Family Dollar is a famous American variety store chain with stores across the United States of America (except for Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii). Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, famously referred to as food stamps are helping millions of customers across the United States of America to get access to nutritious and healthy food every month. In this article, we will discuss whether Family Dollar accepts EBT cards as a method of payment at their stores across the United States.
EBT at Family Dollar
According to 2022 data, Family Dollar stores allow customers to use EBT cards to pay for their SNAP-eligible food items. Customers will discover a wide range of food items and drinks that come under the SNAP-eligible category at different Family Dollar branches across the United States. However, customers should remember that they can purchase only a certain kind of item with their EBT cards. For a simpler understanding, EBT cards are used exactly like debit cards are while a customer is shopping.
Apart from Family Dollar stores, several other gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience stores accept payments made through EBT cards. Below, we have mentioned the SNAP-eligible products that customers can find at their nearest Family Dollar stores
-Bacon
-Snack foods
-Dairy products
-Canned Pasta
-Frozen entrees
-Hot dogs
As already mentioned above, customers cannot buy every food and drink product through their EBT cards. Thus, when it comes to shopping at a Family Dollar store with an EBT card, customers can only buy the below-mentioned food items:
-Vegetables
-Frozen foods
-Cereal
-Seeds and plants that are meant to be used for producing household foods
-Meat
-Dairy products
-Fruit
-Bread
-Snacks
– Non-alcoholic beverages
For a broader understanding, food items that bear the Nutrition Facts label or Nutrition Information on them are eligible for SNAP, and thus, are also eligible to be paid for via EBT cards.
Here, customers are again reminded that classified supplements (which bear a Supplemental Facts Label on them) are not a part of SNAP. Thus, customers cannot use their EBT cards to pay for these products.
Apart from supplements, customers cannot use their EBT cards for the below-mentioned products:
-Vitamins, medicines, and supplements (as mentioned above)
-Liquor
-Pet Suppliers
-Foods that are required to be consumed immediately outside the house
-Cigarettes
-Household supplies (cleaners, etc.)
-Hot prepared foods
-Tobacco
-Beer
-Wine
-Energy drinks
Often, customers are confused as to what prepared food products come under SNAP. Even though customers cannot buy hot prepared with their EBT cards, they can still purchase some deli items.
Below, we have mentioned the deli items that customers can purchase with their EBT cards:
-Salads
-Regular sandwiches
-Cold rotisserie chicken
-Sliced deli meat
Conclusion
EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards provide millions of Americans with the financial aid they need to purchase their monthly groceries. Through an EBT card, customers are assured that they will have access to the nutritious and healthy food items that are available in the market.
Discount stores like Family Dollar also accept payments made through EBT cards. But customers should remember that they cannot buy all food and drink products through their EBT cards. They can only buy SNAP-eligible products through their EBT cards.
There is no separate way of using an EBT card. Customers can use them like debit cards while they are paying for their groceries/other shopped items.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) Who sets the limits on SNAP-eligible items?
Limits on SNAP-eligible items are set by SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) itself. Retailers do not have the right to impose limitations on SNAP-eligible items.
2) How can customers pay using EBT cards at a Family Dollar store?
Customers will receive their EBT card via mail once they have signed up for benefits under the SNAP program. Once they have received the cards, their monthly benefits will be added to their cards automatically. Customers must make sure that if they are using their EBT card for the first time, they must create a PIN before they can use it to pay for their items.
Once a PIN is created, customers can use their EBT cards at the nearest Family Dollar store and pay for their items like any other debit card they would’ve used. To pay for their items, customers must simply swipe their EBT cards in the card reader and enter the pin when asked for. Customers must make sure that if they have items that are not SNAP-eligible in their check-out cart, they must check them out separately and use a different payment method to pay for them.
3) Can customers use their EBT cards to shop online at Family Dollar?
No. Unfortunately, customers cannot use their EBT cards to pay for their online purchases at Family Dollar. Customers can only use their credit or debit cards, PayPal, and PayPal Credit to initiate and complete online purchases at Family Dollar.
To gather more information regarding this aspect, customers can visit the Family Dollar store website online.
4) Do Family Dollar stores accept checks?
Yes, almost all Family Dollar branches accept preprinted personal checks from the local trade area for purchase with proper identification. Customers should remember that Family Dollar stores don’t accept checks for purchases made online. All checks are subjected to bank verification.
