EBT provides a source of food via government assistance for people who would otherwise struggle to get it. So, if you’re someone on EBT and you’re considering getting food from Grubhub, you may wonder if you can use EBT to make a purchase.
So, does Grubhub accept EBT as a valid payment option? If you’d like to find out, keep reading to see what I discovered on this topic!
Does Grubhub Take EBT In [currentyear]?
Unfortunately, Grubhub does not accept EBT, as this company deals mainly with hot cooked foods, which the program doesn’t cover in [currentyear]. While there are some cold and uncooked food options on Grubhub, these are not the primary focus. At this time, you can pay on Grubhub with cash, Paypal, credit, debit, gift cards, Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Venmo.
Keep reading to learn all you need to know about EBT and Grubhub, including a closer look into possible reasons why it’s not available, where you can order food using EBT, and more!
Why Doesn’t Grubhub Take EBT?
Grubhub hasn’t provided an official reason for why it doesn’t take EBT, but we can assume it’s because the program has restrictions that make it difficult to use on the platform.
As of now, federal law says that EBT cannot be used to buy hot, cooked food.
So, considering the number of restaurants on Grubhub that offer this exact product, EBT doesn’t make sense for the platform.
There are some menu items you can order on Grubhub that coincide with EBT standards, but these aren’t popular enough for the company to sort out an individual payment method.
Therefore, Grubhub opted not to have EBT as a payment option.
Recently, there has been a national push under a program called Restaurant Meals to expand EBT and SNAP benefits to cover hot cooked food.
This is because many beneficiaries don’t have the means to cook or store food themselves.
Restaurant Meals is gaining traction and has been adopted in places like Arizona and California, but it isn’t widespread enough for Grubhub to adopt EBT.
Aside from cooked food, alcohol is also becoming a popular menu item on Grubhub, but it’s also explicitly ineligible for purchase using EBT.
What Payment Options Does Grubhub Accept?
Without EBT as an option, you can use one of the following payment methods on Grubhub:
- Cash
- Apple Pay
- Android Pay
- Venmo
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Electronic gift cards
- Paypal
There are several different ways to sell EBT for cash that you can then use to buy cooked food on Grubhub.
However, most restaurants don’t accept this form of payment because it’s harder to work with than the other electronic options.
Either way, we don’t recommend that you do this because it’s considered fraud and is illegal, and we’re only mentioning it for informational purposes.
What Food Delivery Apps Take EBT?
Most food delivery apps that are similar to Grubhub, like Uber Eats, Doordash, and Postmates, don’t take EBT.
This is because the most popular products on the app are cooked items, and these are ineligible under EBT and SNAP guidelines.
Under these guidelines, here’s what you can get with EBT:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Meat, fish, and poultry
- Breads
- Cereals
- Dairy products
- Seeds and plants that produce food
- Snacks
- Non-alcoholic beverages
We could use this information to look at other services that also deliver eligible food items. Using these criteria, here are the food delivery apps that take EBT:
- Instacart
- Amazon (includes Amazon Fresh but not Whole Foods)
- Walmart
- Publix
- Kroger
These retailers have online platforms where you can order groceries using EBT and have them delivered.
However, some of them accept EBT with some restrictions so you will need to look through their terms and conditions before getting started.
For example, Amazon accepts EBT online in every state except Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, and Louisiana.
Since EBT guidelines state that you can’t use it for “food that’s hot at the point of sale” you could buy things like frozen pizzas and cold sandwiches and then find a way to warm them.
You should also be aware that because EBT is specifically for food, it usually doesn’t cover delivery fees, so you should have a different way to pay for it.
How to Pay Online With EBT
You can pay online with EBT by adding it as a payment method on your preferred service just like you would a regular credit or debit card.
Navigate to the section that contains your payment details and methods and find the option to add a new one, and if EBT is accepted, there will be a button to add it.
You will be prompted to enter the name on the card and the card number at this point, so do so and then confirm.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Grubhub takes Apple Pay, if Grubhub takes cash, and does Grubhub markup prices.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, Grubhub does not take EBT because the program does not cover food that is meant to be hot when it’s sold. For this reason, most other food delivery apps like Postmates, Doordash, and Uber Eats also don’t take EBT.
However, since EBT is meant for things like snacks and groceries, you can use it for food delivery services like Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, and Publix. However, the EBT card will probably not cover delivery charges because it’s limited to paying for food items.
