Does Walmart Take EBT?

Yes, Walmart accepts EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as food stamps. 

Walmart appears on the SNAP Retail Locator, which finds locations near you that accept EBT. Locations can be found by city and state or zip code. 

For those who qualify, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) deposits funds onto the same EBT card as SNAP benefits, and TANF funds can be used like cash, to be spent on necessities such as food, rent, medical bills, transportation, or child care.

Walmart is a nationwide retail store that sells a wide variety of products. Products may be purchased in-store or online. Please proceed to read the rest of this article to fully understand the details of shopping at Walmart with EBT.

What Can You Buy With EBT at Walmart?

The Walmart items that may be purchased with EBT include any grocery items such as dairy, produce, meat, cold deli items, frozen food, bakery items, snacks, food-producing seeds, and non-alcoholic beverages.

What Can You NOT Buy With EBT at Walmart?

According to this government website, products such as hot foods, alcohol, tobacco products, non-food items, vitamins, medicines, and supplements may not be purchased on EBT. Walmart items that may not be purchased with EBT include hot deli items, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, pharmacy items, home goods, supplements, pet supplies, apparel, auto supplies, personal care items, and baby items. These items can be purchased with TANF funds, however.

How to Use an EBT Card at Walmart 

1. Check Your Balance:  Before going to Walmart, check your balance on your EBT account to make sure you know your spending limit. You can check your balance by calling the number on the back of your card and following the prompts on the call.
2. Separate Items:  In order to avoid charging items that are not eligible on your EBT card on accident, it’s best to separate EBT eligible items and regular items before checkout. It is a good idea to present the EBT eligible items to the cashier first and pay first using your EBT card. The cashier will then tell you your total for the non-EBT items, and you would pay for them another way such as TANF funds, credit card, debit card, cash, check, or Walmart gift card.
3. Swipe your EBT card and enter your PIN. Alternatively, you may need to hand the card to the cashier.
4. Take your receipt. Your current EBT balance is on the receipt. 

What is the Walmart Return Policy for Items Purchased With EBT?

According to this federal law, all SNAP recipients must be treated like any other customer. It says that “you may return or refund an item bought with a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, so long as store policy allows it. 

All refunds for food items that you purchased with SNAP benefits go directly onto your EBT card. Cash refunds are not allowed for food items purchased with SNAP benefits under any circumstances.”

Walmart has an extensive corporate return policy. The majority of products can be returned or exchanged within 90 days of purchase with a receipt. If you do not have a receipt, Walmart can look up your in-store purchase by the debit/credit card used for the purchase or by your email or phone number for online purchases. Items without a receipt can be exchanged with another item.

There are some exceptions to this policy. For example, some items are returnable in less than 90 days of purchase, some items are exchange-only, and some items are not returnable. Please see the corporate return policy for full details. Please also see the standard return policy for further details. 

Most items purchased online may be returned within 30 days of purchase. You may bring the item into a Walmart store or ship it back. Below are the instructions.

“Bring it in:

Begin your return in the Walmart app or at Walmart.com. Select the items you’d like to return & a reason for the return. Choose ‘Return to store’ to get a return barcode. Review the return refund summary & submit your return. Bring the email confirmation with you to the store along with your item.

Ship it back:

View your order history in the Walmart app or at Walmart.com. Select each item you’d like to return & select ‘Return by mail’ to print your return label. Package the item(s) along with all original packaging & accessories, then drop it off at USPS or FedEx locations.”

Please see the online return policy for further details. 

What Walmart Locations Accept EBT?

All Walmart locations accept EBT. You may find a Walmart location here. Walmart is located in all 50 states.

EBT Card FAQ at Walmart