Can I withdraw cash from my EBT card? What stores accept CalFresh & what can I buy?

There's a mix-up here. You might have both CalFresh AND CalWORKs. CalFresh (food stamps) is ONLY for food and doesn't allow cash withdrawals. CalWORKs has cash aid that you CAN withdraw. Check your approval letter - does it mention both programs or just CalFresh?\n\nFor your other questions:\n- Yes, Costco does accept EBT/CalFresh\n- You can ONLY buy food items with CalFresh (no alcohol, cigarettes, pet food, vitamins, hot prepared food, household items, etc)\n- Focus on groceries: meat, dairy, bread, fruits, vegetables, snacks, cereal, etc.\n\nCheck the balance by calling the number on the back of your card before shopping.

Oh that makes so much more sense! I just double-checked my approval letter and it only mentions CalFresh, so I guess my cousin was wrong. Thanks for clearing that up! Really good to know about Costco accepting it. Do you know if the Costco food court items count as \

costco def takes ebt i use mine there all the time!! but only for food stuff not like clothes or electronics or whatever. they dont even let u buy the rotisserie chickens with it which is stupid imo

The chicken thing makes me so mad! They're technically

To clarify what others have said:\n\n1. CalFresh (food stamps) benefits CAN NOT be withdrawn as cash. That's a different program called CalWORKs.\n\n2. Costco does accept CalFresh, but:\n - You need to tell the cashier you're using EBT BEFORE they start scanning\n - You'll need to separate food items from non-food items\n - The food court registers at Costco usually DON'T accept EBT\n\n3. CalFresh-eligible items include:\n - Fruits and vegetables\n - Meat, poultry, fish\n - Dairy products\n - Breads and cereals\n - Snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages\n - Seeds and plants that produce food\n\n4. Non-eligible items include:\n - Alcohol and tobacco\n - Vitamins and medicines\n - Hot prepared foods\n - Non-food items (paper products, cleaning supplies, etc.)\n - Pet foods\n\nIf you have more questions, call the number on the back of your EBT card or your county office.

This is SUPER helpful, thank you! I had no idea you had to tell the cashier before scanning starts. Would've been so embarrassing to find that out while checking out with a full cart. Also good to know about separating food vs non-food items. Does the Costco system automatically know what's eligible or does the cashier have to manually separate things?

I found out the hard way that you CANT get cash from CalFresh!!! I was at the store with my kids and tried to get cash back and my card got declined and everyone was staring at me. SOOO embarrassing!!! 😭 If you need cash aid you have to apply for CalWORKs separately. Also watch out because some items LOOK like they should be covered but aren't! Like those prepared salads with the dressing packets - those count as \

That's really frustrating! The rules can be confusing at first. For the prepared salads, it actually depends on whether the store considers them \

Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but there's a handy app called \

thx for mentioning that app! just downloaded it and it's way easier than the county website. and yeah u still need costco membership for sure. my sister added me as her family member on her account so I can use my ebt there

One other thing to be aware of: there's a difference between \

I'm definitely only approved for the food benefits portion right now, but that's good to know if I ever apply for cash aid in the future. And separating items before checkout is a smart idea. Will probably make a list before shopping to keep track of what should be EBT eligible vs what I need to pay for with my own money.

To add to what others have said, there are some lesser-known CalFresh facts that might help you:\n\n1. While you can't withdraw cash from CalFresh benefits, you CAN use CalFresh to buy seeds and plants that produce food. Great if you want to grow your own vegetables.\n\n2. Some farmers markets offer \

Wow! I had NO idea about the farmers market matching program or that you could use EBT online with Amazon! That's amazing since sometimes I have trouble getting to stores. Is there a special way to set it up with Amazon or do you just enter the card like any other payment?

Random tip: If you're shopping at Costco, their Kirkland brand items are usually GREAT quality and cheaper than name brands. I stretched my CalFresh benefits much further by buying Kirkland whenever possible. The giant bags of frozen fruit, chicken breasts, and their big packs of eggs are especially good deals.\n\nAlso, in case nobody mentioned it - your CalFresh benefits roll over month to month if you don't spend them all, but they will expire after 9 months of non-use. So no rush to spend everything immediately, but don't let them sit unused too long either.

That's a great tip about the Kirkland brand! And I didn't know the benefits roll over - that's a relief. I was worried I'd have to spend everything by the end of each month or lose it.

Welcome to CalFresh! I've been using these benefits for about 2 years now and wanted to share a few practical tips that helped me when I was starting out: 1. Download your store's app before shopping - many grocery stores (Safeway, Vons, etc.) let you add digital coupons that stack with EBT, helping you stretch your benefits further. 2. Check your balance regularly by calling the number on your card or using the eConnectCA app. I got caught short at checkout once because I thought I had more than I did. 3. If you're planning to shop at multiple stores in one trip, ask the cashier to split your payment if needed. You can use EBT for eligible items and pay cash/card for everything else. 4. Keep your receipts! They show your remaining balance and help you track what's EBT-eligible vs what isn't. The learning curve is real but you'll get the hang of it quickly. Don't be embarrassed to ask cashiers questions - most are very helpful and understanding. Good luck with your first shopping trip!