Tops Customers Can Now Make EBT SNAP Purchases on Instacart
Tops Markets LLC now enables customers eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to shop online with Instacart. These shoppers can now pay for their same-day pickup or delivery orders with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card while shopping online at 126 Tops stores that partner with Instacart in New York state. In the coming weeks, the grocer will also offer these services at its Pennsylvania and Vermont locations that partner with Instacart.
“Tops Friendly Markets is excited to pilot these services in our largest market of Instacart stores,” said Jill Sirica, manager, digital marketing for Tops. “At the core of Tops’ mission is combating food insecurity, and this will help bridge that gap of helping families gain accessibility to healthy and affordable food, something we have strived for since we began our partnership with Instacart. We are truly excited to see it come to fruition.”
“Providing people access to the food they love is at the core of Instacart’s mission,” noted David Healy, who handles retail partnerships at the San Francisco-based online grocery platform. “We’re proud to partner with Tops Friendly Markets to provide more families with a convenient and accessible way to get their fresh food and pantry staples. Expanding EBT SNAP to reach same-day online grocery delivery and pickup is important to help people access the food they need, and we look forward to expanding this payment integration to even more retailers across New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania.”
By associating an EBT card to an Instacart account, a shopper confirms that the card information is current and valid. To successfully use the EBT card at a Tops location online, a credit or debit card must be linked to the Instacart account to cover nonfood fees such as bottle deposits in some states, taxes, delivery tips and any other non-EBT SNAP-eligible items that a shopper may want to purchase, in accordance with federal SNAP guidelines. A customer can then enter their ZIP code to determine if they’re near a participating Tops, and begin shopping and selecting items from among Tops’ EBT-eligible products. Once items are added to their cart, a customer will be able to select how much of their benefits they’d like to allocate to the order. Orders for delivery and pickup can be placed by customers for receipt in as fast as an hour, or arranged several days in advance.
To help subsidize costs for EBT SNAP participants, Instacart will waive delivery or pickup fees through Sept. 16, on up to the first three EBT SNAP orders for each customer with a valid EBT card linked to their Instacart account.
Recently, Ahold Delhaize USA banners Food Lion and Giant Food have given SNAP recipients the option to use EBT card when placing online orders through the banners’ online ordering programs.
Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops Markets operates 157 supermarkets, with five additional franchise stores, and employs 15,000 associates in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and western Vermont. The company is No. 66 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Food Lion and Giant Food’s parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, is No. 10 on The PG 100.
