Can't use EBT Cash at Walmart online - which stores actually work?

same thing happened 2 me! think its a glitch in there system. i called the EBT customer service # on back of card and they said walmart SHOULD accept it but the didn't fix anything

I've worked through this issue before. First, make sure you've set up your EBT Cash PIN separately - some people don't realize it needs a separate verification from the CalFresh side. For Walmart specifically, they have limitations on EBT Cash usage online. When you're at checkout, you need to select "EBT Cash" as the payment method FIRST before any other payment methods. Also make sure you're on Walmart.com and not using the app (the app had issues with EBT Cash last year). Amazon doesn't accept EBT Cash at all, only SNAP/CalFresh for food items. Target has started accepting EBT Cash online for delivery and pickup in certain areas of California, so that might be worth trying. If you're still having issues, sometimes the problem is that your local county office needs to update something on the back end of your case. Getting through to them by phone can be a nightmare though.

Walmart online is SO FRUSTRATING with EBT!!! I had the exact same problem last month and spent HOURS trying to figure it out. Turns out they only let you use EBT Cash for certain delivery zones and pickup locations. Try changing your delivery address or pickup store - that fixed it for me!!

I help clients navigate EBT issues regularly, and online EBT Cash usage is unfortunately still very limited in California. Here's what you need to know: 1. Walmart technically accepts EBT Cash online, but their system has been problematic since 2024 after they updated their payment processing system. Many counties in California are affected. 2. Target does accept EBT Cash online in most California counties now, but only for pickup orders, not delivery. 3. Grocery Outlet partners with Instacart in some areas and accepts EBT Cash. 4. For household essentials specifically, try Dollar General online - they've recently expanded their EBT Cash acceptance. 5. If you're facing technical issues rather than store policy problems, I'd recommend trying to reach your county CalFresh office directly to verify there are no holds or issues with your EBT Cash account. Sometimes there are flags on accounts that prevent online transactions specifically. If you're having trouble getting through to your county office by phone (which is common), you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). I've had clients use their service to get through to CalFresh workers much faster when dealing with urgent EBT issues. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8.

Has anyone used Instacart with EBT Cash? I know they take regular CalFresh but not sure about the cash part. Been thinking about trying it.

I went through this EXACT SAME NIGHTMARE scenario last month with my EBT Cash!!! Spent literally hours trying to make Walmart work. It's so frustrating because they don't tell you WHY it's not working! Here's what FINALLY worked for me: 1. I had to CALL my county office (took forever to get through) 2. Found out there was a "payment restriction flag" on my account for online transactions 3. They had to remove it on their end 4. Had to wait 24 hours for it to update in the system 5. THEN Walmart finally worked Apparently this is happening to TONS of people since they updated their fraud prevention system in 2025. The most INFURIATING part is that nobody tells you this!!! Not Walmart, not the EBT customer service line. Hope this helps someone else avoid the nightmare I went through!!!

I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned above when I was having EBT issues last month. It actually did get me through to a real person in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. The worker told me there was a system-wide issue with Walmart and EBT Cash in multiple counties that they're still working on fixing. My workaround has been using Target for pickup orders - it's been working consistently for me in Sacramento County.

anybody know if u can use EBT cash on amazon?? really need some stuff but cant get to store

UPDATE: Target pickup worked!!! I was able to use my EBT Cash for a pickup order with no problems. Thank you everyone for your help. For anyone having the same issue, try Target's website - you have to select EBT Cash at checkout, then enter your card and PIN. I still want to get the Walmart issue fixed, so I'm going to try calling my county office about that possible restriction flag on my account.

So glad to see Target worked for you! This thread has been super helpful - I've been having the exact same Walmart issues. Just wanted to add that I called my county office yesterday about the "online transaction restriction" that Derek mentioned, and sure enough, I had one on my account too! The worker said it's been automatically flagged on tons of accounts since January 2025 due to some new fraud prevention measures. She removed it and said to wait 24-48 hours before trying Walmart again. For anyone still struggling, definitely ask specifically about "e-commerce blocks" or "online transaction restrictions" when you call your county office. The workers know exactly what you're talking about now because they've been getting so many calls about it.

