Instacart Technology Now Enables Grocers in 49 States and Washington D.C. to Accept EBT SNAP Payments Online

EBT SNAP now accepted online via the Instacart Platform in 10 additional states with launch partners Albertsons Companies and Sprouts Farmers Market

Instacart Carrot Payments technology makes acceptance of EBT SNAP available to all grocers on the Instacart App and Instacart Platform-powered e-commerce storefronts

SAN FRANCISCO, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced that Electronic Benefits Transfer and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) can now be used to buy groceries online in 10 additional states – Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming – through the Instacart App and retailers' Instacart Platform-powered e-commerce experiences. Albertsons Companies and Sprouts Farmers Market are among the first to accept EBT SNAP online in these states. With today's news, grocers of all sizes can use Carrot Payments, an Instacart Platform solution, to accept EBT SNAP payments online and at scale across 49 states and Washington D.C., reaching nearly 30 million people experiencing food insecurity across the U.S.

Instacart Platform enables grocers to accept EBT SNAP through the Instacart App and on their own digital properties built with Instacart Platform e-commerce solutions Carrot Storefront and Carrot Storefront Pro. Leveraging Carrot Payments across e-commerce experiences, grocers can easily accept new payment types online, including EBT SNAP, Apple Pay, PayPal, and others.

"At Instacart, our goal is to continue unlocking access to nutritious food for those who need it most. We've long advocated to expand online EBT SNAP acceptance, and we're proud to bring this critical service to people in 10 additional states in partnership with grocers that people know, love and trust," said Sarah Mastrorocco, Vice President of Access to Food & Nutrition. "Our partners offer a broad selection of fresh food and pantry staples, and with this expansion, we're giving more families access to nourishment, paired with the convenience of same-day delivery and pickup. We look forward to continuing to expand this program and enabling more retailers to accept EBT SNAP payments online through the Instacart Platform."

Instacart has also recently expanded EBT SNAP acceptance online with Meijer, Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets. EBT SNAP customers now have even more choice when shopping for essentials from their preferred grocers:

• Albertsons Companies customers can use EBT SNAP to purchase groceries and essentials from four banners including Albertsons, Pavilions, Safeway and Vons, with additional banners rolling out on the Instacart App later this year.
• Sprouts customers in 23 states can use EBT SNAP to purchase groceries for delivery or pickup using the Instacart App from more than 380 stores.
• Meijer customers can use EBT SNAP to shop for groceries on the Instacart App in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin for delivery from more than 250 stores.
• Price Chopper/Market 32 customers in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont can use EBT SNAP to shop from more than 120 stores through the Instacart App or Price Chopper/Market 32's Carrot Storefront Pro website.
• Tops Friendly Markets customers can use EBT SNAP to shop from more than 70 stores across New York, Vermont and Northern Pennsylvania for delivery or pickup via the Instacart App or Tops Friendly Markets' Carrot Storefront Pro website.

With these expansions, Instacart now powers EBT SNAP payments for more than 60 retail banners spanning more than 8,000 stores.

"Research shows that a large percentage of EBT recipients face mobility challenges due to a disability, lack of transportation or caring for young children, which can prevent them from physically visiting a store. As a trusted community grocer committed to solving food insecurity, we want to make healthy foods available to those at risk by offering multiple private, secure, and convenient shopping options," said Susan Morris, Chief Operating Officer for Albertsons Companies. "This program allows shoppers to use their EBT cards to make online purchases for home delivery or free store pick-up, which is a critical part of our ongoing efforts to create a flexible and convenient shopping experience for all customers."

"Sprouts is a leader in making the highest quality fresh foods accessible to all. Online shopping for delivery and pickup offers our customers that accessibility and convenience to fit any lifestyle," said Nick Konat, President and Chief Operating Officer of Sprouts. "Through this expanded partnership with Instacart, we can offer our customers the option to use their SNAP benefits when ordering their fresh and nutritious foods online, allowing them greater convenience, accessibility and affordability."

"At Price Chopper/Market 32, we're committed to offering our customers not only a great in-store shopping experience but also a seamless, affordable and accessible online shopping experience," said Blaine Bringhurst, President of Price Chopper/Market 32. "Our partnership with Instacart equips us to fulfill that promise via its comprehensive e-commerce experience for same day pickup or delivery capable of facilitating payment with EBT SNAP on the Instacart App as well as on our own website, www.pricechopper.com, and our Price Chopper mobile app."

"Tops Friendly Markets has been a partner of Instacart for a number of years using our expansive network of neighborhood stores to fill immediate delivery and curbside pick-up needs for area customers" said John Persons, President of Tops Friendly Markets. "Our evolving partnership continues to grow and now includes Digital/Mobile, Catering, and EBT SNAP solutions to provide even more affordability and convenience."

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, so many members of our community relied on food delivery services to safely shop for their families," said Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod. "By increasing access to online grocery services for individuals utilizing EBT SNAP, Albertsons Companies, Sprouts and Instacart are helping families across Colorado get fresh and healthy foods to their homes without sacrificing their budgets."

"Access to fresh, quality food continues to be a problem for many families in Washington," said Washington State Representative Strom Peterson. "I am thrilled that Instacart is partnering with Albertsons Companies and Sprouts to allow easier access to the nutritious foods our families and kids need."

Instacart partners with Albertsons Companies to offer same-day delivery from more than 2,000 store locations across 21 banners via Instacart. Sprouts today offers same-day delivery and pickup via Instacart from more than 350 stores. Through the partnership, the companies also introduced Sprouts' white-label e-commerce storefront, powered by Carrot Storefront Pro. Meijer offers same-day delivery via Instacart from more than 250 stores. Albertsons Companies, Sprouts and Meijer today offer EBT SNAP payment online on the Instacart App. Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets introduced EBT SNAP payments on the Instacart App in 2021 and have now integrated acceptance on their Storefront Pro e-commerce experiences.

Instacart offers EBT SNAP acceptance through the Instacart Platform, a suite of enterprise-grade solutions that help enhance and digitize retail experiences. Instacart Platform enables grocers to leverage Instacart technologies to power their e-commerce and in-store operations to provide digitally connected, personalized customer experiences. For more information about the Instacart Platform, visit www.instacart.com/company/platform.

Where available, EBT SNAP participants can shop for pickup or delivery via the Instacart App and grocers' Instacart Platform-powered websites and apps. Orders for delivery and pickup can be placed by customers for receipt in as fast as 30-minutes or scheduled several days in advance. For more information about EBT SNAP on Instacart, visit www.instacart.com/ebt-snap.

About Instacart
Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 800 national, regional, and local retail brands to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 70,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of busy people and families to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for more than 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders for customers on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com. For anyone interested in becoming an Instacart shopper, visit https://shoppers.instacart.com/.

SOURCE Instacart