Does Whole Foods Market Accept EBT?

Whole Foods Market accepts EBT as a payment method in all its stores in different locations. However, you can not shop at Whole Foods online with an EBT card.

Whole foods is a great shopping spot for organic food lovers; they have a reputation for selling only the best. Food products are properly scrutinized before being put on display.

They regulate the circulation of harmful Ingredients such as saccharin, high-fructose corn syrup, and harmful preservatives. Whole foods also stand out for their ability to cater to the need of everyone, including people with allergies and those on special diets.

As such it’s not a surprise to see that their products are pricey. Following the high standards of its products, the prices of food items might sometimes be high and the use of food aids like food stamps and coupons always comes in handy. 

Does Whole Foods Accept EBT?

Whole Foods Market accept the use of EBT as well as other food stamps as a payment method for grocery shopping. One great thing about the use of EBT at whole foods is that unlike other grocery stores you don’t have to separate SNAP-eligible food items from regular food items.

All you have to do is shop as usual and at the check-out point, swipe your EBT card to authorize payment. The charge for SNAP-eligible items is automatically deducted from your SNAP benefits balance and the cost of the remaining items is left. Once this is done, you can use an alternative means of payment to clear up the balance. 

The machine does not tell you your balance at the end of your purchase. You can check your balance at the nearest ATM by inputting your pin. Alternatively, you can also check your balance with the EBT online service. 

If your available balance does not cover the total cost of your purchase the machine automatically pays for the items that can be covered with the available balance. Any additional costs will have to be sorted with an alternative payment method.

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How to make Payments at Whole Foods Market with an EBT Card

Since you are not required to separate your grocery items from nongrocery items, just shop as usual and when it is time for you to make payment, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Swipe your EBT card into the machine
• Step 2: You will be prompted to input your pin
• Step 3: At this stage, you will be asked to choose your mode of payment (SNAP account or an alternative cash account)
• Step 4: The order should process at this point and get approved
• Step 5: Try to keep a means of identification on you, in case you are asked to provide one to confirm if you are the card owner.

Even if you don’t have enough money in your account the order might get processed with payment done for only a part of the order. 

Does Whole Foods Market accept EBT for Online Purchases?

No, they don’t. Whole Foods Market accepts EBT cards as a payment option for in-store purchases but the same does not go for online purchases. Whole foods online orders are delivered through Amazon and cannot be paid for with an EBT card. You can use other means of payment like debit and credit cards, Apple pay, and even whole foods gift cards.

Some Whole Foods items sold on Amazon can be bought using an EBT card. But not all their items sold online can be bought using an EBT card.

Related: List of Stores that Accept EBT/Food Stamps

Items that are SNAP-eligible at Whole Foods Market and other grocery stores

The items that can be purchased with SNAP benefits are the same across all grocery stores. SNAP benefits can only be used to purchase food items that offer nutritional value. Some of these items include:

• Dairy products like; milk and cheese
• Bread
• Cereals
• Meat and fish
• Eggs and other poultry products
• Nonalcoholic beverage
• Snacks

Items that cannot be bought at Grocery stores using SNAP Benefits 

Like SNAP-eligible items, the items that cannot be bought with an EBT card are also the same across all grocery stores.

• Ready-made foods like sandwiches from the restaurant section of a grocery store or a hot meal from the buffet area
• Vitamins and supplements 
• Cleaning products
• Toiletries and other household essentials
• Pet products
• Baby Diapers, wet wipes, or non-food baby items
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Drugs or other health products