Hispanic grocer Cardenas Markets accepts EBT SNAP payments via Instacart
Cardenas Markets, a Hispanic grocer based in Ontario, Calif., is the latest grocer to accept Electronic Benefits Transfer and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments via the online grocery platform Instacart.
“We are proud to be the first Hispanic retailer to accept EBT SNAP as a form of online payment via Instacart,” Adam Salgado, chief marketing officer at Cardenas Markets, said in a news release. “We are consistently looking for ways to make the Cardenas Markets shopping experience even more convenient and accessible for all of our customers.”
One of the largest Hispanic grocery chains in the country, Cardenas Markets operates a total of 52 stores under the Cardenas banner and seven stores under the Cardenas Ranch Markets banner in California, Nevada and Arizona.
To subsidize costs for EBT SNAP participants, Instacart will waive delivery and pickup fees on all EBT SNAP orders through March 31, 2022, for customers using a valid EBT card associated with their Instacart account in connection with their purchase. Additionally, Instacart offers support in customers’ preferred language, including Spanish.
“At Instacart, providing people greater access to food is at the core of our mission, and we’re proud to deepen our partnership with Cardenas Markets to provide more families a convenient, accessible way to get their fresh food and pantry staples,” said Sarah Mastrorocco, vice president of access to food and nutrition at Instacart. “We believe that grocery delivery should be convenient and affordable for all, not a luxury for some. To get there, we need to make sure online grocery is accessible to everyone.
“We recognize the importance of expanding our EBT SNAP offering and partnering with key Latin grocer Cardenas Markets is an important milestone as we continue to increase access to food and nutrition,” Mastrorocco added.
According to Instacart, more than half of all federally approved retailers accept EBT SNAP online through its platform, serving more than 25 million people experiencing food insecurity across the U.S.
Where available in California, Arizona and Nevada, EBT SNAP participants are able to shop from Cardenas Markets via the Instacart website 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 federal SNAP guidelines. Customers can then enter their ZIP code to determine if they are near a Cardenas Markets store and begin shopping and selecting items from the retailer’s EBT-eligible products.
After 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. Orders for delivery and pickup can be placed by customers for receipt in as fast as 30 minutes or scheduled several days in advance.
In related news, earlier this week, Price Rite Marketplace, a registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., also began accepting EBT SNAP benefits as online payment for groceries through Instacart and the cooperative’s own online storefront, powered by Instacart.
Customers who qualify for EBT SNAP benefits are now able to use their funds when shopping Price Rite Marketplace stores online on Instacart’s website and mobile app from all of the Keasbey, N.J.-based grocer's 60 locations across Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
Shoppers must enter their EBT card as the form of payment on their Instacart account and select items from the list of EBT SNAP-eligible products as part of their Price Rite order. Another form of payment is needed for delivery fees, tips and taxes.
“Price Rite Marketplace is proud to accept EBT SNAP online for delivery and curbside pickup orders through Instacart,” Kevin McDonnell, senior vice president of operations for Price Rite Marketplace, said in a news release. “This new online shopping payment option for customers who use EBT SNAP will make it easier for many families to get the fresh foods and essentials they need.”
