Grocery shopping can be a hassle. With busy stores and long lines at the checkout, the last thing you want to deal with is having your food stamps declined when it comes time to pay for your groceries. Knowing which stores accept food stamps and which don't will save you time and frustration. Does Dollar Tree take food stamps? Let's find out!
Food stamps and EBT are both common names for SNAP. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, increases the purchasing power of the 42 million Americans who need a helping hand to afford their weekly groceries.
money treeis an authorized SNAP retailer, which means you can use your grocery stamps to purchase groceries from Dollar Tree.
One way to tell which stores accept food stamps near you is to look for the SNAP sign in the window or on the door. Some stores may display a sign saying they accept EBT cards. You can use food stamps at this store if you see either sign.
EBT stands for Electronic Benefits Card. It is the card that your food stamps (SNAP benefits) are loaded onto.
However, there are some restrictions on the items you can purchase from Dollar Tree.
What items can you buy at Dollar Tree with food stamps?
Your food stamp perks can be used to purchase most groceries, most soft drinks, food-producing plants, and vegetable seeds.
You can buy groceries such as rice, pasta, cereal, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, meat, vegetables, fruit, canned food, coffee and so on.
Grocery stamps cover most soft drinks, so you can buy fruit juices, smoothies, bottled water, and soda.
You can also use your food stamps to buy snacks like cookies, candy bars, candy, and chips.
If your Dollar Tree sells food-producing plants, your food stamps cover their purchase as well. Food plants include vegetable starts and potted herbs sold to be grown on your windowsill or planted in a container or garden bed. You can also buy vegetable seeds, but not flower seeds.
Also read:Does Dollar Tree accept EBT payments?
Dollar Tree items are not eligible as food stamp purchases
Dollar Tree is a combination store. They sell groceries and a wide range of other products. It's these non-food items that make a trip to Dollar Tree so affordable. Unfortunately, you cannot use food stamps to purchase non-food items.
Normal additions to your weekly grocery store, like laundry detergent, pet food, toilet paper, soap, deodorant, and shampoo, aren't groceries, so you'll need to use a different payment method to buy these items.
Why is pet food taboo? Well, pet food is food for your pet, but food stamps only cover human food.
Vitamins are also taboo when buying food stamps. If a product has a Supplement Facts Panel on the label instead of a nutritional label, it is not covered by food stamps.
You must also check the label on any energy drinks you intend to purchase, as some energy drink labels show a supplement fact panel rather than a nutritional information panel.
How to pay with food stamps at Dollar Tree
Before you shop, it's a good idea to know how much money you have to spend. To find out your meal stamp balance, you can call the number on the back of your EBT card or visit your state's EBT website to access your account.
The receipt for your most recent food stamp transaction also shows your available balance. If you walk into the store and haven't checked your balance first, the cashier can run your card and print a receipt showing your meal voucher balance.
When it comes time to pay for your groceries, make sure you swipe your EBT card before paying the balance with another card.
If you swipe a credit or debit card first, all your purchases will be charged to that card.
When you swipe your card, enter your 4-digit PIN and then press the "ENTER" button.
If your purchase exceeds your available food stamp balance or contains ineligible items, you must use an alternative payment method to settle the outstanding balance.
When you receive your receipt, you will see your remaining meal voucher balance printed below.
Does Dollar Tree accept food stamps online?
Dollar Tree offers an online shopping serviceDollarTree.com. Purchases can be delivered to your door or collected from your local store, but currently you cannot use grocery stamps to pay for these orders.
For online orders you must use a different payment method. Dollar Tree accepts:
- Visa credit and debit cards
- Mastercard credit and debit cards
- American Express
- Discover
- PayPal
- PayPal balance
Can you use TANF benefits at Dollar Tree?
TANFor temporary support for families in need is commonly known as EBT cash. This is a cash benefit for low-income families and can be used to pay for many basic living expenses, including housing, transportation, groceries, utility bills, clothing and other necessities.
You can spend your TANF credit at Dollar Tree, and since TANF isn't limited to groceries, you can use it to buy whatever you need.
Does Dollar Tree take WIC?
WIC is the special nutritional supplement program for women, infants and children. WIC was founded to provide access to nutritious food for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, infants and children up to the age of 5.
Retailers in the WIC program must follow strict guidelines. Stores must be able to guarantee the availability of certain food categories and maintain stock levels of these foods at all times above the set minimum stock level.
Supermarkets are well-equipped to meet these needs, but stores like Dollar Tree are not
are unable to guarantee minimum stock levels as their product lines vary frequently and their replenishment schedule means they are often out of stock on certain items.
For this reason, they do not participate in the WIC program.
Can you use coupons with food stamps at Dollar Tree?
