New Retailers Come on Board for SNAP Recipients to Buy Online

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved retailers Sam's Club and Meijer Grocery for SNAP online purchasing. With these additions, Illinois LINK card users can now purchase groceries online through eleven retail chains across the state.

Illinois has about 1.8 million SNAP recipients. The Pritzker Administration made it possible at the beginning of the pandemic for these customers to buy groceries online. Since March 2020, the pool of participating retailers has grown substantially. Illinois SNAP customers who want to shop at Meijer must reside in an area where Instacart is an option. Additionally, Meijer grocery locations are accepting Online EBT through Instacart.

"Every resident in Illinois deserves equitable access to healthy food options," said Pritzker. "This latest round of expansion for online SNAP retailers is helping make that a reality for thousands of SNAP customers across the state."

With Sam's Club and Meijer, Illinois' eleven online SNAP retail partners include Capri IGA, County Market, Fairplay Neighborhood Market, Schnucks, Supermercados El Guero, Woodman's Market, ALDI, Amazon, and Walmart.

Other grocery retailers interested in becoming part of the program can learn more and apply at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/online-purchasing-pilot.

"I'm proud of the public-private commitment to expand online purchasing options for SNAP customers in Illinois," said IDHS Secretary Grace B. Hou. "Giving families an online option to access quality food is so important, and I'm grateful to our partners at Sam's Club, Meijer, and the USDA for making this possible."

Various Sam's Club locations in Illinois will begin accepting EBT as a form of payment using their "Scan & Go" mobile application beginning this month.

The USDA requires all SNAP authorized retailers, including authorized online retailers, to ensure that SNAP benefits are used to purchase only eligible food items. A list of eligible food items that can be purchased using SNAP benefits is available.

Illinois residents can use the SNAP eligibility calculator to determine if they are eligible for SNAP benefits. IDHS has an additional resource page for SNAP benefit amounts and eligibility limits that can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/3gFweOZ. Related updates on Illinois Online SNAP program are posted.