Wegmans Food Markets and Instacart announced that they now accept Electronic Benefits Transfer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments for purchases made at Wegmans via the Instacart website and mobile app, across the retailer's 106 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, and North Carolina.
With this launch, Wegmans is making same-day delivery and pickup available to more customers. Wegmans and Instacart partnered to gain approval from the USDA to accept EBT SNAP payments.
The launch follows Instacart and Wegmans' initial same-day delivery partnership that began in 2017. With the addition of Wegmans, Instacart now powers EBT SNAP payments for more than 60 retailers across 39 states and Washington, D.C., spanning more than 7,000 stores nationwide.
"The introduction of EBT SNAP payments for online orders increases accessibility to our wide selection of groceries, including fresh, wholesome, and packaged foods, throughout our communities. This is incredibly important for our customers and our company, as we strive to help people live healthier, better lives through food," said Erica Tickle, vice president of ecommerce at Wegmans, in a statement. "Offering EBT SNAP payments through the Instacart website and mobile app is a great first step, and we look forward to expanding this capability to Wegmans.com and our mobile app later this year.”
Where available, EBT SNAP participants are able to shop from Wegmans via the Instacart website and mobile app. Once an Instacart customer profile is created, customers can enter their EBT food card information as a form of payment in their profile. Customers will need a secondary form of payment for non-food items, such as taxes, tips, and fees per federal SNAP guidelines.
Customers can then enter their zip code to determine if they are near a Wegmans store, and begin shopping and selecting items from the retailer's EBT-eligible products.
"At Instacart, our mission is to provide people greater access to fresh food. Today, we're proud to expand our partnership with Wegmans and provide East Coast families a more convenient, accessible way to access nutritious food and pantry staples," said Sarah Mastrorocco, vice president of access to food and nutrition at Instacart, in a statement. "Online grocery shouldn't just be a luxury, and to get there, we need to ensure delivery and pickup are affordable for everyone. We're thrilled to provide households that rely on EBT SNAP benefits with more access to Wegmans' quality produce and expansive selection across the East Coast.”
Related: Albertsons Expands Access to Fresh Food; Little Giant, Instacart Launch EBT SNAP Partnership.