Walmart Expands EBT Grocery Card Acceptance Online

Walmart will now accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to pay for online grocery orders at all of its pickup locations, according to a report.

Walmart started testing the program in 2017. On Tuesday (June 25), the retailer announced it was expanding the program to all of its more than 2,500 pickup locations.

Placing an order with SNAP is just like ordering with a debit or credit card. A customer enters their zip code on the ordering site to find the closest store, and then at checkout they simply pick the EBT card option for payment. When the customer gets to the store, they give their EBT card to a store associate.

Walmart has been adamant about the need to cater to low-income customers, saying that online shopping is not a luxury. The retailer aims to eventually expand the SNAP option to more than 3,100 stores by the end of 2019.

In April, Walmart announced it was participating in a USDA pilot program to test SNAP payment acceptance on stores’ websites. Amazon, Dash’s Market, Safeway and others also participated. Walmart is also running a pilot to charge a subscription fee for grocery delivery, at $98.

In other Walmart news, the company recently said it was planning to use self-driving cars to transport products between warehouses in hopes of slashing costs and boosting efficiency. Spokeswoman Molly Blakeman told CNBC the retailer is working with partner Gatik, a self-driving vehicle startup, to test a vehicle that will travel the two-mile route in Bentonville, Arkansas between two stores.

“We are working with city and state officials to obtain the approval we need to operate and plan to start the pilot program this summer, with the aim being to learn about the logistics of adding AVs into our ecosystem, operation and process changes, and more opportunities to incorporate this emerging technology,” Blakeman explained.