The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program provides critical nutrition assistance to millions of low-income families across the United States. WIC offers supplemental foods, education, and referrals to health and social services for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children at nutritional risk.
In recent years, online grocery shopping and delivery has exploded in popularity. Leading the charge is e-commerce giant Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods Market in 2017 and has made big investments in Amazon Fresh and Prime Now delivery services. This has left many WIC recipients wondering: does Amazon accept WIC?
The short answer is no, unfortunately Amazon does not currently allow customers to pay for groceries using WIC benefits – either on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Prime Now, or any of its other online platforms. However, there are still some ways for WIC participants to save at Amazon, which we‘ll detail below. Plus, we‘ll speculate on whether the retailer may begin accepting WIC in the future.
Why Doesn‘t Amazon Take WIC?
There are likely several reasons why Amazon has not yet enabled WIC payments for online orders:
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Lack of uniform systems and requirements. The WIC program is administered at the state level, and each state has its own specific guidelines, approved food lists, and technical requirements. Until very recently, WIC benefits were provided via paper vouchers, checks, and/or EBT cards that varied widely by location. Implementing online WIC payments across 50 different systems is a significant undertaking.
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Not all WIC-approved items are available. WIC benefits can generally only be used to purchase a limited set of staple foods, such as milk, eggs, cheese, whole grain bread, cereals, rice, beans, peanut butter, and infant formula. Even Amazon‘s vast product catalog may not include all of the very specific WIC-eligible items required by each state. Foods must usually be the least expensive option in each category.
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Difficulties verifying participant identities and purchases. Retailers accepting WIC must follow strict rules, such as verifying recipient IDs, ensuring only WIC-approved items are purchased, and providing detailed receipts. Integrating these steps into the Amazon online checkout process could be prohibitively complex and burdensome.
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Relatively low ROI. Compared to the broader customer base, the subset of Amazon shoppers who are WIC-eligible and interested in online ordering may be relatively small. The investment required to launch WIC payments online may outweigh the incremental sales generated.
Despite these obstacles, Amazon has taken steps to make its services more affordable and accessible to low-income customers, including WIC recipients. In 2017, Amazon announced discounted Prime memberships for Medicaid and EBT cardholders. More on this program below.
How to Save on Amazon Prime with Your WIC Card
While you can‘t use your WIC card to directly pay for Amazon purchases, you can leverage your WIC status to unlock 50% off Amazon Prime memberships. Considering Prime normally costs $14.99 per month (or $139 per year), this is a fantastic deal.
To sign up for discounted Prime:
- Visit this page on Amazon and click the "Get started" button
- Select "WIC" under "Choose how you want to qualify"
- Upload an image of your WIC benefits card or eligibility letter
- Complete the Prime sign-up process and start saving!
An Amazon Prime membership includes a wide range of valuable benefits, such as free 2-day shipping, streaming of movies/TV/music, unlimited photo storage, exclusive deals, and more.
Even without EBT payment options, WIC families can take advantage of Amazon‘s low prices, vast selection, and convenient delivery on many of their everyday essentials using alternative payment methods like SNAP, debit cards, or gift cards.
Does Amazon Accept SNAP EBT?
Yes, in most states, customers can use a SNAP EBT card to purchase eligible grocery items on Amazon, Amazon Fresh, and Prime Now. According to Amazon, SNAP is currently accepted in all states except Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Montana.
Using SNAP on Amazon is easy:
- Add your SNAP EBT card under "Your Payments"
- Shop for SNAP-eligible groceries, including fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, breads, cereals, snack foods, and non-alcoholic beverages
- When checking out, select your EBT card as the payment method
Keep in mind that you can only use SNAP funds to pay for eligible food items; you‘ll need to use an alternate payment method for any non-SNAP items, taxes, delivery fees, or driver tips.
Many families that qualify for WIC also meet the income requirements for SNAP, so having SNAP as a payment option makes Amazon much more accessible to WIC recipients. Per the USDA, as of June 2022, over 41.2 million people in the U.S. received SNAP benefits.
What Other Payment Methods Does Amazon Accept?
For items not covered by SNAP, Amazon accepts a wide variety of payment options, including:
- Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, or JCB credit cards
- Amazon Store Card and Amazon Secured Card
- Visa, Mastercard, or American Express prepaid credit or gift cards
- Flexible spending account (FSA) cards for eligible health and medical items
- Health savings account (HSA) cards for eligible health and medical items
- NYCE and STAR debit cards
- EBT cash (separate from SNAP funds)
- Amazon.com Gift Cards
Unfortunately, Amazon does not currently accept WIC, PayPal, Venmo, or cash on delivery as payment methods.
Can You Use WIC at Whole Foods?
Yes, you can use a WIC card to purchase approved items at participating Whole Foods Market locations. However, you cannot currently pay for Whole Foods orders on Amazon.com using WIC.
When Amazon acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in 2017, it was a major move into brick-and-mortar grocery. Today, there are over 500 Whole Foods stores across the U.S. and 7 in the U.K.
Most Whole Foods locations participate in the WIC program and carry many staple items that are WIC-eligible in various states, such as:
- Milk, cheese, yogurt, and soy milk
- Whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain cereals and pasta
- Fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)
- Peanut butter, beans, lentils, peas
- Canned fish (light tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel)
- Eggs
- Baby food (cereals, fruits/veggies, meats)
- Infant formula
To use your WIC benefits at Whole Foods, simply shop for the WIC-approved items in your state, proceed to check-out, and present your WIC EBT card or voucher to pay.
Keep in mind that your state‘s specific WIC guidelines still apply at Whole Foods. Often, only the least expensive item in each food category is WIC-eligible, so some of Whole Foods‘ organic, grass-fed, or artisanal options may not qualify. Be sure to carefully review your state‘s approved food list and criteria.
The Future of WIC Benefits Online
Looking ahead, it seems very likely that WIC recipients will be able to shop online and pay with their benefits card in the coming years. The USDA and state agencies have been working hard to modernize and streamline the WIC program.
In 2016, the USDA mandated that all states switch from paper vouchers to EBT cards for WIC by 2020. As of 2022, all 50 states and D.C. have implemented this change, making the program more efficient and user-friendly.
Taking it a step further, in 2020 the USDA awarded a $2.9 million grant to the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition to develop and test an online ordering model for WIC. The goal is to create a secure, easy-to-use platform where WIC participants can select and pay for their approved foods online for in-store pick-up or delivery.
As online grocery sales continue to grow rapidly, making up an estimated 11.1% of total grocery sales in 2022 according to Insider Intelligence, it‘s essential that WIC families have equitable access to the convenience of e-commerce. Accepting SNAP online was an important first step for retailers like Amazon, and WIC is likely the next frontier.
Conclusion
In summary, Amazon remains a great option for budget-conscious shoppers, including WIC recipients, but it does have some limitations:
- Amazon does not currently accept WIC for purchases on any of its online platforms. However, some purchases may be covered by SNAP EBT.
- You can use your WIC card to get 50% off Amazon Prime membership, unlocking valuable benefits like free 2-day delivery.
- Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market locations accept WIC for eligible in-store purchases.
- In the future, as the WIC program continues to modernize and move online, it‘s very possible that Amazon will begin accepting WIC as a payment method. The retailer would be well-positioned to capture a portion of the $5 billion in WIC food dollars spent annually.
Navigating nutrition assistance programs can be challenging, but Amazon does offer some accessible options to help WIC families make the most of their benefits and save money on everyday essentials. With some smart planning and workarounds, WIC recipients can still take advantage of Amazon‘s great prices, selection, and convenience.
