EBT is a government-funded program that you can use through cards in buying food and other groceries. It is issued under the mission of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the US to the poor people as monetary assistance. It is much like a debit card which you can use in stores or shops for the transaction using your PIN. But, in Doordash you can not use this card as the platform doesn’t fulfill the criteria for usage of EBT as a payment method.

Can you use EBT on Doordash?

Doordash is a popular online platform where you can order prepared food from restaurants and stores. Unfortunately, this famous platform doesn’t take payments via EBT. This is because doordash doesn’t meet the guidelines about the usage of EBT cards. So, you need to rely on other payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, Paypal money, etc.

According to the guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), you are allowed to purchase pre-cooked food items or groceries only through your card. As doordash directly delivers meals as prepared by the local restaurants, it can’t qualify for EBT.

What is an EBT card?

EBT stands for Electronic benefit transfer. It is like any other plastic debit card you can use in merchant transactions. EBT cards are issued by the State Welfare Departments to beneficiaries in the US. You can use your EBT to avail of two types of benefits – food benefits and cash benefits. That means you can buy food and nonalcoholic drinks through this card. The monthly payout per beneficiary is capped at $125. Currently, it is now distributed through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

According to the guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), you are allowed to purchase pre-cooked food items or groceries only through your card. As doordash directly delivers meals as prepared by the local restaurants, it can’t qualify for EBT.

What you can purchase through EBT?

 There is a long list of the products you can buy through EBT which include-

FruitsVegetablesBreadMeatsSeeds

At the same time, you should also be aware that the following items are prohibited to purchase through EBT

Alcoholic beveragesTobacco productsVitaminsPrepared food that is served hot

Although alcohol and other beverages like this are allowed to buy if you are a resident of Arizona State as well as California. So, every State has its own rules on whether and how much it will impose a restriction.

But, some paper products like toilet paper, shampoo, detergent, etc are completely out of the list that you can buy regardless of the state you are a resident of.

What are the restaurants that use EBT cards?

Doordash is not qualified to use EBT as a payment method, but there are some exceptions in the online platform, and the food store allows you to order through EBT. Now, there is a program called

RMP or Restaurant Meals Program.

Below is the list of criteria for those who are going to be benefitted through this program-

  1. Elderly person:- The persons under the category of senior citizen which are aged over 60, are going to be entitled to benefit from Restaurant Meals Program.

  2. Disabled persons:- Those persons having one or more kinds of the physical disability come under this program. Apart from this RMP, they are also eligible for other disability payments from the government.

  3. Homeless person:- According to criteria set down by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a person will be categorized as homeless if he/she has no fixed, permanent, adequate, regular residential place at nighttime. All those people will be beneficiaries of RMP.

Other than this, some restaurants accept EBT cards as per the legal laws and regulations. Some of them are

ALDI

ShopRite

Walmart

H-E-B

What can I buy through EBT?

Ans:- Buying products through your EBT cards is restricted only to food and groceries items.

To whom EBT cards are given?

Ans:- EBT cards are distributed in the US to give financial assistance to poor families under the scheme of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Why can’t doordash take payments through EBT?

Ans:- As per the guidelines, EBT is allowed only to purchase uncooked or unprepared food items, as doordash sells hot prepared foods, so it can’t accept EBT.

How much monthly allowance is available on EBT cards?

Ans:- You can spend up to $125 per month using EBT.