Yes, you can use manufacturer coupons to reduce your grocery bill, but there are some caveats to be aware of.
Dollar Tree only allows you to use up to 4 coupons per manufacturer per day. For example, if you have 6 coupons for 20 cents off a 2 liter bottle of Coke and pick up 6 bottles during your shopping spree, you will only get the discount on 4 of the bottles.
But if you have 4 Coke coupons and 4 Pepsi coupons, then you can use all 8 coupons.
Product size and type must match coupon exactly. If you purchase a 32 ounce product but have a coupon for the 24 ounce version, you will not receive the discount.
If your coupon has a discount that is greater than the actual cost of an item, you will only receive the price of the discounted item, the full value of the coupon will not be deducted from your bill.
Dollar Tree accepts 2 internet vouchers per customer per day.
Free item coupons will only be accepted if the offer is a Buy One Get One Free offer.
Is Dollar Tree still good value for money?
Dollar stores are great places to get a bargain on some product lines, but when it comes to groceries, you'll get better value at a major supermarket or retailer.
Everyone's frustrated by rising grocery prices, but Dollar Tree's customers have good reason to be more frustrated than most. The retailer raised prices well above the official rate of inflation and now their price point has gone from $1 to $1.25.
If you have access to a regular supermarket, you will find that most groceries have lower prices compared to Dollar Tree.
Walmart's online grocery service is also an option if you don't have transportation, as you can use your grocery stamps to pay for your Walmart order. You'll have to use a credit or debit card to pay for shipping, but the savings you'll make will easily cover the cost.
Diploma
You can spend your grocery stamps at Dollar Tree stores, but you cannot use them to pay for DollarTree.com orders for home delivery or store pickup.
Because grocery stamps only cover grocery purchases, you can't use them to pay for cleaning products, personal care items, or pet food.
Dollar Tree also accepts TANF benefits that can be used to purchase non-food items in store. However, the dealer does not participate in the WIC program.
If you have discount coupons, you can use them along with your food stamps as long as you follow the Dollar Tree coupon policy.
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FAQs
Are PA SNAP benefits extended? ›
Extra SNAP benefits will be ending in February 2023!
Extra SNAP, or emergency allotments (EAs) will be ending after February 2023. Click here to find out what you can do to keep receiving the maximum SNAP you are eligible for.
If a client does not use all of their benefits in a given month, the balances will "roll over" to the next month. The EBT card can be used outside of Orange County. All Food Stamp cases are included.
Does EBT carry over to the next month California? ›According to the US Department of Agriculture, any recipients that have remaining money on their EBT card at the end of the month will have those benefits rolled over into the next month.
Does Dollar Tree take EBT in Michigan? ›Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Kmart all accept EBT cards but not food stamps.
How long will the increase in food stamps last in Pennsylvania 2023? ›On December 23, Congress passed budget legislation that – among many other things – will end SNAP Emergency Allotments in February 2023! February will unfortunately be the last month that these extra monthly payments are available.
What is the $900 dollar grocery stimulus? ›$900 Grocery Stimulus Benefit under Medicare Advantage and SNAP For Seniors. With higher than normal inflation, many seniors on fixed incomes are looking for help to make ends meet and ensure they have access to healthy and nutritious food.
How many years can you get Food Stamps in California? ›In California, most households have a 12-month certification period. Some household with elderly or disabled members have a 24 month certification period. Households that only have elderly and/or disabled members and no earned income are certified for 36 months.
How much is EBT per month in California? ›Your CalFresh allotment depends on the size of your household. Starting October 1, 2022, the maximum allotment for one person is $281 per month. The maximum allotment for a four person family is $939. The chart below is effective 10/1/2022 for the Thrifty Food Plan maximum allotment amounts based on household size.
What happens if I don't use all my Food Stamps California? ›Even if you lose SNAP eligibility and your case is closed, you can still use any funds left on your EBT card. However, SNAP benefits fall into the category of “use it or lose it.” You need to use your EBT card on a regular basis. If you do not access your SNAP benefits at all for 9 months, you'll lose them for good.
How long will the extra food stamps last in PA? ›Pennsylvania Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will receive their last extra monthly emergency payment in February 2023.
Will PA get more EBT for 2022? ›
More P-EBT funds were issued for the 2020-2021 school year, and more are being made available for the 2021-2022 school year.
How long do SNAP benefits last in Pennsylvania? ›You can keep SNAP benefits on your EBT card as long as you want, so long as you use the card once every 9 months to keep it active.
What is the income limit for food stamps in PA 2022? ›Household Size | Maximum Gross Monthly Income |
---|---|
1 | $2,266 |
2 | $3,052 |
3 | $3,840 |
4 | $4,626 |