Does Target Accept Food Stamps?

We get the question "Does Target accept food stamps" and here's what you need to know!

Does Target Accept Food Stamps in 2023?

Yes, Target Does Accept Food Stamps in 2023.

You can use your food stamps/SNAP benefits when you’re shopping at Target.

You can use these benefits to go towards the purchase of a number of different food items, but you can’t use them to buy anything at all from Target, only certain items.

The program itself dictates which types of products can be purchased using food stamps.

As the name implies, this program is for buying food in particular, and not leisure items, or household goods, or anything that isn’t really essential like basic nourishment.

This program isn’t designed to buy alcohol, or lottery tickets, or anything other than certain food items at Target.

Let’s take a look at the different items that Target sells which are approved to be purchased using your electronic benefits card.

Target is one of the largest chains of grocery stores.

Target sells all sorts of goods, from groceries, clothes, household goods, smaller furniture, sporting goods, electronics, and a lot more.

Some of the items that Target sells can qualify for being purchased with food stamps, but many of the items here don’t fall under the categories of food that you can purchase.

But does target accept that as a payment method? Let’s find out!

Target is a publicly traded company under the New York Stock Exchange symbol TGT.

They are headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Target’s yearly revenue is just shy of 100 billion dollars.

Target is a very old brand, in fact they have been around for over 100 years.

Target was founded in 1092, by George Dayton.

Do you think Mr. Dayton ever expected that his creation would grow to earn billions of dollars in net income each year?

Especially in such an incredibly competitive category, where it’s up against the likes of Walmart, and more and more so, competing against Amazon.

For Target to win against competitors, they’re always looking for ways to improve the shopping experience and to make things easier for their customers.

Whether that means accepting a wide variety of payment methods from cash, credit cards, and Apple Pay, or making it quick and hassle-free for people to pay using their EBT benefits, or “food stamps”. 

There are over 40 million Americans who are supported by SNAP benefits, 

Snap stands for supplemental nutrition assistance program, and it helps ensure that Americans are able to achieve a minimal level of access to food, even when times are difficult.

Not only do roughly 10% of Americans use SNAP to help feed themselves and their families, but approximately 16% of children in America are living in a home that uses SNAP benefits, so this program has an impact on many lives.

Since SNAP is such a widely used program by people who need a hand, and Target is such a popular and massive chain of stores, it’s common for people to wonder if Target accepts food stamps/SNAP benefits, so here’s what you need to know.

What Can You Buy At Target With Food Stamps?

Here are the items that a household can purchase using SNAP benefits at Target stores across America.

Foods such as breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, dairy products.

SNAP benefits can also be used for plants and seeds that produce foods for the household, for example if you want to purchase seedlings from a gardening center to grow into tomato plants, or seeds to grow broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and more.

Here’s What You CAN’T Buy At Target

If you want to use your SNAP benefits at target for any of the following items, you will be out of luck, because the following types of products are excluded.

You can’t use SNAP for beer, cigarettes, liquor, wine, or other types of alcohol/tobacco products.

You also can’t use SNAP for non-food items like soaps, paper products, household supplies, cleaning supplies, or foods for your pets.

You can’t use SNAP for vitamins, medicine, etc.

You cannot use SNAP to purchase foods that are meant to be eaten in-store, for example if there was a restaurant in the store or a deli serving foods that are eaten in-store.

You also can’t use it for hot foods (At that point, it’s considered more of a restaurant than a grocery purchase.)

How To Use Your EBT Card At Target

Your EBT card works just like any other credit or debit card, so you can use it at the checkout to make your purchase.

You’ll simply swipe your card at the machine for your qualifying purchases, and then enter your PIN.

Make sure that all of the items you’re purchasing are things that qualify, as outlined above.

Check your state’s food stamps agency to determine exactly what’s okay to purchase where you live, and make sure those are the only items you’re purchasing with EBT.

If you also need to purchase things that don’t qualify for food stamps, do a separate transaction for those, because using EBT for items that don’t qualify can land you in a lot of trouble, including losing your benefits, and that would not be good.

Can Someone Else Use Your EBT Card at Target?

You can have an Authorized Representative who can use your SNAP benefits on your behalf to make qualifying purchases at Target.

All of the other same rules apply in terms of what can and cannot be purchased using the benefits.

Conclusion

Target accepts food stamps at Target, so you can purchase anything they sell that’s a qualifying item, such as many different types of foods, or plants and seeds to grow your own food at home.

Food stamps can be very beneficial for people who need them, and Target is a convenient store to shop at with fair prices on their food items, so it’s a good place to shop for all sorts of household items and things that you need, and also for food to feed yourself and your family.