Does Sam’s Club Take EBT Cards Payment or Snap and Food Stamps Benefits – Retail warehouse clubs provide bulk item purchases like personal care, grocery and household items at affordable prices to their club members. This including major retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club are an amazing resource for large families who are enrolled on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and receive EBT benefits.
A burning question among SNAP beneficiaries is: “Does Sam’s Club take EBT as a method of payment”? Fortunately, Sam’s Club accepts EBT or SNAP benefits for in-store purchase only and you cannot use them at Sam’s Club online including delivery orders and pick up. Additionally, you also cannot use them at Sam’s Club food court or through the Scan and Go app. This comprehensive guide will provide an overview of Sam’s Club policies on EBT and how you can use your EBT card at Sam’s Club.
Highlights of this Post
Key Takeaways
- Sam’s Club accepts EBT for in-store purchases only (no online or Scan & Go).
- Sam’s Club membership is required to use EBT.
- EBT covers SNAP-approved groceries like meat, produce, and dairy.
- EBT cannot be used for hot meals, prepared food, or non-grocery items.
EBT or SNAP: What Should You Know About Them?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal initiative that offers borderline families and needy households the right funds to pay their food bills. SNAP recipients can access the government funds in the form of a card called Electronic Benefits Transfer card that looks like a debit or credit card and works at participating retailers including Sam’s Club for eligible grocery products.
While most of the products fall within SNAP guidelines a lot of products like non-edible food and hot prepared items are not covered using EBT benefits. As per the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the SNAP is the most critical anti-hunger program in the United States of America. The amount of funding received in your EBT card may vary from one household to another and depend on the following factors:
- Income
- Location
- Number of people in the household
- Assets
- Ability to work
Americans who have a household income up to 30% above the state poverty line with minimal to no assets can qualify for SNAP benefits. You need to check with your state law to learn if you’re eligible for this program.
What Is Sam’s Club?
Sam’s Club is one of the favorite shopping destinations among Americans for buying necessary items at affordable rates. This is one of the best options for Snap beneficiaries with large families. The supermarket store is popular among Americans for helping shoppers save significant money.
The store is an attractive option among low-income families due to its affordable pricing. This American chain of membership-only warehouse club retail stores is owned and operated by Walmart Inc.
As of 31st October 2023, the chain operated 599 membership warehouse clubs in America across 45 states including Puerto Rico with various locations in Oregon, Washington Alaska or Rhode Island. They also provide car wash services at gas stations in nearly 41 locations.
Does Sam’s Club Accept Food Stamps or EBT?
Yes, Sam’s Club accepts food stamps or EBT from SNAP beneficiaries in all its retail locations. The authorized Sam’s Club accepts EBT transactions from SNAP beneficiaries. The grocery chain has eligible items that you can cover easily with SNAP funds.
As long as you follow the guidelines of USDA you can buy plenty of things with EBT funds here like meat, dairy products, poultry, fruits, vegetables etc. However, to purchase SNAP-eligible items in the club you need to be a member without requiring to pay any service fee. Sam’s Club stores offer a variety of SNAP-eligible food for you to choose from.
What Can You Buy With Your EBT Card or Food Stamp Benefits At Sam’s Club?
Sam’s Club like any other grocery store has to follow the rules and guidelines set by USDA when it comes to using EBT or SNAP funds.
The SNAP has been specifically designed to help low-income families pay for their food and grocery bills. You can cover the cost of essential food staples or products that you can take home to prepare meals for your family using your EBT card at Sam’s Club.
Following is the list of items that you can shop at Sam’s Club using their food stamp benefits.
- Meat that includes beef, chicken and Turkey
- Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, butter and ice cream
- Pork products like chops, tenderloin, bacon and sausages
- Candy, cold sandwiches, salads, chips and snack crackers
- Bread and cereals like rye bread, pita bread, rice, bagels, pasta, tortillas
- Cooking oil such as vegetable and olive oil
- Seafood like fish, shrimp and lobster
- Produce that includes both frozen, fresh and canned fruits and vegetables
- Non-alcoholic drinks and juices
- Bread and cereals
- Plants and seeds to produce food in the household.
Read also: What can you Shop Online With EBT?
What Can’t You Purchase With Food Stamps or EBT Card At Sam’s Club?
Here are the major attempts that you cannot purchase at Sam’s Club or any other retail stores as per the USDA guidelines.
- Cigarettes and tobacco products
- Alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, liquor
- Hot prepared food that includes items from Sam’s Club food court
- Diapers
- Pet food cleaning items
- Hygiene and sanitary products
- Paper products such as paper plates from paper towels, napkins etcetera
- Live seafood (except fish and shellfish)
- Gas
- Cosmetics and beauty products like healthcare, makeup or skincare
- Vitamins medicines and supplements
The SNAP or EBT initiative also does not cover utensils, appliances, tools, electronics, auto parts, toys and numerous products that come in the non-food category.
