CalFresh EBT card getting locked at midnight - new policy or glitch?

no ur card shouldnt lock at midnight, ive used mine plenty of times after 12 never had issues. cashier prob just making excuses for their system being down

There is no official policy about EBT cards locking at midnight. CalFresh benefits are available 24/7 once they're loaded onto your card. What likely happened was either: 1. A temporary system outage that the store was experiencing 2. Your card might have been temporarily locked due to several incorrect PIN attempts 3. The store's EBT processing system might have been offline for overnight updates I recommend checking your balance through the official EBT app or calling the number on the back of your card to make sure everything is working properly. Also, get a receipt next time if your card is declined so you can see the exact error message.

DONT BELIEVE THAT CASHIER!! They're probably just trying to discourage late-night shoppers. I work night shift too and use my EBT at 2-3am ALL THE TIME at WalMart and 7-11. Your benefits are supposed to be available 24/7. I'd report that cashier to the manager because they're spreading false information that could really hurt people who rely on these benefits!!!

You might want to call your county CalFresh office to verify there haven't been any changes to your account specifically. Sometimes they place temporary holds if they need verification documents or if there's suspected unusual activity. I've helped clients with similar issues and it's usually resolved quickly with a call to their worker. If you're having trouble getting through on the county phone lines (which can be notorious), I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you skip the wait times and connects you directly to a CalFresh worker. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Saved me hours of frustration last month when I had a similar issue with my mother's benefits.

I actually work for a grocery store (not a cashier though) and we sometimes have EBT system maintenance that happens overnight. It's usually scheduled but sometimes emergency maintenance happens without warning. The thing is, it doesn't affect ALL stores at once. So if one store's EBT isn't working, you can usually go to another store. The cashier probably just said midnight lockout as a simplified explanation rather than going into technical details about system updates.

try clearing the chip on ur card sometimes that helps. rub it on ur shirt or use one of those alcohol wipes. my card stops working sometimes and this fixes it

Just wanted to follow up - if this happens again, remember that you can always check your card status by calling the EBT customer service number (not the county) at 1-877-328-9677. They can tell you immediately if your card is locked, what your balance is, and if there are any restrictions. They're available 24/7, unlike the county offices. This way you'll know right away if it's your card or just the store's system.

Glad you got it sorted out! This is exactly why it's important to try a different location when EBT gets declined - it's usually a store-specific issue rather than something wrong with your benefits. For future reference, gas stations and smaller stores sometimes have more reliable EBT systems than big chain stores, especially during overnight hours when the big stores are doing their system maintenance. Keep that customer service number handy just in case!

This is such a common issue and it's frustrating how cashiers sometimes give incorrect information! I've been using CalFresh for 3 years and have never had a midnight lockout - that's definitely not a real policy. What I've learned is that if your card gets declined unexpectedly, always try a different store first before assuming there's a problem with your benefits. I keep a list of 24-hour places that reliably accept EBT in my area for exactly this reason. Also, if you're ever unsure about your card status, the EBT app is super helpful for checking your balance and recent transactions on the spot.

I'm new to CalFresh and this thread is so helpful! I had no idea that EBT cards don't actually lock at midnight - good to know for future reference. I work odd hours too and was worried about when I could use my benefits. Quick question though - is there a way to tell if it's a store system issue vs a card issue before trying another location? Like are there specific error messages or codes that come up? I'm still learning how all this works and want to be prepared if something like this happens to me.

I've been using CalFresh for about 2 years and this happened to me once at a Walmart around 1am. The cashier told me the same thing about cards being "locked after midnight" but I knew that wasn't right. Turned out their EBT processor was down for maintenance. I went to a 24-hour CVS down the street and my card worked perfectly. It's really annoying when store employees spread misinformation like that - makes people think there's something wrong with their benefits when it's just a technical issue on the store's end. Always worth trying a second location before panicking!