Does Sprouts Take EBT/SNAP/Food Stamps or WIC? Find Out Here
Are you shopping for groceries at Sprouts? EBT cards are a great way to pay at stores that accept them as a payment method. But, does Sprouts accept EBT cards?
This article answers the question “Does Sprouts take EBT?”, explains what items you can buy with an EBT card, covers WIC, TANF, and much more.
Answered: Does Sprouts Take EBT?
Yes, you can use your EBT card as a payment method at Sprouts.
It’s not surprising that shoppers can use their EBT benefits at Sprouts. 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 stores that accept EBT, you can use the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SNAP Retailer Locator tool.
Does Sprouts Take Food Stamps?
Yes, you can use your food stamps to pay for your groceries at Sprouts.
You will frequently hear EBT cards called food stamps, but they’re the same thing!
Does Sprouts Take SNAP?
Sprouts does take SNAP benefits. EBT and SNAP are the same programs.
Tip: Most eligible stores will either have EBT/SNAP advertised as a payment option on their websites, store doors, or at the checkout register. If in doubt, you can call or ask customer service.
What Is Sprouts?
Sprouts Farmers Market is an American supermarket chain that sells a wide variety of natural and organic food including fresh produce, bulk foods, general groceries, meat, seafood, deli, baked goods, dairy products, and frozen foods. They have 340 grocery stores, operate in 23 different states, and employ 35,000 people.
When you shop at Sprouts, you can be confident that the food you feed your family is free from harmful and fake ingredients. No more artificial food coloring, synthetic oils, and other unhealthy food additives. That’s because Sprouts has a strict list of prohibited ingredients. In addition, Sprouts’ beef, pork, chicken, and egg-laying hens are raised to Sprouts’ strict animal welfare standards.
Money-Saving Tip: If you want to save money and discover new products, check out your Sprouts location weekly ad, available online or through the Sprouts App. It’s filled with special deals, the latest items, and much more.
What Items Are Eligible with EBT?
You can purchase many delicious and healthy food items at Sprouts 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 items with EBT cards at Sprouts:
- Baby formula
- Baby foods
- Bread and bakery items
- All types of cereals
- Coffee
- Dairy products of all types such as milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Energy drinks that have nutrition facts labels
- Frozen dinners
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Meats
- Seafood
- 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 Sprouts 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:
- Vitamins and medicines
- Flowers and plants.
- Supplements
- Prepared hot foods (cafeteria type foods), including Sprouts’ rotisserie chickens.
- Pet food
- Household supplies
- Cosmetics
- Hygiene items
- Body care 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 Sprouts?
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!
If you need a refund on an item purchased at Sprouts using your EBT card, the money will be returned to your same card. Payments made using a debit card, electronic check, or cash will be refunded in cash.
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, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Card, debit card, cash, a Sprouts gift card or you can use their mobile payments options which include Apple Pay, Google’s Android Pay, and Samsung Pay.
Typically, your retailer will deduct the remaining EBT card balance, and then you can pay the difference. You will see both payments on your receipt.
If you need to check your EBT card balance, you can call the number listed on the back of the card or go to your state’s website.
Sprouts Grocery Delivery With EBT?
Want your Sprouts groceries delivered? Although Sprouts offers grocery delivery in partnership with the Instacart website for a fee, 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 besides Amazon gives you 15% off just for shopping with your EBT card. The most other companies offer are discounts on your first order only but with Amazon, you save with every order!
Sprouts Grocery Pickup
While Sprouts does offer curbside pickup at their stores for orders placed online, you can’t pay using an EBT card. If you want to pay for your groceries at Sprouts, you’ll need to shop inside the store instead.
TANF Cash Options
If you have the TANF cash benefit on your EBT card, you can withdraw cash from your card. Each store has its own cashback limit, so 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 Sprouts Accept WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)?
If you are eligible for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, you may be wondering, does Sprouts take WIC?
Unfortunately, Sprouts does not accept WIC. The company confirmed this in the reply below:
Hi there, great question! Sprouts accepts EBT and SNAP. However, we do not accept WIC, Travelers Checks, or Money Orders. Hope this helps. Have a healthy day!
— Sprouts (@sproutsfm) January 17, 2019
Why doesn’t Sprouts 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 to first want to apply to be allowed to take WIC and are then required to offer certain kinds of foods to be eligible.
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
- Beverages that are not 100% juice
- Imported cheese
- Cheese spreads
- Yogurts with candy
- Soups
- fruit-nut mixtures
It is important 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.
Sprouts Hours of Operation
Before you head out, you’ll want to know what your Sprouts’ hours are to avoid disappointment.
Sprouts Farmers Market locations are open to shoppers every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., excluding holidays.
They have reduced hours on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. Sprouts are closed on Easter and Christmas.
You can also use the Sprouts Store Locator tool to find your own store’s hours.
Sprouts Recipes
Are you at Sprouts and want to try something new? They have made it easy with their collection of recipes on their website. There are ideas for appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, salads, smoothies, soups, and desserts. If you’re following a specific diet plan they have recipes vegetarian, vegan, paleo, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
So whether you’re making a snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s something for everyone. There are also plenty of recipes that are kid and picky-eater-friendly!
A few examples of the recipes that you can make are:
- Amazing Apricot Chicken
- Ahi Poke Bowl
- 7 Layer Fiesta Dip
- Asian Edamame Falafel Waffle
- Avocado Kale Salad
- Anti-Inflammatory Papaya Smoothie
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Apricot Ginger Salmon with Rice Pilaf and Carrots
These are just some of the delicious creations you can make with Sprouts ingredients. Check their recipes out, make a shopping food list, and try something new tonight. They taste great and are healthy!
Final Thoughts
Sprouts is a great place to buy nutritious, healthy food at a great price for yourself and your family with your EBT card. They’re well known for their natural, organic foods that are free from artificial colors and synthetic food fillers. When you buy your family’s food from them, you can be confident that your family is eating only the highest quality food available.
If you want to shop at a fun grocery store with healthy, natural foods that accepts your EBT card, SNAP, or takes WIC, look no further than your local Sprouts store!