This is such a helpful thread! I've been dealing with the same EBT Cash/Walmart nightmare for weeks. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like there are multiple issues happening at once - the system glitches at Walmart, the automatic fraud prevention flags being put on accounts, and just general confusion about which stores actually accept EBT Cash online. I'm definitely going to try Target pickup first since so many people here have had success with it. And if that doesn't work, I'll call my county office about checking for those "online transaction restrictions" that Derek and Ashley mentioned. It's crazy that they're automatically flagging accounts without telling anyone! Thanks everyone for sharing your workarounds and solutions. This community is so much more helpful than trying to navigate the official customer service lines!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been following this EBT Cash online shopping situation closely. I've been having similar issues with Walmart but haven't tried Target yet - definitely going to give that a shot after reading all these success stories! One thing I wanted to add that might help others: I discovered that some CVS locations now accept EBT Cash for online pickup orders too. It's not widely advertised, but if you're looking for household essentials and pharmacy items, it might be worth checking if your local CVS offers it. The selection isn't huge, but it's another option when you need things like toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. Also, for anyone still struggling with the county office phone lines - I found that calling right when they open (usually 8 AM) gives you the best chance of getting through quickly. The wait times get much longer as the day goes on. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. This thread is going to help so many people dealing with these frustrating EBT Cash issues!

Wow, this thread is incredibly helpful! I just joined this community because I've been having the EXACT same issue with Walmart and EBT Cash for the past two weeks. I was starting to think there was something wrong with my card or account. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like Target pickup is the way to go right now. I'm definitely going to try that this weekend. I also had no idea about the automatic fraud prevention flags that are being put on accounts - that explains so much! I'm going to call my county office first thing Monday morning (thanks for the 8 AM tip!) and specifically ask about "online transaction restrictions" and "e-commerce blocks" like Derek and Ashley mentioned. It's really frustrating that they're flagging accounts without telling anyone, but at least now I know what to ask for. Thanks to everyone who shared their workarounds and solutions. This community is amazing - I've learned more in 10 minutes of reading this thread than I did in hours of calling customer service lines that either don't work or give conflicting information. I'll definitely update once I try these solutions!

This entire thread has been such a relief to read! I've been pulling my hair out for the past month trying to use my EBT Cash at Walmart online with zero success. Like so many others here, I kept getting that vague "payment method not available" error with no explanation whatsoever. I had no idea about the automatic fraud prevention flags or the fact that Target pickup was even an option for EBT Cash. I'm going to try Target this weekend, and I'm also planning to call my county office Monday morning to check if there's an "online transaction restriction" on my account like Derek and Ashley found. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to crowdsource solutions like this because the official customer service channels are so unhelpful. I spent hours on hold with the EBT hotline and they just kept telling me "Walmart should accept it" without any actual troubleshooting. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and workarounds - this community is doing what the official support systems should be doing. I'll definitely report back with my results to hopefully help the next person dealing with this mess!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been struggling with the same EBT Cash/Walmart issue for about 3 weeks now and was starting to feel like I was going crazy. Every time I tried to checkout, I'd get that same "payment method not available" error that everyone's mentioning here. I had absolutely no idea about those automatic fraud prevention flags being put on accounts - that would explain everything! I can use my EBT Cash just fine at physical stores and ATMs, so I couldn't figure out why online wasn't working. Based on all the success stories here, I'm definitely going to try Target pickup first. It sounds like that's been the most reliable option for people. If that doesn't work, I'll call my county office bright and early Monday morning and specifically ask about "online transaction restrictions" and "e-commerce blocks" like Derek and Ashley mentioned. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions! This community has been more helpful in 20 minutes than weeks of trying to get answers through official channels. I'll make sure to come back and update with my results to help others dealing with this same nightmare.

I am having issues with Wal-mart too but I will be looking into calling the local county office Monday to check into the "online restriction" thing!!! In the meantime, how do I use EBT Cash with Target or CVS? Thanks in advance!!!