Does Sam’s Club Accept Food Stamps or EBT Cards Online?
Now that you know you can use your food stamp benefits or EBT card at physical stores of Sam’s Club you must be curious about whether you can use the food stamp to purchase groceries online in food stores.
Unfortunately, Sam’s Club does not accept EBT or food stamps online for curbside pickup, in-store pickups or grocery delivery. If you’re planning to purchase EBT-approved products at Sam’s Club then you have to shop for the products in-store. You can also make use of the Sam’s Club locator online to find a nearby location where you can use your EBT funds. Another alternative method is to purchase groceries online at Walmart for pickup or home delivery.
Do Sam’s Club Benefit From Accepting Food Stamps or EBT Cards?
Following is the list of reasons why Sam’s Club has decided to upgrade their POS system and accept EBT cards.
Broaden Their Customer Base
Nearly 40 million low-income Americans depend on SNAP benefits to pay their food bills. By not accepting SNAP benefits retailers prevent a major portion of the U.S population from spending their government benefits at their establishment. Enabling EBT payments opens up numerous doors to customers.
Guaranteed Funds
Retailers who accept EBT payments can have the peace of mind that the funds to cover grocery purchases come from the state bank account and there are no chances of fraud or theft. They can rest assured that the state government will provide them the funds as expected.
Support To Needy Customers
The idea behind accepting food stamp benefits is to assist needy customers by helping underprivileged households with a valid EBT card to pay for their food. By accepting payments Sam’s Club extends a helping hand to low-income communities so that they can economically access grocery products.
Stay Competitive
A lot of retailers accept EBT payments to keep up with the competition and serve more customers. As soon as one retailer starts accepting EBT payments the other follows to remain competitive. It may affect business if shoppers cannot pay using their preferred form of payment.
Qualifying Product Sales
Superstores such as Sam’s Club sell necessary groceries and staple food to customers. EBT recipients can purchase dairy, foods, vegetables or meat, seafood and greens from Sam’s Club.
Read also: Does Shipt Accept Food Stamps, SNAP, or EBT?
Can I Use My Food Stamp Benefits With Sam’s Club Scan And Go?
Sam’s Club Scan And Go is a smartphone app that enables shoppers to download for free and use the service immediately. You just have to walk around the store, scan the items and put them in your cart without waiting in the queue.
A lot of SNAP recipients wonder if they can use their EBT card through Scan and Go to Sam’s Club stores. Sam’s Club and Go is a feature that is available for Sam’s Club members and helps them to skip long waiting during checkout. Members can easily scan the items when adding them to the cart. While making their purchase they can simply use their preferred method of payment in the Scan and Go app.
Unfortunately, you cannot use your immediate food stamp benefits with the Sam’s Club and Go option. You can use alternate sources of payment like prepaid cards, cash rewards, gift cards, credit cards or debit cards with the Sam’s Club and Go option.
Recommended: Does Buc-ee’s Accept SNAP, EBT, or Food Stamps?
How Can I Use My EBT Card At Sam’s Club?
When it comes to using your Snap benefits or EBT card while making eligible purchases at Sam’s Club in-store the process is relatively easier and pretty straightforward. Once you have enrolled into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program you will be issued with an EBT card that gets reloaded with credits each month.
Once you receive the card you will get a secret 4-digit PIN that you have to use at retail outlets to authorize your EBT purchase. To complete the transaction at Sam’s Club in-store you have to follow the below-mentioned steps carefully.
- Visit Sam’s Club store and shop for all your grocery needs including non-approved and approved EBT items
- Check out with the grocery items at either a cashier or self-checkout kiosk. You need not separate the approved and non-approved EBT items
- Swipe or insert your EBT card before using your personal debit or credit card
- EBT approved items will be deducted from your purchase total. Then swipe your personal debit or credit card or any other alternate payment method to purchase the remaining of your grocery needs.
Sam’s Club being a membership-only retail warehouse requires you to pay an annual membership fee to shop online, in-store or take advantage of other services.
Before heading to your local Sam’s Club to pay for your grocery items using an EBT card it is always a good idea to check your Ebt account balance so that you don’t end up in an embarrassing situation while paying at the register at Sam’s Club. You must also bring another payment form along with you that can save you if you run out of EBT funds or wish to purchase any item that is not approved by the SNAP program.
SNAP recipients also look for: Does Winn Dixie Accept Food Stamps or EBT
What Other Forms Of Payment Are Accepted At Sam’s Club?
Sam’s Club accepts various forms of payment outside EBT. The store accepts all major credit cards drawn from United States-based accounts (excluding municipalities or territories). International credit cards however are not accepted in clubs or online. Sam’s Club also does not accept PayPal as a means of payment.
