Does HMart Take EBT, SNAP, Food Stamps, or WIC? Find Out Here

Are you shopping for groceries at HMart? EBT cards are a great way to pay at stores that accept them as a payment method. But does HMart accept EBT cards?

This article answers the question “Does HMart take EBT?”, explains what items you can buy with an EBT card, covers WIC, TANF, and much more.

Does HMart Take EBT?

Yes, you can use your EBT card as a payment method inside HMart. EBT cards are not, however, accepted on their website, HMart.com

HMart has made finding out whether they take Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards needlessly confusing. That’s because one of the top Google search results you see when you ask this question is on HMart.com, stating that HMart.com does not take food stamps. While it’s true that the HMart.com online store does not take them, the physical HMart stores do accept food stamps/EBT. If an HMart employee is reading this – fix this! You’ve had this problem for years now, and it needlessly costs you customers and sales.

It’s not surprising that you can use your EBT benefits at HMart. That’s because EBT cards receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Because SNAP is a nationwide and federal program, all major grocery stores must accept EBT payments at their stores.

Tip: To find other EBT store locations, you can use the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SNAP Retailer Locator tool.

Does HMart Take Food Stamps?

Yes, you can use your food stamps to buy groceries at HMart locations. You will frequently hear EBT cards called food stamps, but they’re the same thing!

Does HMart Take SNAP?

HMart grocery stores do take SNAP benefits. EBT and SNAP are the same programs that the United States Department of Agriculture runs in partnership with your state’s appropriate government agency.

Tip: Most eligible supermarkets will either have EBT/SNAP advertised as a payment option on their websites, store doors, or at the checkout register’s point of sale machine. If in doubt, you can call or ask customer service.

What Is HMart?

HMart is a Korean-American supermarket chain that offers the best of both worlds: a fully stocked Asian grocery store that also carries a wide range of Western groceries. They sell the freshest veggies, beautiful fruits, general groceries, package goods, meat, a wide selection of seafood, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, and condiments. Besides groceries, most HMarts also have a restaurant, food hall, and sometimes even bakery stalls. They have 84 grocery store locations, operate in 14 different states, and employ 2,500 people.

HMart has grocery store locations in Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

If you’ve never been to HMart, you should check it out. Although they’re best known as a Korean or an Asian store, I like them best for their high-quality fruits and vegetable section, many of which no other local store stocks. We stock up on kimchi, high-quality fruits, vegetables you can’t find anywhere else, and Melona ice cream bars whenever we shop there. We always have a full fridge and pantry after shopping at HMart, plus it’s fun to discover what’s new in the aisles.

Money-Saving Tip: If you want to save money and discover new products, check out your HMart location weekly ad. It’s filled with special deals, the latest items, and much more. Each ad is available in English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese to best serve their shoppers.

EBT Food List: What Eligible Items Can I Buy?

You can purchase many delicious and healthy food items at HMart with your EBT card, like fresh vegetables and fruits, meats, fish, snacks, and bread!

What are EBT eligible food items? Here are some of the most frequently purchased grocery items with EBT cards at HMart:

• Baby formula
• Baby foods
• Bread and bakery items
• Fresh produce
• Cereal
• All types of cereals
• Coffee
• Fresh, perishable goods
• Dairy products of all types such as milk, yogurt, and cheese.
• Energy drinks that have nutrition facts labels
• Frozen dinners
• Fruits
• Kimchi
• Vegetables
• Meats
• Seafood
• Dried seaweed
• Poultry
• Protein bars, as long as it has a nutritional label on it.

What Items Are Ineligible with EBT?

Even though you can purchase a great majority of the foods available at your HMart Farmers Market with your EBT card, there are some restrictions on what you can buy, such as alcohol or tobacco products.

Here are items that are not able to be purchased with your EBT card:

• Diapers
• Vitamins and medicines
• Flowers and plants.
• Supplements
• Prepared hot foods (cafeteria type foods)
• Pet food
• Household supplies
• Cosmetics
• Hygiene items
• Beer, Wine, and other alcoholic drinks

You can visit the USDA website for a full list of what you can and cannot purchase.

How To Use My EBT Card Benefits At HMart?

Your EBT card works just like a credit or debit card would at the cash register. When you are ready to pay for your items, slide your card into the credit card machine and enter your PIN number. That’s it!

Low Balance On My EBT Card?

If you don’t have enough money on your EBT card to pay for all of your items, you can pay for the rest with a different form of payment, such as a credit card, debit card, or cash. Typically, your retailer will deduct the remaining EBT food stamp balance, and then you can pay the difference.

If you need to check your EBT card balance, you can call the phone number listed on the back of the card or go to your state’s website.

HMart Delivery With EBT?

Want to use HMart grocery delivery with your EBT card? Although HMart.com offers online grocery shopping and grocery delivery, you can’t use your EBT card to pay.

