MERIDIAN, Idaho—Jacksons Food Stores Inc. and ExtraMile by Jacksons are now accepting Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for orders made through Instacart.
“We launched our partnership with Instacart in 2021 and are proud to expand our services to be even more accessible to our community,” said Cory Jackson, president of Jacksons Food Stores. “We recognize there are several reasons our customers may not be able to physically shop in our stores. Now, our customers have greater access to get what they need—eggs, milk, our freshly made sandwiches—delivered to their doorstep.”
Jacksons also offers EBT SNAP as a payments option in-store and is currently the only convenience retailer offering the option for Instacart delivery in the state of Idaho.
"At Instacart we are on a mission to create a world where everyone has access to nutritious food,” said Sarah Mastrorocco, vice president and general manager of Instacart Health. “By bolstering our partnership with Jacksons, we can better provide same-day access to essential groceries for Idahoans who may be facing food access challenges.”
SNAP helps 34,000 Idaho households put food on the table every day. Shoppers can add their EBT SNAP card as a form of payment by creating a profile using Instacart’s website or mobile app. Eligible items will be identified with an EBT label and include items such as pantry staples, fresh fruit, non-alcoholic beverages and more. Availability varies by store location.
Jacksons plans to expand this service in the Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington markets in the coming months.
Wesco, a Western Michigan-based c-store chain, began accepting SNAP payments in July for on-demand home delivery and curbside pickup at its 55 locations. 7-Eleven Hawaii also launched home delivery and curbside pickup for SNAP customers at its 65 locations across Oahu, the Big Island of Hawai’i, Kauai and Maui. Both companies have partnered with Vroom Delivery for the service.
Also in July, Instacart announced EBT SNAP payments can be used to buy groceries online in 10 additional states through its app. The states include Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Albertsons Companies and Sprouts Farmers Market are among the first to accept EBT SNAP online in these states.
Instacart also recently expanded EBT SNAP acceptance online with Meijer, Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets. With these moves, Instacart now accepts EBT SNAP payments at more than 60 retail banners spanning more than 8,000 stores.
Target began accepting SNAP payment for online orders through Shipt earlier this year. Walmart and Amazon have offered online payments with SNAP since 2019.
Amazon recently launched a new shopping portal called Amazon Access for shoppers using government assistance. Customers can find information on options like payment with SNAP EBT, Amazon Layaway and discounts and coupons on essential grocery items.
Within the portal, Amazon also offers Prime Access, which is Prime’s discounted membership program for qualifying government assistance recipients. Eligible customers in the U.S. who sign up for Prime Access get the benefits and perks of a Prime membership for $6.99 a month, compared to a standard membership price of $14.99 a month.