If you are a Maryland Independence cardholder and are wondering if you can buy groceries online with your Maryland EBT Card for delivery, we can help. In this post, we will explain the USDA online EBT pilot that has been approved for specific merchants and states, including Maryland to allow food stamps recipients to buy groceries online for delivery.
We will explain how the program works when the Maryland program will begin and where you can expect to be able to use your EBT card online to buy groceries.
We will also cover:
- EBT Online Purchasing Pilot Program
- When Maryland’s EBT Online Program will be Launched
- Maryland EBT Card FAQs
To learn more about the Maryland EBT online grocery purchase program, continue reading below.
EBT Online Purchasing Pilot Program
In 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a pilot program for online EBT purchases. The program allows EBT Cardholders to purchase groceries online for delivery or pick-up.
The program was only launched in select states. These states include:
When the USDA launched the program in 2017, each state was paired with specific grocery merchants that were approved for EBT shoppers in that state.
Here is the breakdown of grocery merchants and pilot states:
EBT Online Retailers and the Pilot States
Amazon – Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska
FreshDirect – New York
Safeway – Maryland, Oregon, Washington,
ShopRite – Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Hy-Vee, Inc. – Iowa
Hart’s Local Grocers – New York
Dash’s Market – New York
In 2019, the first program was launched in New York.
As a result, New York food stamp recipients could use their EBT Card online to purchase groceries at select grocery merchants including Amazon.
Since the launch of the New York program, more states have been added to the program.
The table below shows the states that are currently running the online EBT pilot program and where they can use their EBT Cards to shop online.
| State | Merchant Name |
| Alabama Iowa Nebraska New York Oregon Washington |
Walmart, Amazon, and Wright’s Markets, Inc. Amazon and Walmart Walmart and Amazon ShopRite, Walmart, and Amazon Amazon and Walmart Amazon and Walmart |
When will Maryland’s EBT Online program be Launched?
Maryland and New Jersey are the two states left in the original pilot to launch their online programs.
While the state has not announced a date yet, the speed at which Alabama, Iowa, and Nebraska launched their programs this year shows that Maryland should follow in the next few months. We will update this post as soon as we hear a specific date from the state.
Furthermore, the coronavirus pandemic has led to growing pressure on the USDA to quickly expand the online program to the entire country.
Recent articles in high profile national publications, including Chicago Tribune, CNBC, Politico, New York Post, and Kaiser Health News are all pushing for EBT cardholders to use their cards online for grocery shopping, especially given the pandemic.
What you should Expect for Maryland
We think this will put pressure on Maryland’s food stamps authorities to launch the program in the next month or two.
In the meantime, you can still shop online on Amazon for essential home items with your EBT card through Amazon Prime.
If you are not an Amazon Prime member, you can sign up with your EBT Card and get 50% OFF a membership. To learn how to sign up, continue reading below.
Discounted Amazon Prime Membership
As a Maryland EBT Cardholder, you can get over 50% OFF Amazon Prime when you sign up with your EBT Card. With the Amazon Prime EBT discount, you can get all the great benefits of Prime at a fraction of the cost.
For just $5.99 per month you get all these EBT Amazon Prime benefits:
- One-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Two-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Access to instantly stream thousands of FREE Movies & TV Shows
- Access to Unlimited FREE Prime Music streaming
- FREE 2-Hour Delivery on Prime Now items
To learn more about the Amazon Prime EBT Discount and the benefits and perks you get with Amazon Prime membership, click here.
CLICK HERE to Sign up and Save with the Amazon Prime Discount for EBT Cardholders.
Maryland EBT Card FAQs
Here is a list of our most frequently asked about the Maryland EBT Card.
Will more grocery stores be added to the list from the pilot?
As the USDA Pilot rolls the program to more states, more retailers will be launching the ability to pay with SNAP EBT online.
To find out when more retailers accepted for online grocery shopping, check here for updates.
How do I check my Maryland EBT Card balance?
You can check your Maryland balance online, in-person, or by phone. To complete your Maryland EBT Card balance check, please call 1-800-997-2222 or visit the Maryland Connect EBT website.
For help checking your Maryland EBT balance, click here.
When are my Maryland benefits deposited into my account?
Maryland benefits are deposited once a month into your EBT account on your scheduled benefit deposit date. See the Maryland EBT Payment Schedule below:
| If the First three letters of your last name are between | Benefits are deposited on the |
| AAA and BAO | 4th of the month |
| BAP and BQZ | 5th of the month |
| BRA and CAQ | 6th of the month |
| CAR and COQ | 7th of the month |
| COR and DIZ | 8th of the month |
| DJA and FIS | 9th of the month |
| FIT and GON | 10th of the month |
| GOO and HAX | 11th of the month |
| HAY and JAB | 12th of the month |
| JAC and KIM | 13th of the month |
| KIN and LOX | 14th of the month |
| LOY and MCO | 15th of the month |
| MCP and NEF | 16th of the month |
| NEG and PGZ | 17th of the month |
| PHA and RIC | 18th of the month |
| RID and SDZ | 19th of the month |
| SEA and STC | 20th of the month |
| STD and TRA | 21st of the month |
| TRB and WES | 22nd of the month |
| WET and ZZZ | 23rd of the month |
If the day you receive your benefits for any month falls on a weekend or holiday, your benefits are still available on that day.
If you do not receive your SNAP EBT benefits, contact your local county SNAP office.
Can I have someone else help shop with my EBT Card?
Ask your local county food stamps caseworker about setting up an Authorized Representative (AR). The AR will have a separate card with his or her own account number and PIN. The AR will have access to your entire EBT benefit account.
Can you buy Groceries Online with Maryland EBT Summary
We hope this post on whether you can buy groceries online with Maryland EBT Card was helpful to you.
If you have additional questions or need help using your Maryland EBT Card, leave those in the comments section below.
To find out how you can save even more with your Maryland EBT card, be sure to check out our Maryland EBT Discounts. You can save on things like phone service, museum admission, and much more!