Instacart Adds EBT SNAP Payment Option To Three More Merchants

Instacart is expanding its EBT SNAP payment integration to three more merchants — Publix, The Save Mart Companies and Price Chopper/Market 32 — bringing the total to 1,500-plus stores in 15 states.

“We recognize the opportunity we have to help make fresh food and pantry staples more accessible to communities by breaking down barriers to same-day grocery delivery and pickup,” Instacart President Nilam Ganenthiran said in a Thursday (April 29) press release.

Ganenthiran added that Instacart will continue to expand EBT SNAP payments across the country.

EBT SNAP is now available at all Publix locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The Save Mart Companies — Save Mart, Lucky California, Lucky and FoodMaxx — take EBT SNAP in California and Nevada.

Price Chopper/Market 32 now accepts EBT SNAP online in New York, and has expansion plans in the coming weeks to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

Blaine Bringhurst, executive vice president, merchandising, marketing and store operations for Price Chopper/Market 32, said the company is one of the first national grocery retailers to have the right digital technology for EBT SNAP payments online with Instacart.

EBT SNAP recipients will be able to shop using the Instacart website or app for same-day delivery or pickup from Save Mart, Publix, Lucky California, Lucky, FoodMaxx, Price Chopper/Market 32, Aldi and Food Lion.

Instacart first enabled EBT SNAP payments in collaboration with Aldi in October 2020. The integration was initially launched in Georgia at Aldi’s 60-plus stores. The plan was to expand to over 570 locations across California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Florida.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an increase in the number of online grocery platforms accepting EBT SNAP payments. Amazon announced in May 2020 that it was expanding its digital shopping SNAP pilot to 25 states. Walmart has had online EBT acceptance for over 12 months but said in April that it was working with the USDA on contactless EBT SNAP payments. FinTech Fiserv said that it was also participating in the USDA’s pilot program.