CalFresh EBT 3.0 card reload - Did benefits transfer from old card?
Just got this new 3.0 EBT card in the mail last week but my February benefits aren't showing up. My old card had about $387 left that I was saving. Called the EBT customer service number but gave up after waiting 45 mins. Anyone know if they automatically transfer the balance from old cards to these new 3.0 ones or do I have to request it? The letter with the card didn't explain anything about existing balances. Really need those groceries for my kids this weekend!
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Nadia Zaldivar
did u activate the new card yet? gotta do that first b4 anything shows up
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Rajan Walker
•Yeah I activated it right away. That's why I'm worried - shows $0 balance after activation.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
The balances should transfer automatically within 24-48 hours after activation. If it's been longer than that, there might be an issue. When you call the EBT customer service, try selecting the lost/stolen card option - that sometimes gets you through faster since this is technically a card replacement situation. You can also check your balance online at www.ebt.ca.gov or through the EBT mobile app. Make sure you're looking at the CalFresh balance and not the Cash benefits section if you receive both.
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Rajan Walker
•Thanks! It's been almost 4 days now. I tried the app but it just shows the new card with $0. I'll try the lost/stolen option tomorrow morning.
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Ev Luca
This happened to me too!! I was so worried but it ended up taking like 5 full days for my benefits to show up on the new card. The system is sooooo slow 🙄
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Rajan Walker
•Oh that's a relief to hear. I'll wait another day before panicking then!
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Avery Davis
I went through this last month and nearly had a heart attack thinking my benefits were gone forever!!!! Called the county FIVE TIMES and kept getting disconnected. Finally my worker told me there's a big backlog with all these new cards and sometimes it takes up to a WEEK for balances to transfer over. If it's been more than 7 days though you definitely need to talk to a real person at the county office.
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Collins Angel
•last time i needed to reach my worker i used this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at the county in like 15 min instead of waiting all day. saved my sanity honestly. you can see how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or just go to claimyr.com. way better than getting disconnected or waiting hours
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Marcelle Drum
The 3.0 EBT cards are part of California's EBT system upgrade that started rolling out in late 2024. The transfer delay is a known issue that's affecting many recipients. According to the latest guidance from CDSS, balances should transfer automatically but may take up to 5-7 business days (not calendar days). If you still don't see your balance after that timeframe, you should contact your county office directly rather than the EBT customer service line. Be sure to have your old card number and new card number available when you call. They can manually initiate the transfer if needed.
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Rajan Walker
•Thank you for the detailed info! I'll wait until Monday (that'll be 7 business days) and then contact my county office if it's still not showing up. I still have my old card with the number on it.
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Tate Jensen
I'm going through this exact same thing right now! So frustrating when we depend on these benefits to feed our families. The EBT customer service is USELESS - I waited over an hour yesterday only to be told they "can't help with transfer issues" and I need to talk to my county worker. But my county office never picks up! Did you get yours figured out yet?
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Rajan Walker
•Not yet - it's been 5 days now. Based on the comments here I'm going to wait until Monday before contacting the county. Sounds like this is happening to a lot of people with the new cards.
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Ev Luca
update????? did your benefits show up?
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Rajan Walker
•Yes!!! They finally showed up this morning! Took exactly 6 days after activation. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Avery Davis
My friend had the same problem but she had to contact her worker because her benefits NEVER transferred. Turns out they had some kind of system glitch that affected people who got their cards the same week as the quarterly maintenance or something. Just mentioning this in case anyone else reading has waited more than 7 days - don't just assume it'll eventually work itself out!
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Marcelle Drum
•This is an important point. While most transfers happen automatically, there was indeed a system issue during the January 12-14 maintenance window that affected some accounts. If anyone received their 3.0 card during that weekend and still doesn't see their balance transferred, they should definitely contact their county worker as they may need to manually reprocess your benefit transfer. Always keep documentation of your previous balance (screenshots of the app or previous receipts showing balance) just in case.
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