SNAP Benefits: Do EBT Cards Work for Fuel Payments as Gas Prices Soar?

Individuals on a limited income may be trying to make ends meet as gas prices hit $4 a gallon in certain areas as we head into the weekend. You might even ask if your EBT card, formerly known as food stamps, can be used at a gas station.

You may be eligible to use EBT-Cash - but not EBT from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - for fuel and other gas station expenditures, depending on the government benefits you receive.

Can You Pay Gas Through EBT Cards?

EBT/food stamps and EBT-Cash cards are accepted at many gas stations in the United States. More than 50 gas stations around the country accept EBT, according to FoodStampsnow.com, including significant brands like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Cumberland Farms, Flying J, and Exxon Mobil.

You can use an EBT Cash card to fill up your car and buy almost anything in the shop, including personal hygiene goods and food if you use it at a place that accepts EBT. You won't be able to buy cigarettes, alcohol, vaping products, lottery tickets, scratch-offs, or anything else that youngsters under the age of 18 can't lawfully buy.

If your EBT card is only good for SNAP benefits, your shopping options will be much more constrained. You can't buy fuel, prepared convenience foods like pre-cooked hot dogs from a 7-Eleven petrol station, or foods to go like an ice cream cone from Cumberland Farms, in addition to the preceding "adult-only" products. Milk, bread, butter, and other routinely purchased goods are available at petrol stations and convenience stores, according to Go Banking Rates.

Food Stamps Available at Stop & Shop

Stop & Shop has announced that anyone in New York or New Jersey who uses SNAP can now pay for both pickup and delivery with an EBT card when ordering online. Online grocery consumers can now link their EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card to their StopandShop.com account and use their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) payments to purchase groceries.

SNAP customers can sort products to show eligible items while shopping online, and a "SNAP Eligible" badge will appear inside the product information. Customers can choose the "Apply SNAP Benefits" option and the amount to charge to their EBT card when checking out, allowing for personal financing throughout the month.

Customers with SNAP benefits in New York and New Jersey can use their benefits to purchase qualifying food and grocery goods for online orders; however, any items not eligible for SNAP, as well as fees, taxes, and driver tips must be paid with an alternate credit/debit card or bank account.

There is a $2.95 cost for Stop & Shop pickup orders. The grocer charges a delivery fee of $9.95 for orders under $100 and $6.95 for orders above $100 for items delivered, as per The Sun.

You May Receive Maximum SNAP Benefits in March!

This month, New Yorkers have access to an additional $232 million in food aid. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced this on March 10 when she stated that all households registered in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will get the maximum amount of food benefits for March.

This month, all SNAP households will get a supplemental allocation, including those who are currently receiving the maximum amount of assistance.

The emergency aid boost, according to Governor Hochul, will be granted to households that do not normally receive the maximum permitted benefit each month. Those households who are already close to or at the maximum benefit level, however, will get a $95. supplementary payment, WROC Rochester via MSN reported.