Accept SNAP EBT Payments Online

Join the SNAP Online Pilot and Partner With Cardknox!

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What is SNAP?

SNAP is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Also known as food stamps, SNAP is the largest federal nutrition program that provides eligible individuals and families with financial assistance towards food purchases.

Since 2002, SNAP benefit holders have been making payments in-store with Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards that can be swiped at the checkout counter. In response to the growth of e-commerce, though, and particularly online grocery ordering, the USDA launched its Online Ordering Pilot for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 2019. This two-year program was rolled out so that SNAP cardholders could begin using their SNAP EBT card when buying groceries from SNAP-certified online retailers.

Now’s the Perfect Time to Join the SNAP Online Ordering Pilot

Since the USDA rolled out its Online Ordering Pilot, not only has online grocery ordering surged in popularity due to COVID-19, but the federal government has also drastically increased its funding of SNAP in order to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s widely expected that even after the pandemic subsides and customers feel safer returning to stores, they will continue to appreciate the convenience of online grocery ordering. Joining the SNAP Online Ordering Pilot will not only help your business in these current times, but it will future-proof your business for many years to come.

How to Get Started

Submit Your Letter of Intent to the USDA

If you’re a SNAP retailer in a participating state who is willing and able to comply with SNAP’s Online requirements, you are eligible to join the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot. Well over half of U.S. states are now participating in the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, with more states joining all the time.


In order to confirm that you are able to meet all of the SNAP Online requirements, you will need to submit a Letter of Intent to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Click here for more information

Enable Online PIN Entry At Checkout

One of SNAP’s Online Purchasing Pilot requirements is to integrate your e-commerce platform with a third-party payment processor that supports online PIN entry. As an approved third-party payment processor, the Cardknox payment gateway features a secure online PIN entry solution so that customers can enter their EBT PIN number just as they would in-store.

Click here to get started with Cardknox’s e-commerce integration.

Are you a Developer or Reseller?

Integrate Cardknox with your client’s e-commerce system to get them up-and-running fast with SNAP EBT Online. If you’d like to learn more about integrating an e-commerce system with Cardknox, contact us today (and check out our API here in the Knowledge Base). 

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Even More Cardknox EBT Solutions:
SNAP and eWIC In-Store

snap ebt

SNAP EBT

All it takes is one quick integration with your existing POS system and hardware to start processing SNAP EBT cards—and many other payment methods—in your store. Plus, you’ll enjoy competitive rates, advanced security, access to powerful transaction reporting, and much more.

Contact us today to learn more about Cardknox’s support for SNAP EBT cards in-store!

snap ebt

eWIC

eWIC is the electronic payment processing system for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), a government-funded supplemental nutrition program for those who are low-income and at-risk. Unlike the previous WIC voucher system, eWIC EBT card payments are much faster to process and they reduce the likelihood of errors.

As an eWIC-certified payment solution, Cardknox gives you the ability to accept eWIC cards at the point-of-sale while enjoying a wide range of added benefits. You’ll be able to process multiple payment types per transaction, all while benefiting from streamlined account reconciliations and inventory syncing.

Click here to get started with eWic!