@Sara Main That's fantastic that you got Walmart to escalate this! I really hope they follow through and actually fix it - so many of us have been dealing with this nightmare for months now. Just to add to what Philip said about Target - when I used EBT Cash for pickup there, I had to make sure my order was over their minimum pickup amount (I think it was $35). Also, double-check that all the items you're ordering are actually eligible for EBT Cash purchase - Target's website usually shows "EBT eligible" on qualifying items. For CVS, like Philip mentioned, it's still pretty limited. I called three different CVS locations near me and only one offered EBT Cash for online pickup orders. But when I did find one that accepted it, the process was pretty smooth - similar to Target where you select EBT as payment and enter your card info and PIN. Please keep us updated on whether Walmart actually fixes their system! It would be amazing if we could finally use our benefits there without all these workarounds.

Just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread! I've been dealing with the exact same Walmart EBT Cash issues for about 6 weeks now. Like everyone else, I kept getting that frustrating "payment method not available" error no matter what I tried. Based on all the success stories here, I tried Target pickup yesterday and it worked perfectly! The process was super smooth - logged into my Target account, added my items, selected "Order Pickup" at checkout, chose EBT as payment method, entered my card info and PIN, and boom - order confirmed. Picked it up this morning with no issues at all. I also called my county office yesterday morning right at 8 AM (thanks for that tip!) and asked specifically about "online transaction restrictions" on my EBT Cash account. Sure enough, I had an automatic fraud prevention flag that was blocking online transactions! The worker said they've been getting tons of calls about this since January and removed the restriction for me. She said to wait 48 hours before trying Walmart again. This community has been a lifesaver - I learned more practical solutions from this one thread than from hours of calling official customer service lines. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and workarounds! I'll definitely update if the Walmart fix actually works once my restriction is fully cleared.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been silently following this thread and dealing with the exact same EBT Cash nightmare at Walmart! I've been trying for over a month to get my online orders to work with no success - that "payment method not available" error has been haunting me. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so validating. I honestly thought I was doing something wrong or that there was an issue with my specific card. It's both frustrating and reassuring to know this is such a widespread problem. I'm definitely going to try Target pickup this weekend based on all the success stories here. I had no idea they even accepted EBT Cash for online orders! And I'm also going to call my county office Monday morning (bright and early at 8 AM like others suggested) to ask about those "online transaction restrictions" and "e-commerce blocks" that Derek and Ashley mentioned. @Sara Main - that's incredible that you got Walmart to escalate this issue! Really hoping they follow through with an actual fix. It would be amazing if we could finally use our benefits there without jumping through all these hoops. This community has been more helpful than months of trying to get answers through official channels. I'll definitely report back with my results to hopefully add another success story to help others dealing with this mess. Thank you to everyone who shared their workarounds and experiences!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I'm dealing with the exact same EBT Cash/Walmart issue and was starting to feel like I was the only one having this problem. That "payment method not available" error has been my nemesis for weeks now. I had no idea about the automatic fraud prevention flags being placed on accounts or that Target even accepted EBT Cash for pickup orders. This community has provided more actionable solutions in one thread than I've gotten from countless calls to customer service lines. I'm definitely going to try Target pickup this weekend, and I'll also call my county office Monday morning at 8 AM sharp to ask about "online transaction restrictions" and "e-commerce blocks" on my account. @Sara Main - that's fantastic that you got Walmart to escalate this issue! Really hoping they follow through with an actual fix. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and workarounds. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes a real difference when official channels fall short. I'll make sure to update with my results to hopefully help the next person dealing with this frustrating situation!

I've been lurking on this thread for a while and finally decided to create an account because this EBT Cash/Walmart situation has been driving me absolutely crazy! I've been trying to place an online order for over 3 weeks now and keep getting that same "payment method not available" error that everyone's talking about. Reading through all these experiences has been such a relief - I genuinely thought there was something wrong with my card or that I was missing some obvious step. It's incredible how many people are dealing with this exact same issue! I'm definitely going to try Target pickup this weekend based on all the success stories here. I had absolutely no idea they accepted EBT Cash for online orders. And I'm also planning to call my county office Monday morning at 8 AM (thanks for that tip!) to ask specifically about "online transaction restrictions" and "e-commerce blocks" on my account. @Sara Main - that's amazing that you got Walmart to finally acknowledge and escalate this issue! Really hoping they follow through with an actual fix. It would be such a game-changer if we could finally use our benefits there without all these complicated workarounds. This community has been more helpful than months of trying to get answers through official channels. Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions and experiences - I'll definitely come back and update with my results to hopefully help others dealing with this nightmare!