Does CVS Accept Food Stamps?
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Does CVS accept food stamps
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Does CVS Accept Food Stamps in 2023?

Yes, CVS Does Accept Food Stamps in 2023.

You can pay for groceries at CVS Pharmacy stores using food stamps via your EBT card.

CVS accepts EBT as a form of payment in their stores when you’re buying grocery items that qualify.

There are many items sold at CVS that do not qualify to be purchased using SNAP benefits, and you can only use EBT to pay for certain groceries, as per the program’s guidelines.

If you’re also purchasing things like vitamins and supplements, or anything else that isn’t covered under EBT, you’ll need to use an alternate payment method. Here’s what else you need to know about using food stamps at CVS.

Does CVS accept food stamps

CVS stores are a massive chain of pharmacies across the United States that were originally founded in 1963 in Lowell, Massachusetts.

There are nearly 10,000 CVS stores in America, so most communities will find themselves with at least one CVS nearby.

CVS sells everything you would expect to find at a typical pharmacy, along with various household items, health and beauty products, and a selection of groceries.

The SNAP EBT program, formerly known as food stamps, is a way to help ensure that families are able to keep food on the table during difficult times, and it’s based on a system where you’ll receive your EBT card, which is used at stores similarly to paying with a debit card.

Only certain items are eligible to be purchased with EBT as the payment method, and not every single store accepts it, which can make things confusing.

Major grocers typically will accept EBT payments, but what about other types of stores that also happen to sell groceries, such as CVS?

Here’s what you need to know about using EBT at CVS stores.

Do CVS stores accept food stamps

How To Use Food Stamps at CVS

You can use the modern food stamps program to pay for groceries at CVS by using your EBT card as the payment method.

Do your shopping as normal, make sure you’re picking out items that can be purchased with EBT, and then when it’s time to pay, just scan your card and enter  your PIN, the same way that you would pay with a debit card.

It’s easy to use your EBT card to buy groceries at CVS, and it looks just like any other debit card.

It’s a quick and easy process, so you can get into the store, get the stuff you need, then carry on with the rest of your day.

What Can You Buy at CVS With Food Stamps/EBT Card?

What you can buy at CVS using your food stamps benefits, in other words paying with your EBT card, depends on the inventory at the specific CVS near you.

All of the regular rules as to what’s covered and what’s not covered will apply at CVS, just as they will at any other store.

This means that you can use your EBT card to buy things like fruits and veggies, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, breads and cereals, and drinks and snacks.

If your local CVS has any of those items, you’ll be able to use your EBT card to pay for them which is great to know, and convenient considering there are so many CVS locations and many of them carry a variety of grocery items.

There may also be items for sale at your local CVS that are not covered by EBT, in fact most of the items in the store won’t be eligible to be purchased using food stamps. This includes things like alcohol, vitamins and supplements and medicine, pet foods, house supplies, etc.

It’s important to only use your EBT card to buy things that are covered under the program, basically grocery food items that are meant to be consumed at home.

Buying things that aren’t covered by SNAP benefits can result in you being suspended from the program for a period of time.

CVS food stamps

How To Save Money at CVS

There are a number of ways to save money when you’re shopping at CVS, which is important to help your benefits last longer, so that you can buy more groceries with your EBT budget.

The first trick, if you do a lot of shopping at CVS, is to get a CVS ExtraCard card which will give you in-store discounts, rewards, and other money-saving benefits.

You can keep an eye on CVS ads and fliers to look for when there are sales on items that you typically purchase.

If these are things that you’re buying anyways, you’ll save money by getting them on sale.

But if you get a good price on something you don’t need or aren’t going to buy anyway, just remember you aren’t saving money because that’s an extra cost.

Being a savvy consumer means saving money when you can to get the most out of your grocery budget.

This applies whether you’re paying in cash, credit card, or with EBT – a budget is a budget, and finding good deals means that you can put more food in your cupboards.

Other Ways to Pay at CVS

If you’re also buying some items that aren’t covered by the SNAP benefits program, you can use a variety of other payment methods including cash, credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and possibly other options, too.

You can separate the items that you’re buying with EBT, and the stuff you’re paying for with another payment method when you check-out at your local CVS Pharmacy store.

Conclusion

You can pay for eligible grocery items at CVS using your EBT card. Just swipe your card at the cashier, enter your PIN, and you’re all set.

Just make sure everything you’re purchasing with the EBT card is eligible under the program, and use a different payment method to pay for anything that isn’t an eligible SNAP purchase.