Instacart, Aldi Expand EBT SNAP to 23 States

In what officials are calling a significant step in ensuring equitable access to online shopping conveniences, Instacart is expanding SNAP payment integration to Aldi stores in 23 states and Washington, D.C., beginning Dec. 17.

The partnership between Aldi, the fast-growing German discounter based in Batavia, Ill., and Instacart, which facilitates delivery and curbside online shopping for the retailer, makes SNAP shopping available at more than 1,000 locations with particular appeal to lower-income shoppers, or about half of Aldi's U.S. locations. The news follows the initial rollout of the program across more than 60 store locations in Georgia, which launched in mid-November, and another 570 stores across California, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas, which launched earlier this month.

The expansion follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service’s most recent approval allowing Instacart and Aldi to expand a pilot known as EBT SNAP, or electronic transfer benefits for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The expansion includes Aldi stores in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin.

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To help subsidize costs for SNAP beneficiaries, Instacart said it would waive delivery fees on up to the first three EBT SNAP orders for each customer with a valid EBT card associated with their Instacart account for 90 days.

“Aldi is proud to be the first grocery retailer to accept EBT SNAP benefits as a form of payment online via Instacart for grocery delivery and Curbside pickup,” Scott Patton, VP of national customer interaction services for Aldi U.S., said in a release.

“Our mission is to create a world where everyone has access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Today, we’re proud to further our mission and continue our commitment to being a long-term solution for EBT SNAP households across America,” added Andrew Nodes, VP of retail for San Francisco-based Instacart. “As the country continues to grapple with COVID-19, we recognize the important role Instacart and its retail partners play in making same-day grocery delivery and pickup available to more people nationwide. We’re proud of the work we’ve done with Aldi and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to unlock EBT SNAP online payments for more families, and we look forward to continuing to expand this important program.”

Aldi began offering delivery service via Instacart in 2018. Instacart currently delivers nationwide from more than 2,000 of its stores.

As part of the new program, EBT SNAP participants in the available states will be able to shop from Aldi via the Instacart online site and mobile app. Once an Instacart customer profile is created, customers can enter their EBT food card information as a form of payment in their profile.

Customers will need a secondary form of payment for nonfood items such as taxes, tips and fees, per SNAP guidelines. Customers can then enter their ZIP code to determine if they are near a participating store. Once items are added to their cart, customers will be able to select how much of their benefits they would like to allocate to the order.

“I am excited to learn of Instacart and Aldi’s heightened efforts to expand safe purchasing and delivery options for New Yorkers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and I applaud Sen. [Todd] Kaminsky for getting S8247-A signed into law,” said Sen. Roxanne Persaud, chair of the New York State Senate Social Services Committee. “The levels of food insecurity New Yorkers have experienced in 2020 brings to light the indiscriminate nature of hunger and need that have long plagued communities across our great state. We must continue to reach more New Yorkers in need.”