The Agricultural Act of 2018 (PL 115–334) authorizes the use of mobile technologies for the purpose of accessing SNAP benefits for payment at the point-of-sale. This will allow SNAP participants to input their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card into a mobile device and make SNAP purchases at the point-of-sale without the presence of the EBT card.
Per the Act, FNS selected to partner with up to five states to test mobile payment technology in SNAP. In the next few years, SNAP participants in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma will have the option to use mobile payment methods - like tapping or scanning their personal mobile device - as an alternative to their physical SNAP card. If you have any questions, please email the SNAP mobile payment pilot mailbox.
For additional information on how FNS has worked towards modernizing EBT in order to reduce fraud and continue to protect SNAP benefits, please visit our SNAP EBT modernization page.