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Can I use my EBT card in another state?

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Dec 2008
30

by billeater
Posted In:  low income assistance

Many people who use an EBT card for food stamp benefits, such as the Lone Star Card in Texas, the Illinois Link Card, or the Florida EBT card have wondered if they can use their card when they are out of state. To answer this question, we scoured the rules of several of these cards, and found the following...

For the Lone Star Card, they offer this guidance ( more info here )

Call your local office before you leave Texas. Take your Lone Star card with you.

If you receive food stamp benefits, use your Lone Star card at stores that accept food stamps in other states. If it does not work, call the Lone Star Help Desk at 1-800-777-7EBT (1-800-777-7328).*

For the Illinois Link Card, this is what they had to say

  If I am out of state, can I access my food stamps on my Link card wherever I am?

Yes.  If you are traveling and need to purchase groceries you should use your Link card just as if you were at an llinois grocery store. 

For the Florida, California, Michigan, Georgia and New York EBT Card, we visited their websites, and  the answers are much the same.

This information found on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's site sums it up quite well..

13. Can I use my electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card in another state?

Yes, all EBT cards can be used in all States. 

Note that there used to be a problem with cards from Wyoming and Ohio because they used a different type of card, called a smartcard.  Both states transitioned to standard cards around 2006, though, and can now be used anywhere.

So, the very short answer is YES, YOU CAN USE YOUR EBT CARD IN ANOTHER STATE.

One item to be aware of is that if you plan to use the card in an ATM for temporary cash benefits, you may be charged an ATM fee.  See our article on no charge ATM machines to avoid wasting your benefits on transaction fees.

Also see these related articles:

Other helpful areas of the site:

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