Does McDonalds Take EBT in 2024? – Unfortunately, No!

If you are on EBT and wondering about McDonald’s, you’re probably wondering “Does McDonald’s Take EBT Cards?” Here’s a short answer. McDonald’s does take EBT but not all of its locations. Only the branches of McDonald’s that participate in RMP, accept EBT. Others, unfortunately, don’t. We’ll help you find further answers to your questions in this article.

If you’re an EBT cardholder, you’ll definitely want to know what food restaurants accept EBT. And for those who don’t know what an EBT card is or what it does, here’s an explanation. ‘Electronic Benefit Transfer’ or EBT, is the replacement of old state welfare programs and food stamps.

By applying for welfare aid online and receiving funds through an electronic account in your name, you no longer need to rely on old-fashioned Food Stamp vouchers or coupons.

As soon as you apply for welfare and are accepted, you will receive an EBT card, which functions much like a standard debit card. With an EBT card, however, you are limited in what you can and cannot purchase.

[wps_button style=”default” url=”https://amzn.to/3IRX1Vn” target=”blank” background=”#ff9900″ color=”#FFFFFF” size=”25″ wide=”yes” position=”Right” radius=”0″ text_shadow=”5px 5px 5px #000″ rel=”nofollow” title=”nofollow sponsored”]Buy Food Stamps Online[/wps_button]

Does McDonald’s Accept Food Stamps?

Unfortunately, No. Unlike many other food restaurants, Mcdonald’s does not accept Food Stamps. However, if you have access and you’ve been approved for the Restaurants Meals Program (RMP), only then you can use your EBT at Mcdonald’s to purchase food.

Furthermore, RMP is available in only 5 to 6 states, and that too, only for the elderly, disabled, or homeless people who can’t have food cooked by themselves. The full Restaurant Meals Program is currently only available in Arizona and California, but a slimmed-down version is available in Florida and Rhode Island. There are no other states currently participating in this program.

However, McDonald’s does accept TANF payments. So, if you receive them, they allow the users to withdraw the money from an ATM nearby and use the payment at Mcdonald’s.

Surprising Things You Can Buy with EBT

Our readers ask us all the time if they can purchase certain food items with their food stamp benefits. So, here’s a list of the types of items you can buy using your EBT card.

• Seafood such as fish, shrimp, and crab
• Slurpee and Fountain Soda
• Energy drinks like Red Bull
• Coffee includes ground coffee, coffee beans, etc.
• Candies and their different varieties
• Subway sandwiches and salads that are not hot served
• Steak and beef products
• Cakes with the decoration only 50% of the total cake price
• Frozen items such as frozen pizza

Can You Use EBT at Mcdonald’s?

Yes. But only in a few states such as Michigan, California, Maryland, etc. Fast food is not a viable payment option for most SNAP beneficiaries. A limited number of EBT cardholders may be eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) in certain states, which allows them to use their benefits on fast food.

Fast food restaurants rarely accept government funding, even if you’ve been approved for RMP. If you qualify, McDonald’s is only available at selected locations in California with EBT benefits.

What Fast Foods Accept EBT?

Fast food restaurants that have been approved for SNAP benefits accept EBT cards. Mostly, it’s not the fast food that is to be purchased using your EBT card. It is basically to be used at grocery stores to shop for the grocery you’re in need of.

However, a few fast-food restaurants, only a few though, do accept EBT. This is because they’re either approved for the SNAP and WIC programs, RMP, or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) programs.

Here’s a list of Fast-Food restaurants that accept EBT and you’ll find them near you.

• Subway
• Burger King
• Pizza Hut
• Popeye’s
• KFC
• Denny’s
• Carl’s Jr.
• Del Taco
• Taco Bell
• Jamba Juice
• Church’s Chicken
• Rally’s Hamburgers
• Papa Murphy’s
• Wendy’s
• Jack in the Box
• El Pollo Loco
• Quiznos
• Great Steaks

What Can SNAP EBT Benefits be Used to Purchase?

It’s true that you cannot benefit from your EBT at many fast-food restaurants including McDonald’s, but there’s still a lot your EBT card would benefit you with. Here’s a short list of items that you can purchase using your EBT card at any grocery store nearby.

• Meat
• Poultry and Dairy products
• Fruits and vegetables
• Cereals and grains
• Food-producing plants

What Can’t You Purchase with a Snap-Only EBT Card?

Although there’s a wide variety of items that are eligible to be purchased with your EBT card, there are some restrictions as well. The major one is that you can’t purchase hot-served foods. Other than that, here’s a short list of the type of items you can’t purchase with a Snap-only EBT card.

• Alcohol and tobacco-containing products
• Drugs and medicines
• Supplements or vitamins
• Toiletries and other household items
• Live animals or birds

[wps_button style=”default” url=”https://amzn.to/3IRX1Vn” target=”blank” background=”#ff9900″ color=”#FFFFFF” size=”25″ wide=”yes” position=”Right” radius=”0″ text_shadow=”5px 5px 5px #000″ rel=”nofollow” title=”nofollow sponsored”]Buy Food Stamps Online[/wps_button]

How to Use an EBT Card at Mcdonald’s?

