Uber Eats announced plans on Wednesday to accept food stamps (EBT) and healthcare benefits as payment for grocery deliveries starting in 2024. The move aims to broaden access to fresh groceries for vulnerable populations, such as those in food deserts, seniors, and individuals with disabilities or transportation challenges.
Beginning in 2024, the company will allow individuals with EBT cards to utilize their funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, to pay for their grocery delivery orders.
“Whether you’re needing to quickly find groceries within a budget or are looking for a bottle of bubbly under $20, we’re here to take the stress out of shopping for you,” Therese Lim, senior director of product at Uber Eats, wrote in the blog post.
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Along with accepting EBT cards, Uber is working with Managed Medicaid and Medicare Advantage to begin accepting FSA Cards, Flex Cards, and relevant waiver payments on the platform in 2024. While other companies like Instacart and Aldi have previously piloted EBT acceptance, Uber is the first to accept healthcare benefit payments for grocery delivery.
While specifics regarding availability will be unveiled closer to the 2024 launch date, Uber has said its goal is to roll out this payment option across all 50 states.
“We are thrilled to bring SNAP payment integration to Uber Eats and use Uber’s technology and extensive local delivery networks to help provide SNAP recipients greater access to fresh groceries,” Oskar Hjertonsson, VP of new verticals at Uber, told Entrepreneur.
In addition to the payment changes, Uber Eats announced more updates, such as introducing an AI assistant to help customers find better grocery deals and a “Sales Aisle” feature for locating local promotions.
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