Texas grocer H-E-B has begun accepting electronic benefits transfer (EBT) payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for online grocery orders.
With the move, customers can now use SNAP EBT to pay for H-E-B Curbside and Home Delivery orders directly on the My H-E-B mobile app and at HEB.com. San Antonio-based H-E-B said the contactless capability is available at all curbside and delivery store locations.
“This has been one of the most important initiatives that our team has worked on, and we are excited to be able to offer this convenience and service to all of our customers,” Esther Castelo, vice president of H-E-B digital commerce operations, said in a statement.
To use the service, customers first must create an account on the My H-E-B app or at the H-E-B websites. At sign-up, they enter their SNAP EBT and other payment information to complete their registration and then begin placing orders. When ready to check out, users selected SNAP EBT as the payment method and enter their PIN. H-E-B noted that SNAP customers must use a credit, debit or gift card to pay for items and fees not eligible for SNAP EBT.
SNAP participants can look up their EBT card balance in the My H-E-B app and at HEB.com, the retailer said. Customers, too, have access to a filter function when shopping to see only SNAP-eligible items in product searches. The online shopping cart also will indicate to customers which items are SNAP-eligible and which ones are not.
H-E-B said the new capability continues its expansion of SNAP EBT service, which the company rolled out as a pilot to selected locations in late May.
Currently, H-E-B has more than 230 stores offering curbside pickup (same-day and next-day), and the grocer said it expects to have over 250 stores with the service by the end of next year. Most of those locations also will offer home delivery, the company added. Curbside pickup orders, in which groceries are loaded into customers’ vehicles, carry a $4.95 fee, while home delivery costs $5. Curbside and delivery orders can be placed up to seven days in advance.
Under the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in April 2019, 46 states and the District of Columbia now allow SNAP beneficiaries to shop and pay for groceries online. Participating retailers include Walmart, Amazon, Aldi, ShopRite and H-E-B, among others.