To use your EBT card at Mcdonald’s, you’ll first need to confirm if that particular branch of McDonald’s in fact accepts the EBT card, which in most cases won’t be possible. But if you live in one of the states such as Arizona or California, that accepts EBT cards for McDonald’s through RMP, here’s how to use it.

1. Simply purchase a meal you want.
2. For the payment at the counter, you’ll be asked to enter your secret 4-digit pin after sliding your EBT card through the scanner.
3. The payment would be deducted from the card and your card would be handed over back to you along with the receipt.

Where Can You Use Your EBT Card?

Other than a few fast-food restaurants, almost all the grocery states in the entire United States accept EBT cards. Other than the restricted items, you can purchase whatever you want with your card. Even if you purchase the restricted items, you’ll have to pay for them using some alternative method other than the EBT card.

Here’s a shortlist of the stores where you can use your EBT card.

• Costco
• Trader Joe’s
• Ralphs
• Target
• Wal Mart
• Whole Foods
• Jubilee Foods
• Piggly Wiggly

Other than these, there are a lot of stores that too accept EBT cards for payment

What McDonald’s Accept EBT Near Me?

More than thirteen thousand McDonald’s in the United States and only six states accept EBT that have been approved for the RMP. These states are:

1. California
2. Arizona
3. Maryland
4. Michigan
5. Rhode Island
6. Illinois

If you luckily live in one of these states, you can use your EBT card to purchase any kind of food you want, making sure you approve of the terms and conditions of RMP.

Does McDonald’s Take EBT in California?

Yes. There are a lot of McDonald’s in California and they do take EBT as a form of payment for your purchase in-store.

Below is a list of counties that take part in California’s RMP, known as the Cal Fresh RMP:

[mks_col]

[mks_one_half]

• Sacramento
• San Diego
• Santa Cruz
• San Luis Obispo
• Los Angeles
• Mariposa
• Monterey

[/mks_one_half]

[mks_one_half]

• Santa Clara
• Siskiyou
• Tehama
• Alameda
• Fresno
• Orange
• Riverside

[/mks_one_half]

[/mks_col]

Does McDonald’s Take EBT in Arizona?

Yes. Arizona is also one of the states where Mcdonald’s accepts EBT payments. You’ll find a lot of Mcdonald’s locations that accept SNAP programs nearby you if you live in Arizona.

Below is a list of counties that take part in Arizona‘s RMP.

[mks_col]

[mks_one_half]

• Cave Creek
• Chandler
• El Mirage
• Fort Mohave
• Kayenta
• Kingman
• Lake Havasu
• Maricopa
• Page
• Parker
• Payson
• Phoenix
• Pinetop
• Quartzsite
• Avondale
• Bullhead City
• Safford

[/mks_one_half]

[mks_one_half]

• Scottsdale
• Show Low
• Snowflake
• Springer Ville
• Surprise
• Holbrook
• Mesa
• Tempe
• Tuba City
• Tucson
• Window Rock
• Winslow
• Gilbert
• Glendale
• Globe
• Holbrook

[/mks_one_half]

[/mks_col]

Does DoorDash Accept EBT?

DoorDash is a company in the United States that allows you to order food online and have it delivered. The company is the largest food delivery service in the United States, with a 56% market share. However, DoorDash does not take payments through EBT cards. It runs as an online food delivery app and does not approve of the terms and conditions of SNAP programs.

Can You Use EBT on DoorDash?

No. You cannot use EBT on DoorDash. A lot of food delivery apps offer restaurant-prepared meals but do not accept EBT cards. The only retailers who accept SNAP benefits are those who sell uncooked food. EBT cards cannot be used to pay for ordering food through Grub Hub, UberEATS, Postmates, or DoorDash.

[wps_button style=”default” url=”https://amzn.to/3IRX1Vn” target=”blank” background=”#ff9900″ color=”#FFFFFF” size=”25″ wide=”yes” position=”Right” radius=”0″ text_shadow=”5px 5px 5px #000″ rel=”nofollow” title=”nofollow sponsored”]Buy Food Stamps Online[/wps_button]

Does McDonald’s Accept EBT? – FAQs

[wps_faq style=”classic” question=” Can you use TANF Benefits to purchase McDonald’s?”]Yes. If you wish to use TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) to purchase food at McDonald’s, you can definitely do that. As part of TNAF, you are given money per month by the state that goes to your EBT card. You can withdraw this cash from ATMs, which can be used for paying rent, paying bills, and even purchasing fast food from fast-food restaurants, including McDonald’s.[/wps_faq]

[wps_faq style=”classic” question=”What other forms of payment except EBT are accepted by McDonald’s?”]As most Mcdonald’s do not accept EBT payments, there are other forms you can use to pay for your purchases there. These include: • Apple Pay • Master Card • American Express • Android Pay • Discover Card [/wps_faq]

Final Verdict

Other than McDonald’s, most of the other fast-food restaurants also DO NOT accept EBT cards to pay for your food purchases. But for Mcdonald’s, it’s just as simple as that. If you live in one of the few states which approve of the Restaurants Meal Program, only then you can buy food at McDonald’s through your EBT card.

Also, remember that RMP is specifically for the people who are unable to cook for themselves, such as the elderly and disabled or the lonely ones. So, if you intend to apply for the RMP, make sure you’re eligible to do that.