CalFresh EBT card locked at midnight - anyone successfully use cards after calling to remove block?

Yes, I've used mine at midnight several times. The issue might be that there are actually TWO different types of blocks they can place on cards. There's the standard after-hours restriction (usually 11pm-6am) and there's also a fraud protection geographic block that activates during unusual hours. When you called, they probably only removed the first one. Call again and specifically ask them to remove BOTH the time restriction AND the unusual activity protection during overnight hours. Make it clear it's a regular shopping pattern for you due to work.

i use mine at 24 hour safeway all the time even at like 2am never had a problem maybe its a walmart thing they system might batch process or somethin

Omg this happened to me!!! I was SO EMBARRASSED standing there at 12:30am with a cart full of groceries and my card getting declined!! The cashier was giving me this look like I was trying to do something shady! I called the next day super mad and they said something about "fraud protection during unusual hours" and removed it, but I've been too scared to try again late at night. Following this thread to see if anyone has actually gotten it fixed...

This is actually a semi-common issue with CalFresh EBT cards. The system has several layers of fraud protection that can prevent after-hours usage. When you call, you need to specifically request: 1. Removal of the time-of-day restriction (this is the basic 11pm-6am block) 2. Exemption from the unusual activity fraud monitoring during overnight hours 3. A note on your account that your regular shopping pattern includes overnight purchases It usually takes 24-48 hours for these changes to fully update in their system. Also, some retailers have their own batch processing times for EBT transactions that might cause issues around midnight specifically - that's actually a store system issue rather than a CalFresh restriction. If you're still having trouble getting through to a representative who understands what you need, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They can help you skip the phone queue and connect with an actual CalFresh worker who can make these specific changes to your account. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 - I used it when I had a similar issue with geographical restrictions on my card.

YOU KNOW WHY THEY DO THIS RIGHT???? It's because they think poor people shouldn't be shopping at night!! They assume if you're using benefits after midnight you must be doing something wrong! I've fought with them MULTIPLE TIMES about this exact issue. They'll say they removed the block and then magically it's still there next time I try to shop. It's ridiculous that they make us jump through hoops just to access OUR BENEFITS on OUR SCHEDULE. Some of us work nights! Some of us can only shop late! This kind of control over when we can buy FOOD is just another way they treat benefit recipients like children.

I had this exact problem last year and it was SO frustrating! I work night shift at the hospital and would try to shop at 1am after my shift. What finally worked for me was asking to speak to a supervisor when I called EBT customer service. The regular reps don't always have access to change all the security settings. The supervisor was able to put a permanent note on my account AND remove both types of restrictions. I haven't had any problems since then, even when shopping at 2-3am. Good luck!!

Wait I'm confused - is this different from the hold they put on new benefits? Because I thought we couldn't use the new month's benefits until like 6am on the deposit day? Is that a different thing? Now I'm worried I've been waiting until morning unnecessarily 😳

I know this might sound odd, but have you tried using it at a different Walmart? I had a similar issue and it turned out it wasn't my EBT card with a block - it was that specific Walmart location having issues processing EBT during their nightly system updates. When I went to a different 24-hour Walmart about 15 miles away, my card worked fine even at 1am. Might be worth trying a different store before going through all the hassle with customer service.

I've had this same frustrating experience! What worked for me was calling the EBT customer service line and asking them to check if there are any "transaction velocity limits" on my account in addition to the regular time restrictions. Apparently some accounts have limits on how many transactions you can do in a short time period, and this can kick in right around midnight when the system is processing the new benefit deposits. The rep told me this was causing my card to look "suspicious" to their fraud detection system. Once they adjusted those settings along with removing the after-hours block, I've been able to shop at midnight without issues. Also, try waiting until about 12:30am instead of right at midnight - sometimes the benefit loading process takes a few extra minutes to fully complete in their system.

I had this exact same problem for months! What finally worked for me was calling and asking them to remove the "fraud prevention geographic restriction" specifically. Apparently there's a setting that flags your card as suspicious if you're shopping at locations you don't usually shop at during overnight hours, even if you have permission to shop after hours. The customer service rep told me this was separate from the time-based restrictions and required a different type of override. Once they removed that specific restriction along with the after-hours block, I've been able to shop at my usual 24-hour grocery stores at midnight without any issues. It might be worth asking about that specific restriction when you call back - seems like a lot of reps don't know about all the different types of blocks they can place on accounts.

