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Lidl accepts EBT payment, as we’ve confirmed from its customer help portal. At the moment, shopping at the brick-and-mortar stores is the only way to use your EBT card. The reason is because Lidl does not accept EBT card payment online, and its website doesn’t offer the option for deliveries.
However, Lidl is in partnership with Shipt to make home delivery services available for customers. If you dread leaving your house to go grocery shopping, then you can use Shipt to order from Lidl. Unfortunately, Shipt only accepts debit and credit cards.
Keep reading to learn how to use your EBT card to buy groceries from Lidl stores. We also highlight the kind of products you can and can’t buy with EBT payment at Lidl.
How EBT payment works at Lidl
Shopping with your EBT card at Lidl is similar to using your debit or credit cards. Once you’re at any of the store’s locations, you just need to browse through their aisles. We have a vast collection of grocery guides to help you find whatever you’re looking for in a grocery store.
After adding groceries to your cart, you can proceed to the checkout desk where a cashier will be waiting to attend to you. They will scan and calculate the total of your items, and then you can present your EBT card as the preferred payment method.
The cashier will slide your card into a card reader and ask you to enter your four-digit pin. Once the card reader authorizes the payment, the cashier will return your card along with a receipt.
If you have items that aren’t eligible for EBT payment or your EBT card funds are insufficient, you can present a debit or credit card to split the costs.
What you can buy with your EBT card at Lidl
You can buy any grocery item that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) approves. Below is a list of SNAP-approved items with examples.
- Fresh produce: these are raw fruits and vegetables that have not been processed. For example, broccoli, apples, tomatoes, peppers, berries, carrots, asparagus, and more.
- Meat and fish: meat like pork, beef, lamb, and chicken. Fish like tuna and mackerels.
- Dairy products: milk, yogurts, butter, cheeses, and ice cream.
- Breads and cereals: wheat bread, white bread, baguettes, tortilla, and banana bread.
- Snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages: popcorn, pretzels, potato chips, iced tea, ginger beer, smoothies, lemonade, and more.
- Seeds and plants: you can buy seeds that grow food or buy plants with food-producing roots or plant bulbs, and bushes. For example, potatoes and squashes.
Grocery items that are not eligible for EBT payment at Lidl
You can’t buy alcohol or liquor with your EBT card as the SNAP doesn’t approve it. We explain why alcohol had strict regulations in the USA.
You also can’t buy vitamins or supplements for weight gain or weight loss, body enhancement pills or drugs for treating ailments as they’re medicines. The SNAP doesn’t approve of the purchase of medicines with EBT cards.
Live animals are also ineligible. So if it’s breathing or moving, you certainly can’t buy it with an EBT card. However, there are exceptions. For example, if the store offers a ‘point and kill’ service.
Point and Kill is a common term people use in Nigeria. It means that you select the fish you want from a pond, and the store will kill and clean or prepare it for you.
This exception also applies to meat. Unless Lidl kills and prepares the meat before selling it to you, you can’t buy the live animal to take home. Other items that have SNAP bans include hot foods (like soups with steam), pet foods, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items or cosmetics.
What other payment methods does Lidl accept?
Besides EBT cards, Lidl accepts cash payment. So if you don’t own any debit or credit cards, you can use that as your payment choice.
Lidl also accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards. If you prefer to use contactless payment methods, you’ll be glad to know that Lidl accepts mobile payment services like Google Pay and Apple Pay.
If you have a Lidl gift card, you can pay with that as well or get them for your family and friends.
Conclusion
Now you know that Lidl accepts EBT. Because the store’s business model primarily focuses on operating in brick-and-mortars, you can’t enjoy the perks of using your EBT card on their website.
On the bright side, Lidl has high-quality private labels and competitive prices, which make the trip to the store worth it. But if you ever need an alternative that accepts EBT virtually, you can check out these grocery stores that accept EBT online.
Irene is a Freelance content writer who helps professionals and startups build an audience with original content online. She has written over +100 articles, and is backed up by 3 years experience. She loves gaming and listening to music, while she’s not tapping furiously on her laptop.