Can CalFresh EBT cards be used for online purchases before 6am?

omg ive had this happen!!! thought i was going crazy. tried ordering from amazon fresh at like 4:30am once and it didn't work but tried again at like 8am and it went through fine.

There's no official CalFresh policy restricting EBT card usage by time of day - benefits are supposed to be available 24/7. However, some retailers have system maintenance windows overnight that can affect EBT processing specifically. Walmart and Amazon typically run their system updates between 2am-6am, and EBT transactions are often the first to get affected because they require additional verification steps compared to regular credit card transactions.

I've run into this same issue, but I found a workaround! What I do is set up my cart completely the night before, then just wait until after 6am to actually check out. The system maintenance thing is super annoying, especially for us night owls or early birds. I've noticed this happens with almost all the EBT-approved online retailers (Walmart, Amazon, Instacart).

This isn't specifically a CalFresh rule but more of a technical issue with how EBT processing systems work. I've found that Walmart, Amazon, and a few others run their daily settlement processes early morning which affects EBT more than regular payments. I've personally never been able to use my EBT card online between about 2-6am, though it works fine in physical stores during those hours. BTW if you're having other issues reaching someone at the county about your CalFresh benefits, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you skip the phone wait times. Saved me hours last month when I needed to sort out a verification issue. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

There is actually no time-of-day restriction for EBT card usage in the CalFresh program regulations. However, many online retailers perform system maintenance and batch processing during early morning hours (typically 2AM-6AM). During these times, their systems may not properly process government benefit cards like EBT. This affects online transactions more than in-store purchases because in-store uses a different processing system. For online orders during these hours, your best options are: 1. Place orders after 6AM when systems are fully operational 2. Set up your cart the night before and complete checkout after 6AM 3. Try different approved retailers as their maintenance windows may vary If you experience this issue outside of early morning hours, that would indicate a different problem that should be reported to your county office.

i had the EXACT same issue!!!! so annoying when your tryin to order groceries at night for morning delivery and it keeps saying error!! walmart customer service was NO help they just kept saying "system error try again later" 🙄 i think its bc they dont want poor ppl shopping at night or somethin tbh

i always do my walmart grocery order at night for next day delivery and yeah between like 1-6am it almost NEVER works with ebt!! but debit card works fine those hours. so weird!!! i just wait til morning now

Thanks everyone for the input! Sounds like it's definitely a retailer system issue rather than an actual CalFresh rule. I'll stick to placing orders after 6am from now on. Really appreciate all the helpful responses!