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Processor Fiserv Inc. is testing online acceptance of SNAP electronic benefits transfer payment as part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.
Consumers using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program EBT cards can pay online via a digital PIN pad in tests at 33 ShopRite grocery stores in New York, Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv says. SNAP is the successor to what many called food stamps. Additionally, other grocery stores in the program also are testing the Fiserv capability.
The challenge is that SNAP transactions always require a PIN entry. For this new development, Fiserv created a PIN-on-glass product that enables grocers to accept SNAP PINs online. Fiserv says it currently offers the only USDA-approved service for accepting EBT payments online.
ShopRite, a brand of Wakefern Food Corp., says it was part of the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot last year and was pleased with the results. It hopes to expand the service to its other brands, PriceRite and The Fresh Grocer.
USDA’s original test—for both online ordering and payment—launched in April 2019 in New York state, and has since expanded to nine other states with eight more expected to be added by the end of June. Other retailers that accept SNAP payments online include Amazon.com Inc., Walmart Inc., and Wright’s Markets Inc., according to the USDA.
Other grocers have adapted their SNAP acceptance partly in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Kroger Co. added SNAP acceptance for pickup orders at nearly 2,800 locations when consumers orders through Kroger.com, but requires PIN entry upon pickup.
