Does Sam’s Club Accept EBT for Food Stamps? (Complete Guide)

What is an EBT card?

An Electronic Benefits Transfer card is a card that the government uses to deliver benefits to eligible recipients. The card works like a regular debit card where you can use it to purchase items.

When you use your EBT card at a store, your SNAP EBT account is debited to reimburse the store for the food you purchased. EBT has been the sole method for issuing SNAP benefits since 2004. EBT is used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Not all stores accept EBT cards, and even with the ones that do, you are only able to purchase specific items.

Does Sam’s Club Accept EBT?

Yes, it does!

Sam’s Club accepts EBT cards at all of its club locations. So, you can use your SNAP benefits to purchase certain items at your local Sam’s Club.

This means that you can use your food stamps to pay for in-store purchases.

However, you can only purchase items that are eligible, so SNAP rules apply at Sam’s Club.

I’ll go into detail below about what you can purchase with your EBT card at Sam’s Club, and how you can use your EBT card at your local store.

What can you buy with your EBT card at Sam’s Club?

Not all stores accept EBT cards, as I said earlier, and, also, you can only use your benefits to purchase eligible items.

Here’s what you can buy with your EBT card at Sam’s Club…

• Fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• Cooking oils, like olive oil and vegetable oil
• Poultry products like chicken and eggs
• Red meat, like steak, ribs, and ground beef
• Dairy products, like cheese, milk, and almond milk.
• Seafood, such as fish, shrimp, shellfish, and lobster.
• Pork products, like chops, sausages, bacon, and tenderloin.
• Breads and cereals (like pita bread, rye bread, tortillas, pasta, bagels, and rice).
• Desserts like ice cream, cookies, or brownies
• Candy
• Cold sandwiches
• Salads
• Chips
• Snack crackers
• Other foods such as snack foods
• Non-alcoholic beverages, such as soft drinks, like Sprite and Pepsi, and energy drinks like Red Bull.
• Seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat

What can’t you buy with your EBT card at Sam’s Club?

You can’t use your EBT card to purchase all items, as only some items are eligible. Mostly these are staple foods that are cold or that you prepare yourself at home. Your SNAP benefits don’t apply to products that are hot at the point of sale.

Here’s what you can’t use your EBT card to purchase:

• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
• Vitamins, medicines, and supplements.
• Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store).
• Foods that are hot when sold.
• Non-food items, such as:
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Paper products
  • Pet foods
  • Hygiene items
  • Cosmetics

Using Your EBT at Sam’s Club

So, you can indeed use your food stamps at Sam’s Club to purchase SNAP-eligible items. In this section, I want to cover a few more questions that you may have about using your EBT card at Sam’s Club.

Does Sam’s Club take EBT online?

No, sadly, you can’t use your EBT card for any online purchases at Sam’s Club. So, to use your SNAP benefits you will have to go to your local Sam’s Club store.

Does Sam’s Club take WIC?

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), provides supplemental foods, nutrition education, and services to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.

Sadly, Sam’s Club is not an authorized WIC retailer. So, it does not take WIC benefits.

Can you use EBT at Sam’s Club Scan and Go?

You cannot use your EBT card with Sam’s Club Scan and Go. EBT payments are currently not supported on the Scan and Go feature.

Can you use EBT at the Sam’s Club Food Court?

Most SNAP recipients can’t purchase items at the food court. This is because food court items, like hot, prepared foods, are not SNAP-eligible.

The Sam’s Club Food Court sells items like ready-to-eat pizza, pretzels, and hotdogs, and other hot and prepared foods, which are not considered to be eligible for SNAP benefits.

However, the Restaurant Meals Program allows some SNAP-recipients who qualify to purchase hot foods.

Because SNAP benefits are designed for purchasing cold foods and foods you can prepare yourself, this leaves people who are disabled or unable to cook for themselves with few options. This is why the Restaurant Meals Program was launched.

It’s a state-run program that allows elderly, homeless, and disabled SNAP recipients to purchase food at SNAP authorized restaurants using their SNAP EBT cards.

Only six states have RMPs:

• Arizona
• California
• Rhode Island
• Michigan
• Illinois
• Maryland

Not all EBT cardholders qualify for the RMP program. You will need to meet your state’s requirements in order to be eligible.

You are only able to use your EBT card to purchase hot or prepared food items at Sam’s Club if you live in a state that participates in the Restaurant Meals Program and qualify for it.

Can I use EBT on Instacart Sam’s Club?

No, you are not able to use your EBT payments for any online purchase, including those made through Instacart and other apps like Instacart.

But, if you are looking to purchase groceries through Instacart, then you do have some options.

SNAP-eligible Instacart customers in the U.S. are able to pay for their online grocery orders with a valid EBT card, in full or in part, from the following stores in select states:

• ALDI
• Food Lion
• Save Mart
• FoodMaxx
• Lucky Supermarkets
• Price Chopper
• Market 32
• Market Bistro

Now, the reason for this is that Instacart is participating in a pilot run by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to accept EBT benefits online. Currently, customers who have a valid EBT card in all states except Alaska, Louisiana, and Montana are able to use their SNAP benefits on Instacart at participating retailers.

This means although you can’t use your SNAP benefits at Sam’s Club through Instacart, you could try a store like Aldi or Food Lion instead.

Closing Thoughts

I hope this post answered your question of whether or not Sam’s Club takes EBT. Sure, you can’t use EBT to pay for online purchases or purchases through Instacart, but you can still head to your local Sam’s Club store and purchase items using your SNAP benefits.