A subsidy card is a government-issued payment card loaded with benefits you can spend on a specific category of goods or services, most often food. The card most people picture is the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card used by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but similar cards exist for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Whether you qualify depends on your income, household size, and, for some programs, factors like age, pregnancy, or disability.
The Main Types of Subsidy Cards
Different federal programs deliver help through different cards, and each card has its own rules about what you can buy and where.
SNAP EBT Card
SNAP is the largest subsidy card program by far. Your state agency loads monthly food benefits onto an EBT card that works like a debit card at most grocery stores and food retailers. Eligible purchases include fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, cereals, snack foods, non-alcoholic beverages, and even seeds and plants that grow food for your household. You cannot use SNAP to buy alcohol, tobacco, vitamins or supplements, hot prepared food, or non-food items like cleaning supplies or pet food.1Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy?
WIC Card
WIC provides free food, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support to pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children under five.2Food and Nutrition Service. WIC Benefits The eWIC card works at WIC-approved grocery stores and farmers’ markets, but the list of eligible items is tighter than SNAP because WIC is built around specific nutritional goals. Expect items like fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, beans, cheese, and baby food.
TANF Cash Benefit Card
TANF gives temporary cash assistance to families with children. The EBT card carrying TANF benefits behaves more like a general debit card than a SNAP card: you can use it at retail stores or withdraw cash from ATMs. Federal law blocks its use at liquor stores, casinos, and adult entertainment venues, and many states add more restrictions on where cash can come out.
Benefits That Work Like a Card, But Aren’t One
Two well-known income-based programs are sometimes lumped in with subsidy cards even though you never carry a card for them. Medicare Extra Help lowers prescription drug costs, and your Part D plan applies the subsidy automatically at the pharmacy.3Medicare.gov. Help with Drug Costs Affordable Care Act premium tax credits go directly to your insurance company to lower what you owe each month.4Internal Revenue Service. The Premium Tax Credit – The Basics Both reduce what you pay, but neither hands you plastic to swipe.
How the Card Works at Checkout
If you have ever used a debit card, the basics will feel familiar. At a participating store, you swipe, insert, or tap the EBT card at the point-of-sale terminal and enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN). The system checks your balance, confirms the items are eligible, and deducts the purchase from your remaining benefits. Your PIN is the main thing standing between your benefits and someone else, so don’t write it on the card or share it.5Food and Nutrition Service. Facts About SNAP
The difference from a regular debit card is that subsidy cards are restricted. If you try to buy something outside your program’s approved categories, the terminal declines that item. SNAP cards cannot be used at ATMs. TANF cards can, but federal law blocks them at gambling establishments and similar locations.
Who Qualifies
Every program sets its own rules, but most weigh the same handful of factors: household income against the federal poverty level, the number of people in your household, and where you live.
Most subsidy card programs use the federal poverty level (FPL) as a baseline. The Department of Health and Human Services updates the figures each year. For 2026, the FPL is $15,960 for a single individual and $33,000 for a family of four, with each additional household member adding $5,680.6HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Programs then set their own cutoff as a percentage of FPL. SNAP generally requires gross income below 130% of FPL. Medicaid thresholds vary by state.
Income alone doesn’t decide the question. Programs also look at:
- Household size. More people in your household raises the income threshold, making it easier to qualify.
- Age and life stage. WIC is limited to pregnant or postpartum women and children under five. Medicare Extra Help requires Medicare enrollment, which generally means you’re 65 or older or have a qualifying disability.
- Resources. Some programs count savings, bank accounts, and certain assets. Medicare Extra Help, for instance, caps individual resources at $18,090 in 2026.3Medicare.gov. Help with Drug Costs
- Residency. You generally must live in the state where you apply.
How to Apply
Start with your state or local office for the program you want. For SNAP, you can apply online through your state’s portal, in person at a local office, by mail, or by fax.7USAGov. How to Apply for Food Stamps (SNAP Benefits) and Check Your Balance Most programs want documentation of your identity, income, and household composition; healthcare marketplace subsidies may also require verification of citizenship or immigration status.8HealthCare.gov. Required Documents and Deadlines for Marketplace Applications Before you start, pull together recent pay stubs, tax returns, a government-issued ID, and details about everyone in your household.
SNAP has a timeline worth knowing. Federal law requires state agencies to process applications and issue benefits within 30 days. If your situation is urgent, meaning very little income and almost no cash on hand, you may qualify for expedited processing and receive benefits within seven days.9Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Application Processing Timeliness Expedited service is generally available to households with monthly gross income of $150 or less and $100 or less in liquid assets, or households whose shelter costs exceed their combined income and savings.
Managing Your Card
Checking Your Balance
Every EBT card has a toll-free customer service number printed on the back. Call anytime to hear your current balance. Most states also offer online portals or mobile apps for balances and recent transactions, and the simplest option is checking the receipt after each purchase, which prints your remaining balance at the bottom. Some stores let you run a balance inquiry at the terminal before you shop.
Unused Benefits
SNAP benefits roll over from month to month, so you don’t have to spend everything before the next deposit. If your card sits completely inactive for around nine months (274 days), your state may permanently remove the remaining balance. States must send you a notice 30 days before removing benefits, so watch your mail. Any purchase, however small, resets the inactivity clock.
Recertification
Subsidy card benefits don’t renew on their own. Your SNAP approval letter lists a certification period, which can run from a few months to three years. Before it ends, you have to complete a recertification with updated income and household information. Miss the deadline and your benefits stop until you recertify. SNAP also imposes work requirements on certain adults without dependents: at least 20 hours per week of work, or benefits are limited to three months in any three-year window. If you receive a notice cutting your benefits, you have the right to appeal, and filing quickly can keep benefits flowing while the appeal is pending.
Lost or Stolen Cards
If your EBT card is lost or stolen, call the customer service number on the back or your state’s EBT hotline right away. Prompt reporting helps stop unauthorized charges and is the first step toward getting stolen benefits replaced. All 50 states now have some process for replacing SNAP benefits taken through card skimming or unauthorized transactions.10Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Should I Do if My EBT Card or PIN Is Lost or Stolen, or I See Unauthorized Charges One important difference from a regular debit card: EBT cards for needs-tested programs like SNAP do not carry the same federal protections under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Replacement rules and timelines vary by state, which is why speed matters.
Fraud and Misuse Penalties
Misusing SNAP benefits is a federal crime, and the penalties climb sharply with the dollar amount involved:11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 7 – 2024
- Less than $100: a misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 in fines and up to one year in prison.
- $100 to $4,999: a felony carrying up to $10,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.
- $5,000 or more: a felony carrying up to $250,000 in fines and up to 20 years in prison.
On top of criminal penalties, a court can suspend you from SNAP for up to 18 months beyond any disqualification already imposed by your state agency.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 7 – 2024 Trafficking, meaning selling benefits for cash, is the most commonly prosecuted form of fraud and the kind of activity that triggers felony charges. Second and later convictions carry mandatory minimum sentences.