Dive Brief:

• Albertsons announced Monday it has launched new SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) online purchasing capabilities across its Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Vons and Pavilions stores.
• Eligible shoppers will be able to make Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) payments through Albertsons-run websites and apps as well as through the Instacart app.
• Instacart announced Monday it has rolled out SNAP online purchasing capabilities for its retail partners in 10 new states: Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The additions bring Instacart’s SNAP online purchasing footprint to 49 states and Washington, D.C. 

Dive Insight:

Albertsons is offering SNAP online payments to shoppers at several of its largest banners as retailers across the country are making the service more widely available.

The grocer, which began accepting EBT payments for pickup orders in 2020, allows eligible shoppers to use a separate credit or debit card to purchase non-SNAP eligible items. Shoppers can also track their benefits balance under their online profile.

In a separate announcement, Instacart said it plans to enable delivery through its app at additional Albertsons banners later this year. Albertsons currently offers Instacart delivery from more than 2,000 stores across 21 banners.

“This program allows shoppers to use their EBT cards to make online purchases for home delivery or free store pickup, which is a critical part of our ongoing efforts to create a flexible and convenient shopping experience for all customers,” Susan Morris, Albertsons’ chief operating officer, said in a statement.

In addition, Sprouts Farmers Market now accepts SNAP online purchasing through Instacart’s app for delivery or pickup orders across 23 states and more than 380 stores.

Instacart has also increased SNAP online purchasing footprint with Meijer, Tops Friendly Markets and Price Chopper/Market 32 as part of the expansion.

Meijer has rolled out the capability to more than 250 stores across the six states the mass retailer operates in, while Tops has expanded the payment type to more than 70 additional stores across New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania. Price Chopper/Market 32 has expanded Instacart SNAP EBT online purchasing to more than 120 stores across six states in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region.

Both Tops and Price Chopper/Market 32 began offering SNAP EBT payments through Instacart last year and now offer it through their Instacart-made digital storefronts.

Instacart said it can reach nearly 30 million people experiencing food insecurity across the U.S. with its latest expansion of SNAP online purchasing. 

Instacart noted in its announcement that online SNAP EBT payment is offered through its Carrot Payments division, part of the Instacart Platform suite of retail service the company introduced earlier this year. The company said it now powers SNAP EBT payments for more than 8,000 stores covering more than 60 retail banners.

Grocers across the country have been extending SNAP online payment options to shoppers. Recently, Bashas’ and BJ’s Wholesale Club announced they’re extending these capabilities to consumers enrolled in the federal program, joining retailers like Aldi, Amazon and Walmart that have extended SNAP digital payments across the country.