Just wanted to share my experience - I switched to EBTedge about 3 months ago after reading horror stories like these. The setup was super straightforward, took maybe 10 minutes. You'll need your current EBT card and PIN to register. The freeze feature has become second nature now - I literally freeze it the moment I walk out of any store. One tip I learned the hard way: if you're shopping at multiple stores in one trip, don't freeze between stores if they're close together. I got paranoid and kept freezing/unfreezing and the system temporarily locked me out for "suspicious activity" - had to call customer service to get it resolved. Now I just unfreeze when I start shopping and freeze when I'm completely done for the day. The peace of mind is worth it though. My benefits load on the 15th and I sleep so much better knowing my card is protected!

I can't believe I'm just learning about this EBTedge app now! I've been so worried about skimming after hearing all these stories. My sister had $450 stolen from her card last summer and it took months to get it back. I'm definitely downloading this tonight before my benefits load next week. Quick question - when you freeze the card, does it affect being able to check your balance at the store? Sometimes I need to see how much I have left while I'm shopping to make sure I don't go over. Also, has anyone tried using it at farmers markets that accept EBT? I shop there regularly and want to make sure the freeze/unfreeze works at those smaller card readers too. This thread has been so helpful - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! It's scary how common benefit theft has become but at least now I know there's something I can do to protect myself.

on a totally diff note - have u tried the food banks?? they got way better stuff now than they used to. i go to the one by the methodist church and they give fresh produce n even meat sometimes. good backup plan if benefits ever get reduced.

I'm really glad I found this thread because I was starting to panic about the same rumors! My mother-in-law keeps sharing scary posts on Facebook about benefit cuts and it's been keeping me up at night. Reading through everyone's responses here has been so helpful - especially the clarification from the nonprofit workers about there being no confirmed cuts right now. I think I'm going to take the advice about calling my caseworker directly to get official information instead of worrying about social media rumors. And I definitely need to look into those medical deductions for my daughter's dietary restrictions - I had no idea that was even possible! Thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge. This community is such a lifesaver for getting real information instead of just panic-inducing rumors.

Update: Just called the County office and they confirmed Bakersfield cards should start getting loaded next Tuesday! The lady said they're doing it alphabetically by last name, A-M first week and N-Z the following week. Thanks everyone for the help and information!

Thanks for calling and getting that update! I'm in the same boat waiting for my two kids' benefits. Quick question - did they mention anything about whether you need to do anything if you moved recently? We relocated within Bakersfield in May and I'm worried our address change might delay things. I updated it with the school district but not sure if I need to update it somewhere else for P-EBT specifically.

I'm going through something similar right now! My kids have been getting free school meals since 2020, but I only received that very first P-EBT card. I had no idea there were multiple rounds - this thread is eye-opening. Reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like there's a good chance I have benefits sitting somewhere too. I'm definitely going to try calling the P-EBT hotline tomorrow morning early like Julian suggested. Has anyone had luck getting through on certain days of the week? I'm wondering if there are better times to call to avoid those busy signals that Lauren mentioned. Also, should I call my school district first to make sure they have my current address, or is it better to start with the P-EBT hotline directly? Thanks for all the detailed info everyone - this community is amazing!

I'm in almost the exact same boat as you Vanessa! Got that first P-EBT card in 2020 for my daughter but haven't seen anything since, even though she's been on free lunch this whole time. Reading through all these comments has been super enlightening - I had no idea there were so many different rounds of P-EBT benefits over the years. It's crazy how inconsistent the system seems to be with who gets cards and when. I'm definitely going to try calling that hotline number tomorrow and checking with my daughter's school to make sure they have our current address. Thanks for posting this question and thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and tips! It's given me hope that we might have some unclaimed benefits waiting out there too.

tried the app too, same maintenance message. this whole system needs a complete overhaul!! 😡

I'm having the exact same problem! Been trying to access my EBT account for 4 days straight and keep getting that maintenance page. What's really frustrating is that there's no clear communication about when it will be fixed - first they said a few days, then the 15th, now the 17th? My family depends on these benefits and not being able to check our balance makes meal planning impossible. I tried calling the customer service line multiple times but either get disconnected or wait over an hour just to be told they can't help with website issues. This system really needs better communication and backup options for when the main site goes down. At least we're all in this together!