If you want to use your EBT benefits for grocery delivery, you’ll need to use a different grocery delivery service. We recommend using Amazon’s EBT grocery delivery service. Just click the link and sign up today. Why? It’s simple, fast, and EBT cardholders receive an extra 15% off! No other grocery delivery service gives you 15% off just for shopping with your EBT card.

TANF Cash Options

If you have the TANF cash benefit on your EBT card, you can withdraw cash from your card using the debit machine. Each store has its own cashback limit, so we recommend you contact the store or ask your cashier what that limit is first.

If needed, you can use the cash from your card to purchase other items that are ineligible with the regular EBT card, such as prepared hot food, clothing, transportation, and more! It’s similar to having a cash debit card.

Does HMart Accept WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)?

If you are eligible for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, you may be wondering, does HMart take WIC?

The answer is no; HMart does not accept WIC.

Why doesn’t HMart take WIC? It’s because they are not approved for the WIC program. So if you have WIC benefits, you will need to use them at a grocery store that accepts them.

In general, grocery stores have first to apply to take WIC and are then required to offer certain foods to be eligible. If you want to use your WIC benefits, it’s always important to check if the store accepts WIC before shopping there. From time to time, stores that used to take WIC no longer do, so verify that they still accept it if you haven’t shopped there in a while.

Eligible Items With WIC

• Cereals
• Eggs
• Fruits and vegetables (frozen, fresh, dried, or canned)
• Milk
• Oatmeal
• Peanut butter
• Yogurt
• Whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat pasta
• Infant food and formula

Ineligible Items With WIC

• Sodas
• Diapers
• Beverages that are not 100% juice
• Imported cheese
• Cheese spreads
• Yogurts with candy
• Soups
• fruit-nut mixtures

It is essential to review what you can and cannot purchase with your WIC or food stamp benefits. For example, you can buy dairy foods, but there are certain restrictions on what type of products you can buy.

For example, you can purchase some yogurts, but you can’t buy ones with artificial sweeteners, candy, granola, nuts, or single-serve containers. It’s a little complicated, so read your state’s guide to WIC benefits before checking out at a grocery store.

HMart Recipes

Are you at HMart and want to try a new Korean dish? Perhaps you want to try Korean cuisine at home for the first time, and you don’t know where to start. They have made it easy with their collection of recipes on their website. There are ideas for appetizers, main dishes, noodles, snacks, soups, stews, and desserts.

So whether you’re making a snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s something for everyone to try!

A few examples of the recipes that you can make are:

• Easy Dukgalbi (Korean Beef Patties)
• Chicken Dukboki
• Spicy Pork Rice Burger
• Vegan Soft Tofu Jjigae

These are just some of the different recipes you can make using HMart ingredients. Check their recipes out, make a shopping food list, and try something new tonight. They taste great and are healthy!

Frequently Asked HMart Questions

People often have specific questions about HMart. Here are some of the most common questions people ask when considering using EBT at an HMart grocery store.

Does HMart Deliver?

Yes, HMart offers delivery for orders placed online through HMart.com using ground shipping. Refrigerated foods will only ship to Connecticut, Washington D.C., Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

If you live in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, or North Jersey, there is a separate delivery option called HMart Fresh. Orders placed before 10:00 a.m. will be delivered the next day (Monday – Saturday). It’s a fast, convenient online grocery delivery service.

Does HMart Sell Soju?

Yes, HMart sells soju in states with alcohol licensing laws that allow grocery stores to sell liquor.

In some states where grocery stores can’t sell spirits, there will be a Korean liquor store adjacent to HMart that stocks soju.

Is HMart Open On Thanksgiving?

No, HMart is closed on Thanksgiving.

Besides Thanksgiving, HMart is also closed on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.

Does HMart Sell Bubble Tea?

Yes, HMart sells bubble tea in their beverage section. They also sell an instant bubble tea mix called “Instant Boba Pack” which makes four drinks. You can find it in the freezer section near the ice cream.

Does HMart Sell Tapioca Pearls?

Yes, HMart sells tapioca pearls. They also carry an instant bubble tea mix in the ice cream section if you’re using them to make Bubble Tea.

Accepted Payment Methods 

HMart accepts the following payment methods in their grocery stores:

• Visa credit and debit cards
• Mastercard credit and debit cards
• Discover cards
• American Express cards
• Most ATM cards
• EBT Cards
• Checks
• Cash

HMart.com accepts these payment methods for online orders:

• Visa credit, debit cards, and any card with a Visa logo
• Mastercard credit and debit cards
• Discover cards
• American Express cards
• ATM/Debit/Check cards
• PayPal

Final Thoughts

HMart is a great place to buy nutritious, healthy food at an excellent price for yourself and your family with your EBT card. They’re well known for their well-stocked Asian grocery store and have high-quality fruits, vegetables, and seafood that you won’t find anywhere else.

If you want to shop at a great Asian grocery store that accepts your EBT card, SNAP, or takes WIC, look no further than your local HMart store!