Costco is a popular wholesale retailer, which means that they sell products in bulk, essentially. This often brings the price of products down at a significant rate. The handling time and costs involved are decreased, which is why products can cost less money. Can these products be bought using EBT, or food stamps, though?
Yes, Costco does accept EBT cards. Costco follows state laws regarding the SNAP program. You can check with your state SNAP agency to see exactly what you can purchase at your Costco with EBT cards. You cannot use EBT cards to purchase ready-to-eat meals, food court items, vitamins ad medication, or tobacco or alcohol products.
We will talk a bit more about what exactly EBT and SNAP mean, and how this relates to Costco stores. If you are looking to learn about what may or may not be accepted with EBT at Costco, follow along.
Contents
- EBT vs SNAP
- When Did Costco Start Accepting EBT?
- What Can I Buy with EBT at Costco?
- What Can You Not Buy at Costco with EBT?
- Can I Enter My EBT Card Manually at Costco?
- Does Costco Take EBT Online?
- Does Costco Take EBT on Instacart?
- What Payment Methods Are Accepted at Costco?
- Do I Have to Be a Costco Member to Use My EBT Card?
- Can I Buy Gas at Costco with an EBT Card?
- Can I Return Items to Costco if I Paid with an EBT Card?
EBT vs SNAP
Differentiating between EBT and SNAP may get a bit confusing, so let’s break it down.
What is the difference between the two?
EBT is actually a part of the SNAP program, as opposed to the two acronyms being competing options.
EBT stands for electronic benefits transfer, and it is a system that works within the SNAP program.
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. SNAP members use their EBT cards as a way to use their SNAP benefits and easily pay for the food.
Basically, the EBT card works like a debit card where the money added is then debited to pay the store for food.
When Did Costco Start Accepting EBT?
Costco started accepting EBT back in 2009, to join many of its competitors like Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Food, and more.
This decision came during the recession, when there was an increase in the number of people getting EBT. The chain saw that it was in the best interest of the stores and their customers to accept food stamps.
At first, there seemed to be concern that the food stamp process would slow down check-out lines. However, since EBT cards are fashioned similar to credit and debit cards, this was quickly seen as a non-issue.
What Can I Buy with EBT at Costco?
Since Costco accepts EBT cards, that leads into the question of what can be purchased using these cards.
Costco adheres to state laws about what can be purchased using food stamps. This means that there is unfortunately not one list that we can share with you here.
However, you can contact your state agency to see what exactly will be valid for purchase with EBT cards at the Costco locations in your area.
Costco has a complete list of the contact information for SNAP agencies by state. This is who you would contact to ask about what your EBT card covers.
What Can You Not Buy at Costco with EBT?
It may be a bit difficult to list what products are eligible for SNAP benefits at Costco. I can, however, give you an idea of what may not be eligible for EBT card users to purchase.
Depending on certain states’ SNAP laws, you may not be able to buy the following from Costco locations:
- Ready-to-eat meals, those that are prepared for you to take home and eat immediately
- Deli items that have already been prepared, like sandwiches
- Food court items, as these are also ready-to-eat
- Household items like cleaning products or décor
- Pet food
- Vitamins and medications
- Tobacco products
- Alcohol products
Some of these are self-explanatory, as they may not be food products. However, for some of these ready-to-eat foods, this may come as a surprise.
As a reminder, you can contact your state SNAP agency to make sure of what you can or cannot purchase with your EBT card.
Can I Enter My EBT Card Manually at Costco?
If your EBT card is not swiping for any reason at Costco, you should be able to manually enter the number if needed.
This may require the assistance of a Costco employee if you are in self-checkout. If you are already being checked out by an associate, they should be able to easily enter your number for you.
On that note, you can absolutely use your EBT card in self-checkout if you’d prefer that others don’t know of your payment methods.
While this is nothing to be ashamed of, it is also understandable that you might not want to showcase your card.
Like any other card that is not working to swipe or tap, your number should be enough to put into Costco’s system.
Does Costco Take EBT Online?
Unfortunately, you cannot use your EBT card to buy groceries from Costco’s online store.
All warehouse locations do accept EBT cards. So, as long as there is a location near you, you’ve got some options.
However, I know that this might not be possible for everyone. There are other options, if you cannot get out of the house.
Does Costco Take EBT on Instacart?
This one is a bit more complex.
You can partially use EBT cards to pay for Costco food via Instacart.
Why is this?
You cannot use your EBT card to pay Instacart delivery or service fees. Really, this just means that you must have a secondary form of payment on file.
As long as you are able to work out those service fees, you can pay for your Costco food items with your EBT card. This part of the process is pretty similar as it would be in a warehouse location itself.
What Payment Methods Are Accepted at Costco?
Costco accepts a variety of payment methods, including:
- Most PIN-based debit cards
- All visa cards
- Costco shop cards
- Traveler’s checks
- EBT cards
- Mobile Payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)
- Business checks from Costco Business members
- Personal checks from Costco Members
- Cash
- All Visa cards
You can use quite a wide variety of payment methods if you are looking to combine your EBT card with another method. These options are accepted by all United States warehouse locations.
Do I Have to Be a Costco Member to Use My EBT Card?
You do have to be a Costco member to use your EBT card.
There is, however, a way around this requirement. If you have a friend or relative that you can go with, you may be able to have them use their membership with your card.
If you are not comfortable with this option, you can also have someone buy you a Costco shop card.
Since you can withdraw cash using your cash account on your EBT card at any ATM, this should be simple.
Can I Buy Gas at Costco with an EBT Card?
You cannot directly buy gas at Costco with an EBT card, but let’s not forget about your cash withdrawal option.
You can withdraw cash at an ATM from your EBT card and use that to buy your Costco gas.
Make sure to check your withdrawal limits in order to ensure that this is a worthwhile process.
Can I Return Items to Costco if I Paid with an EBT Card?
Luckily, this is a great aspect of Costco’s relationship with EBT cards.
The return policy for EBT cards is the exact same as the general return policy, thankfully.
If you are not fully satisfied with your purchased item or items, you can get a full refund. The money should be credited right back to your EBT card, in this case.
Cash refunds are not standard for EBT cards, so you should expect to see money back on your card itself.