Will CalFresh benefits still load to my frozen EBT card or do I need to unfreeze it first?
Quick CalFresh question that's probably silly, but I can't find a clear answer online. I've been freezing my EBT card after every purchase for security (had some unauthorized charges last year). My benefit deposit date is coming up on the 9th of next month. If my card is still frozen on that date, will my CalFresh benefits still be deposited successfully? Or do I need to unfreeze my card before the deposit date for the funds to go through properly? I'm worried about delaying my benefits if I keep it frozen. Thanks for any help!
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Camila Castillo
You don't need to unfreeze your EBT card for benefits to be deposited. The freezing function only blocks purchases from being made with the card, but doesn't affect deposits to your account. Your CalFresh benefits will load automatically on your issuance date regardless of whether the card is frozen or not. When you're ready to use the benefits, just unfreeze the card before shopping. This is actually a really smart security practice most people don't know about!
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Samuel Robinson
•Oh thank goodness! I was so worried I'd miss my benefits. Thanks for clarifying - that makes perfect sense that freezing only affects purchases not deposits. Appreciate the quick help!
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Brianna Muhammad
wait u can freeze ur ebt card??? how do u even do that? ive never heard of this feature before
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JaylinCharles
•Yes! You can freeze your EBT card through the ConnectEBT mobile app or website. It's super useful if you're worried about fraud. My benefits got stolen once before I knew about this feature.
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Brianna Muhammad
•omg thx gonna download that app right now
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Eloise Kendrick
Freezing your card is smart! I got $340 stolen last month and the county is still "investigating" but I'm not hopeful about getting it back. For your actual question, the deposit will go through fine with a frozen card. The freeze only blocks purchases, not deposits.
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Lucas Schmidt
•Sorry about your stolen benefits! I had the same thing happen and literally couldn't reach a worker for THREE WEEKS. Finally I used Claimyr.com to get connected to a person at my county office within 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Got my case escalated right away, though still waiting on resolution. Might help you get through to check on your investigation status.
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Eloise Kendrick
•Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check that out. I've been calling every day with no luck getting through to a real person.
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Freya Collins
Kinda related question - does anyone know if freezing/unfreezing your card a lot will eventually damage it or cause the magnetic strip to fail faster? I've been doing this too but worried about wearing out my card somehow...
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LongPeri
•EBT card freezing is completely digital and has nothing to do with the physical card itself. It's just a security setting in the benefit system. You can freeze and unfreeze as often as you want without any impact on the physical card. The magnetic strip wears out from physical usage and environment (like keeping it near your phone), not from security settings.
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Freya Collins
•Oh wow that makes sense! I feel silly now lol. Thanks for explaining!
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JaylinCharles
Your benefits will still be added to your account even if card is frozen. The freeze just stops purchases. I do the same thing after someone stole $400 of my benefits last year!!!
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Luca Esposito
Just wanted to add my experience - I've been freezing my card religiously for about 8 months now after hearing horror stories like some of y'all shared. Can confirm 100% that benefits deposit normally even when frozen! I actually forget to unfreeze it sometimes and panic when I get to the store, but the money is always there waiting for me. It's such a relief knowing this security feature exists. More people need to know about the ConnectEBT app - it's a game changer for protecting your benefits.
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Carmella Fromis
•Thanks for sharing your experience! As someone new to CalFresh, I had no idea the ConnectEBT app even existed until I saw this thread. Just downloaded it and set up the freeze feature - feels so much better knowing I can protect my benefits this way. Really appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge here, especially about the deposit vs purchase distinction. This community is so helpful for navigating all these things they don't really explain when you first get approved!
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