
DoorDash does accept EBT payments so you do not need a traditional debit or credit card to make orders for your food delivery service. People can use their EBT card to pay for the groceries they order from DoorDash.
DoorDash accepts EBT as a method of payment. The popular food delivery service has become part of other online retailers like Amazon Fresh and Instacart to accept EBT payments.
Additional Stores That Accept EBT Payments
Do not lose hope if you are not living in a nearby ARCO store location. There are many other grocery stores or convenience stores that are authorized to accept EBT payments from SNAP beneficiaries. Following is a quick list of retailers that accept EBT payments.
- Costco
- Harris Teeter
- Rite Aid
- Speedway
- All Stores
- Market Basket
- Piggly Wiggly
- Publix
- Family Food Stores
- Foodland
- Food Lion
- Friendly Foods
- Safeway
- Dollar Tree
- Hometown Foods
- Jubilee Foods
- Kroger
- Sam’s Club
- City Market
- Albertsons
- Walgreen
- CVS
- H Mart
- Big Y Foods
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
Conclusion
Households who have qualified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can use their EBT card at selective gas stations like ARCO to purchase SNAP-eligible food items. However, you cannot buy alcohol, gas or any other non-edible food items with your EBT card at ARCO or any other stores. Customers can not only fuel their vehicles but also enjoy quick coffee, sandwiches, and bakery items at ARCO. Depending on how the ARCO store near you works you need to separate your EBT-eligible items from non-EBT eligible items at the time of payment. This guide also throws light on alternate gas stations and grocery stores from where you can shop for EBT-eligible items using your SNAP funds.
We hope this blog has been informative enough to give you all the details you need regarding ARCO’s acceptance of EBT. You can learn more about the government grants and financial assistance program at the Get Government Grants’ blog section today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Other Forms Of Payment Accepted At ARCO?
Apart from EBT payments ARCO stores accept various payments to provide convenience to its customers. This includes cash, and credit cards like Visa, Discover, MasterCard and American Express debit cards.
Do I Need Cash For Using My Food Stamp Benefits At ARCO?
There is no need to carry cash for using EBT cards or food stamp benefits at ARCO. But you need to pay a few cents to use your EBT card here which may cost you somewhere around $1. Also if you try to purchase ineligible items with your food stamps your transaction will not push through and will get declined. However, using your EBT card is possible at ARCO but you need to be mindful about the eligible items.