I've been dealing with this exact same issue for the past few months and it's been driving me crazy! I work at a 24-hour diner and my shift ends at 11:30pm, so midnight grocery runs are literally the only time I can shop. What's super frustrating is that I called THREE different times and got three completely different explanations from customer service reps. The first one said it was a "security hold during benefit loading," the second one said it was "after-hours fraud protection," and the third one claimed there was no block on my account at all and suggested it might be the store's system. Reading through all these comments, it sounds like there are way more types of restrictions than any single customer service rep seems to know about. I'm going to try calling back and specifically asking for a supervisor, then going through the entire list of restrictions people have mentioned here: time-of-day restrictions, unusual activity fraud monitoring, transaction velocity limits, and geographic fraud prevention. This thread has been more helpful than all my previous calls combined!

This whole thread is incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea there were so many different types of blocks and restrictions that could be causing this issue. I'm a night shift nurse and face the exact same problem - I get off work at midnight and that's literally the only time I can grocery shop, but my EBT card gets declined every time I try to use it right after my benefits load. I've called twice and both times they said they "removed the restriction" but it still doesn't work. Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm realizing the customer service reps probably only removed one type of block while leaving others active. I'm going to call back and specifically ask about ALL of these: time-of-day restrictions, unusual activity fraud monitoring, transaction velocity limits, fraud prevention geographic restrictions, AND ask to speak to a supervisor who can actually verify that ALL the blocks are removed from the system, not just noted in my file. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community knowledge is way more helpful than anything I've gotten from official customer service!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same situation and was starting to think I was crazy. I work as an overnight stocker and my shift ends at 6am, but I need to shop right after work before the stores get crowded. My card worked fine for the first few months, then suddenly started getting declined every time I tried to use it between 6-7am. I called and they said they removed "the restriction" but it's still happening. Reading through all these responses, I now realize there are way more layers to this than I thought. I'm going to call back armed with all this information about the different types of blocks - time restrictions, fraud monitoring, velocity limits, geographic restrictions - and specifically request a supervisor like several people suggested. It's honestly infuriating that we need a PhD in EBT security systems just to buy groceries during our available hours, but at least now I know what to ask for. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a hospital custodian working the night shift (10pm-6am) and I've been dealing with this exact same frustrating issue for about 3 months now. Every time I try to use my EBT card after midnight at the 24-hour grocery stores near my hospital, it gets declined even though my benefits should be available. I've called twice and both times they claimed to remove "the block" but nothing changed. Reading through everyone's experiences here, I now understand there are multiple layers of security restrictions that can cause this problem - not just one simple "after hours block" like the customer service reps made it sound. I'm going to call back tomorrow and specifically ask about ALL the different restrictions people have mentioned: time-of-day blocks, fraud monitoring during overnight hours, transaction velocity limits, and geographic fraud prevention. And I'm definitely going to request a supervisor right away instead of wasting time with regular reps who clearly don't have the full picture. Thank you all for sharing your solutions - this community knowledge is way more valuable than anything I've gotten from official customer service channels!

This is such a widespread issue that affects so many night shift workers! I'm a warehouse worker (11pm-7am shift) and ran into this exact same problem when I first started working nights about 6 months ago. What I learned through trial and error is that you really need to be super specific when calling EBT customer service. Don't just ask them to "remove the block" - you need to ask them to check for AND remove ALL of these specific restrictions: 1) Time-of-day restrictions (11pm-6am), 2) Unusual activity fraud monitoring during overnight hours, 3) Transaction velocity limits, 4) Geographic fraud prevention restrictions, and 5) Any "suspicious activity" flags that might be triggering during benefit loading times. Also, I found it helps to explain your work schedule and make it clear this is a regular pattern for you, not unusual activity. The key is getting someone who actually understands their system - regular customer service reps often don't have access to all these settings. Ask for a supervisor immediately and don't accept "I removed the restriction" without them being specific about WHICH restrictions they removed. It took me 3 calls but once I got the right person who understood all the different security layers, I haven't had a problem since. Good luck!

I'm a night shift EMT and have been dealing with this exact same problem for months! After reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, I'm realizing I need to be way more specific when I call back. I've only called once and they told me they "removed the after-hours restriction," but clearly that wasn't enough based on everyone's experiences here. What's really frustrating is that I work 7pm-7am shifts and the only time I can shop is literally right after work around 7:30am, but my card gets declined every single time. I thought maybe it was because I was shopping too early in the morning, but now I understand there are all these different security layers that could be causing the problem. I'm going to call back and ask specifically about time restrictions, fraud monitoring, velocity limits, AND geographic restrictions like everyone mentioned. Thank you all for sharing your solutions - this thread has been way more helpful than any official customer service I've received!