Does Albertsons Take EBT? (All You Need To Know)

Albertsons is a large grocery store chain operating in thirty-five states in the US and several locations in Canada. Customers with access to an EBT (ELectronics Benefit Transfer) card will be curious to know if Albertsons accept this form of payment.

An EBT card allows people on food assistance to shop using their magnetically encoded payment card for certain select grocery items. Here is what I found out about EBT cards and Albertsons grocery stores!

Does Albertsons Take EBT In [currentyear]?

Albertsons accepts EBT as payment for eligible items purchased in-store from its numerous grocery stores as of [currentyear]. However, not every state accepts EBT as payment for online grocery orders, so check with your local EBT office for this critical information. Of course, you can only buy EBT-approved items, like vegetables and cereal, with EBT at Albertsons.

If you want to know more about Albertsons and its policy on using EBT cards to purchase groceries, keep reading to find out more!

Does Albertsons Take EBT On Instacart?

At this time, it does not look like Albertson’s and Instacart partner together to allow customers to shop with EBT or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

However, Instacart does accept EBT payment but not to every major grocery store. With that, the list of participating stores that do take EBT for an Instacart order includes the following:

  • Aldi
  • Food Lion
  • Publix
  • Stop & Shop
  • Other smaller store brands

Fortunately, Instacart does plan to expand this model to other stores. In the meantime, shoppers who want to pay using EBT for grocery delivery from Albertsons need to be patient.

Will Albertsons Allow EBT For Payment On Pickup Orders?

At this time, shoppers who wish to pay with EBT for a grocery pickup order can do so in several Albertsons store locations. However, not all sites will accept EBT for pickup orders yet.

With that, the following states contain Albertsons stores that accept EBT for grocery pickup orders:

  • California
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • Washington
  • Wyoming

In California, at least eight store locations accept EBT for grocery pickup orders, and Idaho has nine stores.

By contrast, Montana only has one Albertsons store that takes EBT for pickup orders, as does Wyoming. Colorado has just two such stores that accept EBT for pickup orders.

That said, all of the remaining states listed above have between two and four stores that accept EBT for grocery pickup.

As previously mentioned, every state has different rules and regulations regarding EBT.

Thus, if you are unsure if your local Albertsons accepts EBT, the best way to find out is to contact that store directly.

Can I Buy Non-Approved EBT Items In A Grocery Pickup Order?

Can I Buy Non-Approved EBT Items In A Grocery Pickup Order?

Yes, you can certainly buy non-approved EBT items with a grocery pickup order.

However, any groceries purchased with an Electronic Benefits Transfer card must fit within the guidelines of approved SNAP foods.

For example, approved items include the following:

  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Meat (including poultry and seafood)
  • Dairy products such as milk
  • Cereal and bread products
  • Snack foods and non-alcoholic drinks
  • Seeds and plants for gardening and growing food for the household

If you are unsure if an item is SNAP-eligible, there are ways to find out from local agencies.

So, any items purchased in a grocery pickup order and paid for with EBT must fit within the approved guidelines.

Having said that, if someone wants to buy non-EBT approved groceries from Albertsons, they are more than welcome to.

However, they simply need to select a separate payment method for those items.

To summarize, anyone wanting to purchase some non-approved EBT grocery store items when making a grocery pickup order online will need to select a different payment method for the non-approved part of their order.

What Other Grocery Stores Accept EBT As Payment?

Many other grocery stores accept EBT as payment. That said, here is a list of several of these stores, but keep in mind that this is not necessarily an exhaustive list.

Also, sister brands of Albertsons, such as Safeway, were left off of the list since they have the same policy.

  • Aldi
  • Bi-Lo
  • Costco
  • Food City
  • Food Lion
  • Fred Meyer
  • Fresh Market
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Harris Teeter
  • HEB
  • Kroger
  • Piggly Wiggly
  • And many more

Finally, be aware that if you’re unsure whether a store takes EBT as payment, it never hurts to ask.

If you are looking to learn more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Albertsons takes Apple Pay, if Albertsons takes American Express, and if Albertsons takes Google Pay & Samsung Pay.

Conclusion

Albertsons is one of the largest grocery store chains in the US and does take EBT as payment in its stores.

However, as with any EBT-related purchase, there are specific guidelines and regulations, so be aware of what they are in your area.

In addition, not every store has the same services, as some may not accept EBT for certain services such as online grocery orders.

All in all, though, Albertson’s does show itself to be a leader in the grocery store sphere when it comes to allowing EBT use for in-store and online purchases.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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