Want to Check Your Food Stamp Balance in Seconds? You Need This App

If, before going to the grocery store, your first step isn’t to create a list…

If it isn’t to make sure you have all your coupons…

If, instead, it’s to call the digits on the back of your EBT card, then punch in your membership number to see how much food you can afford, you need to listen up.

Because an innovative free app called Fresh EBT allows you to check your food stamp balance with a single click.

How Fresh EBT Brings Food Stamps Into the Modern Age

Nearly 43 million Americans are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as food stamps. (If you’re not enrolled, click here to learn if you’re eligible.)

Each month, SNAP benefits are loaded onto an electronics benefits transfer card, which is like a debit card the government refills. But unlike a regular debit card, discovering how much money you have left to spend each month isn’t always easy.

Jimmy Chen, an ex-product manager at Facebook, didn’t think that was right.

“If people with credit cards or debit cards can check their balance, you should be able to do the same with an EBT card,” explains Chen.

So, in a small team, he “took the things that Facebook did very well — make software that’s easy to use — and used that to build Fresh EBT.”

The resulting app provides a smooth, bank-like experience to SNAP recipients. It’s available for free in every state for Android and iOS.

If you’re enrolled in SNAP, you can download the app and create an account with your EBT number.

From then on, your food stamp balance will update automatically. To check the balance, all you have to do is open the app.

“This is a better way to manage your benefits,” says Chen. “It’s a replacement for calling the number on the back of your card or saving your grocery receipts.”

The app, which launched in January 2016, has 900,000 users who check it at least once a month.

It has a 4.6 rating on the Google Play store, with more than 8,000 five-star reviews, and is among the 10 most popular free finance apps — putting it alongside giants like Venmo, Capital One and Bank of America. In the App Store, it has a four-star rating. Negative reviews centered around connectivity or access issues.

How Fresh EBT Helps You Save Money

In addition to providing an easy way to check your food stamp balance, Fresh EBT has a few other features that could help you save money:

• Map of nearby vendors: Pull up the app to easily see which grocery stores and farmers markets accept EBT in your neighborhood.

• Discounts at grocery stores: Depending on where you live, the app could save money on your grocery bill. In New York City, for example, you’ll get $5 off for every $75 you spend at Food Town. You can even check how much you’ve spent at each store to help determine where you’re getting the best deals.

• Access to recipes: Together with cookbook author Leanne Brown, the app brings you low-cost, high-nutrition recipes for you and your family.

• Partnerships with other organizations: EARN Starter, for example, gives you $10 for every $20 you save.

• Local resources: The app lists places where you can seek further assistance, like non-profit organizations and food pantries.

“Our goal with Fresh EBT is really to help users improve their overall financial health,” says Chen.

For more ways to save money on groceries, check out this list of tips and tricks. 

Susan Shain is a freelance writer and digital nomad. She covers travel, food and personal finance (basically, how to save money so you can travel more and eat more). Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.