Following is the list of options that you can use at Sam’s Club.
- Prepaid cards
- Sam’s Club credit PLCC
- MasterCard visa discover
- Walmart credit PLCC
- Debit cards
- Cash or check
- Walmart and Sam’s Club E gift cards and gift cards
- Sam’s Club and Walmart credit Cards
Gas Station Payment Options
For gas station payment options you need to have an active Sam’s Club membership to purchase gas or fuel at Sam’s Club unless there are any local law restrictions or limitations. You also cannot use Sam’s Club’s private label credit card to purchase fuel at Walmart gas stations.
Sam’s Club gas stations are not accepting Walmart credit cards as a form of payment. However, Walmart and Sam’s Club gift cards can be used at Sam’s Club or Walmart fuel centers.
Read also: Does Piggly Wiggly Accept Food Stamps, SNAP, or EBT?
Is Sam’s Club An Approved WIC Retailer?
The acronym WIC stands for Women Infants and Children Program and refers to a supplemental federal program that offers healthy food items as well as nutrition education to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women including infants and children up to five years of age who are at nutritional risk.
Unfortunately, Sam’s Club is not a USDA authorized WIC retailer so you cannot use your WIC vouchers at any of its store locations. To learn more about WIC or the list of products that you can cover using your WIC vouchers you can visit the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website. A lot of national retailers like Target, Walmart and Safeway accept WIC vouchers.
Read also: Does Lidl Accept Food Stamps or EBT?
Can I Use My EBT Card At Sam’s Club Food Court?
SNAP recipients cannot purchase anything from Sam’s Club food court such as hot prepared meals that are EBT- ineligible. Sam’s Club Food Court is popular for selling ready-to-eat food like pretzels, pizza, hot dogs and many other hot prepared foods.
Even though you cannot use your EBT benefits in most of the states at Sam’s Club Food Court, the Restaurant Meals Program enables SNAP recipients to purchase hot food. If your state is participating in the program then you can use your EBT card at Sam’s Club Food Court.
The Restaurant Meals Program is designed for the elderly, homeless and disabled population who are unable to cook food themselves due to their disability, homelessness or old age.
This state-run program is available in only six states: Arizona, California, Rhode Island, Michigan, Illinois and Maryland. Not all SNAP recipients qualify for this program and you are required to meet the state requirements to be eligible. You are only eligible to use the card to buy hot prepared food items at Sam’s Club food court if your state is participating in this program and you qualify for it.
Also read: Does Baskin-Robbins Take EBT, SNAP, or Food Stamps?
Alternate Grocery Stores That Accept Food Stamps or EBT Card
- Safeway
- Target
- Amazon
- DoorDash
- Instacart
- Dollar Tree
- Harris Teeter
- Hometown Foods
- H Mart
- Food Lion
- Walmart
- Kroger
- Walgreen
- ALDI
- Walgreen
- CVS
- Rite Aid
- Friendly Foods
- Speedway
- Albertsons
- Foodland
- Family Food Stores
- All Stores
- Jubilee Foods
- Kroger
- Market Basket
- Piggly Wiggly
- Publix
- Big Y Foods
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
- Costco
- City Market
Conclusion
SNAP recipients who love to shop at Sam’s Club would be pleased to note that the grocery chain accepts EBT payments however for this you have to become a member of the store. Sadly you cannot use your EBT card for online purchases or with the Sam’s Club Scan and Go option. EBT payments are presently supported for in-store purchases only. You cannot use EBT to purchase hot ready-to-eat food at Sam’s Club food court as they are not considered to be approved for SNAP benefits. SNAP benefits also do not include alcohol, tobacco or non-grocery items. Outside of these restrictions, Sam’s Club provides necessary food items and prosperities at affordable rates by ensuring that recipients can make the most out of their food assistance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can My Family Members Use My Food Stamps or EBT Card?
The only way your family members can use your food stamp benefits at Sam’s Club or any retail store is when you list them in your SNAP benefits application form. This includes your parents, spouse and children. The policy however may vary from one state to another so do your research beforehand.
Can I Use My EBT On Sam’s Club Curbside Pickup?
No curbside pickup orders are not eligible for EBT at Sam’s Club. This rule applies to Sam’s same-day delivery service. Curbside pickup orders at Sam’s Club.com do not accept EBT payments. However, there may be changes shortly and Sam’s Club may start accepting online groceries like Walmart and Target.
Can I Use My EBT Card At Self Checkout?
Yes, you can use your EBT card as a method of payment while using self-checkout at Sam’s Club. If you do not have adequate payments then you can do a split payment as well. On swiping your card you can know the amount of money present in your card. You can use a credit card to pay for the remaining balance as the self-checkout machine at Sam’s Club does not accept SNAP Cash or Cash.