Instacart, the nation’s largest grocery delivery service, introduced a year ago Electronic Benefits Transfer and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) payments integration for its grocery partners. And since then, the company has continued to expand this offering. As of September 2021, 21.39 million households around the nation were using SNAP benefits according to USDA data.
Instacart is the first and only platform to have pioneered the retailer onboarding process with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food & Nutrition Service (USDA FNS), accelerating retailers’ abilities to certify for EBT SNAP online acceptance. As a result, more than half of all federally-approved retailers have received their EBT SNAP online certification for their stores on the Instacart platform and can reach more than 25 million people experiencing food insecurity across the U.S.
Instacart has introduced a number of new offerings to expand the EBT SNAP online payments footprint:
- Subsidizing Costs with Free Delivery and Pickup: Doubling down on its commitment to increasing access to food, Instacart is waiving the delivery and pickup fees on all EBT SNAP orders from January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022 for customers using a valid EBT card associated with their Instacart account in connection with their purchase. This new promotion follows Instacart’s offer of free delivery or pickup on the first three EBT SNAP customer orders for the past year.
- Convenience Delivery for EBT SNAP: In addition to partnering with traditional grocers, Instacart is now also enabling a number of its retailers to accept EBT SNAP payments through its virtual convenience offering. Whether fresh produce, pantry staples or last-minute dinner ingredients, convenience delivery offers customers an easier and faster way to shop from their favorite grocers in as fast as 30 minutes. EBT SNAP convenience delivery is available in partnership with Ahold Delhaize USA banners: Food Lion Now, GIANT Instant Delivery, Giant Food Convenience, Hannaford Now, MARTIN’s Instant Delivery and Stop & Shop Express – all of which can be found within the Convenience Hub on the Instacart marketplace.
- Expanding Availability with New Retailers: Since launching EBT SNAP payments in partnership with ALDI in November 2020, Instacart has expanded its EBT SNAP footprint to include more than 40 retailers across more than 5,600 stores in 39 states and Washington, DC. Over the last year, Instacart has continued to partner with an extensive roster of retailers that accept EBT SNAP, which now includes Ahold Delhaize USA, Brookshire’s, Earth Fare, Fairplay Foods, Food Bazaar, Harps Foods, Homeland, Little Giant Farmer’s Market, My County Market, PAQ, Inc. (Food 4 Less California and Rancho San Miguel), Price Chopper/Market 32, Publix, The Save Mart Companies, Schnucks, Strack & Van Til, Tops Markets, Wakefern Food Corp., Woodman’s Markets and more.
- Instacart Enterprise Integration: In addition to growing EBT SNAP across the marketplace, Instacart has enabled EBT SNAP payments across its enterprise solutions in partnership with BJ’s Wholesale Club, Brookshire’s, Food Bazaar, Food Lion, Harps Food Stores, Homeland, Publix, The Save Mart Companies, Schnucks, Strack & Van Til, Tops Markets and Wakefern Food Corp. By enabling the payments integration across retailers’ web and mobile platforms – including retailer-owned websites and apps – that are powered by Instacart’s enterprise technology, EBT SNAP customers now have even more options when accessing fresh food and pantry staples from grocers they know and trust.
