The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also commonly referred to as food stamps, pays monthly benefits to low- and no-income households to help them buy groceries. Money is loaded onto prepaid electronic benefit transfer cards that recipients can use in stores nationwide.
SNAP payments are issued to millions of Americans every year. Payments are administered by state authorities, but the program is overseen by the Department of Agriculture. According to the Pew Research Center, in the 2022 fiscal year, 41.2 million people in 21.6 million households received monthly SNAP benefits.
The benefit amount a person receives is determined by their household size and income, with a family of four eligible to receive up to a maximum of $973 per month—though this can vary.
Where Can I Use SNAP Benefits?
SNAP EBT cards can be used at almost 250,000 retailers throughout America, including well-known chains and some independent stores. Although an official list of all participating retailers is not readily available from the Department of Agriculture, the National Council on Aging has reported that these major retail stores accept SNAP benefits:
- Albertsons
- Aldi
- Big Y Foods
- BJ's Wholesale Club
- Costco
- City Market
- Family Food Stores
- Foodland
- Food Lion
- Friendly Foods
- Harris Teeter
- H-E-B
- Hy-Vee
- Hometown Foods
- Jubilee Foods
- Kroger
- Market Basket
- Piggly Wiggly
- Publix
- Safeway
- Sam's Club
- Schwan's Fine Food
- Sprouts
- Save A Lot
- Shop 'n Save
- ShopRite
- Stop & Shop
- Trader Joe's
- Target
- Walmart
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Agriculture via email for an expanded list of retailers.
If you need to find a specific store that accepts SNAP benefits near you, you can use the Department of Agriculture's SNAP Retailer Locator tool. Authorized retailers usually display the Quest logo, but if you are uncertain whether a store accepts SNAP benefits, you should ask a member of staff to clarify.
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SNAP benefits can be spent only on eligible food and drink items. They cannot be used to purchase other items that may be available at superstores such as Walmart and Target. Eligible items include these:
- Breads and cereals
- Desserts
- Drinking water
- Dairy products
- Fruit and vegetables
- Meat, poultry and fish
- Nonalcoholic beverages
- Snack foods
- Spices, condiments and sweeteners
- Seeds and plants to grow your own food
SNAP payments cannot be used to buy some items you usually find in a grocery store, including preprepared hot food, alcohol, tobacco products, vitamins and supplements, pet food, and cleaning products.
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The Food and Nutrition Service recently announced changes that may affect SNAP claimants. The FNS updated the list of foods recipients can buy with their EBT cards. It also announced changes to working requirements and time limits.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
