Does Jewel-Osco Take SNAP EBT Food Stamps?

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Consumers in the greater Chicago area who do their grocery shopping at Jewel-Osco can use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program electronic benefits transfer cards to buy food at participating locations.

Jewel-Osco, owned by Albertson’s, operates 188 stores throughout the Chicagoland area in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. Like most U.S. grocery chains, its stores accept SNAP EBT cards for food purchases. SNAP is a federal program for families who need financial assistance to buy food. Eligible consumers used to pay with food stamps but today use reloadable EBT debit cards.

Although SNAP is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program itself is managed at the state level. Different states have different rules, so check the appropriate agency in your state to learn how the program works, and when your EBT card is reloaded.

In addition to accepting EBT cards for in-store purchases, Jewel-Osco also lists 20 locations that let you use the card to pay for online purchases that can be picked up at the store. Of those, 18 are in Illinois.

To order online, sign into your Jewel-Osco account and find a store in your area that takes online SNAP orders. You will reserve a pickup time, add items to your cart, proceed to checkout and select SNAP EBT (pick up only) as your payment method. When you get to the store, you will complete the payment with your EBT card and/or EBT cash card. Cash back is not available for pickup orders.

You can include non-SNAP-eligible items in your pickup order, but they must be paid separately using a personal debit card, credit card or EBT cash card.

According to the USDA, you can use your EBT card to buy most food products, including the following:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Meat, poultry and fish
• Dairy products
• Breads and cereals
• Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages
• Seeds and plants that produce food to eat

Among the items you can’t buy with the EBT card include alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, vitamins, medicines, supplements, pet foods, cleaning supplies, paper products and cosmetics.

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