Wawa is a well-known convenience store franchise with more than 800 locations throughout the United States East Coast. They offer a large and varied amount of food products, from fresh to packaged.
Being such an extensive chain, their payment methods must be just as extensive, and of course, a system as widely used as EBT had to be among them. Read on and learn everything you need about paying with EBT or food stamps at Wawa.
What can you buy at Wawa with the EBT card or food stamps?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was an initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide vulnerable families with food stamps through the Electronic Benefits Transfer system.
As the name implies, the SNAP-related EBT card can only be used to bill for food items at specific stores that accept this method of payment, such as Wawa.
In these convenience stores, you can purchase dairy products, bread, cereals, meats, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, snacks, ready-to-heat food, and even Smoothies, which are eligible to be paid with the Electronic Benefit Transfer.
Likewise, the contents or products allowed by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program may vary depending on the state in which the Wawa branch is located.
On the other hand, those consumer products of a nutritional nature, such as pizzas or sandwiches, can only be sold through the EBT if they are frozen or ready to go and bake.
The Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system does not allow hot or fast food payments. It only applies to products that can be carried and prepared at home.
Are there legal consequences for an improper purchase using EBT?
Charging the Electronic Benefit Transfer card for SNAP non-compliant products is understood to be a violation of SNAP policies or laws.
While there are no legal repercussions for the misuse of these cards, there are penalties or limitations imposed by the program.
These apply depending on the number of transactions denied. For the first charge to the EBT card, the account will be blocked for three months. For the second, the block will last one year, and the third denied charge will result in a two-year block.
How do I pay with Wawa Electronic Benefits Transfer?
It turns out to be as simple as paying traditionally with a credit or debit card. When canceling the purchase, the first step is to separate the products applicable for SNAP from those that are not.
This way, when you get to the cashier, you can tell the cashier which ones will be paid for with the EBT card and which ones will be transferred to another payment method.
After the products have been scanned, the cashier will ask for the EBT card to be inserted or swiped into the point-of-sale machine. You will be prompted for the four-digit code that was given to you with the card.
For security reasons, this pin must be entered by you, and at the point of sale, the digits will not be visible, as the asterisk symbols will appear.
The cashier will enter the amount, and after entering the digits and pressing “enter,” the transaction will be successful.
It is important to note that applicable products to be paid with EBT do not have to always be paid with that payment method. You can also use other methods to complete the purchase.
Does Wawa accept payments on your application with the Electronic Benefit Transfer method?
The Wawa chain does not accept EBT charges or food coupons through its app or online store. To pay with Electronic Benefit Transfer, you must go directly to one of the branches.
On the other hand, Wawa’s app has an option among its payments where it states, “pay in store,” so you can fill your cart through the app and then go to the store to pick up and pay for the purchase with the EBT method. EBT payments are also not allowed for home delivery services.
What other payment methods does Wawa accept?
Being such a large franchise, Wawa accepts various payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and the company’s own gift cards.
They also accept cash cancellations, and only some branches accept checks and EBT.