Does Walgreens Take EBT? CVS, WIC and Pharmacy Rules (2026)

Quick answer: Yes. Most Walgreens stores take EBT for SNAP food, but Walgreens says only "select" stores accept it, so check yours first.¹² CVS says it accepts SNAP EBT at all of its stores.³ Rite Aid closed its last stores in October 2025, so it no longer takes EBT anywhere.⁴ For how SNAP works and how to apply, see our SNAP guide.

Which pharmacies take EBT?

Walgreens and CVS do. On Oct. 26, 2026, USDA's retailer data listed more than 14,000 SNAP-authorized Walgreens and CVS locations, and no Rite Aid stores.⁵

Pharmacy	USDA-authorized locations	In store	Online with SNAP
Walgreens	7,344 in all 50 states and DC	Most stores²	Instacart and DoorDash²⁶
Duane Reade (Walgreens)	61	Yes, at USDA-listed stores⁵	Instacart²
CVS	7,036 in 47 states and DC	All stores³	CVS.com, DoorDash and Uber Eats⁷³
Rite Aid	0	Closed in 2025⁴	No

Source: PantryPath count of USDA SNAP retailer data by store name, Oct. 26, 2026, plus each company's own pages.⁵ To check one store, type its address into USDA's SNAP Retailer Locator.⁸ Our hub of stores that accept EBT covers grocery chains.

Does Walgreens take EBT?

Yes, at most stores, for SNAP-eligible food. Walgreens' help page says food stamps are accepted at "select" stores and tells you to contact your store.¹ In 2024, Walgreens said most of its stores accept SNAP EBT in person.²

USDA's data shows a Walgreens in every state. Florida (757), Texas (636) and Illinois (501) have the most.⁵ So the answer is the same in New York, New Jersey, Florida or California: look up the store, not the state.

Can you use EBT at Walgreens online?

Yes, through Instacart or DoorDash, but not on Walgreens.com. The payment list for Walgreens.com orders names cards, PayPal and gift cards, not EBT.¹

Instacart: SNAP works at more than 7,500 Walgreens stores, including Duane Reade stores in New York. Add your EBT card to your profile, then pick how much of your benefit to use at checkout.²
DoorDash: SNAP works at nearly 7,800 Walgreens stores, with more than 4,000 eligible items and delivery within an hour.⁶
Fees: SNAP can't pay delivery fees or other charges, so keep a second card on file.⁹

Our guide to using EBT online walks through adding your card on each app.

Does CVS take EBT?

Yes. In April 2025, CVS said it accepts SNAP EBT at all of its stores.³ CVS store pages also show an "Accepts SNAP" line in the store details.¹⁰

USDA's data listed 7,036 CVS locations. California (772), Florida (655) and Texas (586) have the most, and the data showed none in Alaska, South Dakota or Wyoming.⁵

Can you use EBT at CVS online?

Yes, and on CVS.com itself. CVS says you can add your EBT card to your CVS.com account, shop items with the EBT badge, and enter your PIN at checkout.⁷ Any delivery or service fee goes on another card.⁷

You can also use SNAP for CVS orders on DoorDash and Uber Eats, from more than 7,100 stores and 37,000 eligible items.³ USDA's list of online SNAP stores in Texas includes CVS and Walgreens.¹¹ Other states have their own lists on the same USDA page.⁹

Does Rite Aid take EBT?

No, because Rite Aid stores are gone. Rite Aid closed its last 89 stores in early October 2025, after its second bankruptcy filing in less than two years.⁴ It sold most of its pharmacy business to CVS, Walgreens, Albertsons and Kroger.⁴

USDA's SNAP data had no Rite Aid locations on Oct. 26, 2026.⁵ Some older articles still say Rite Aid takes EBT.

What can you buy with EBT at Walgreens and CVS?

Only food. The store doesn't change SNAP rules, and many drugstore items are not food.¹²

Aisle	SNAP?	Why
Milk, eggs, bread, cereal, frozen meals	Yes	Dairy, breads and cereals are food¹²
Chips, snacks, water, juice, soda	Yes, in most states	Snack foods and non-alcoholic drinks count¹²
Infant formula and baby food	Yes	Food for people to eat¹³
Vitamins, protein powder with a Supplement Facts label	No	Supplements are excluded¹²
Cough, cold and pain medicine	No	Medicines are excluded¹²
Prescriptions	No	Not food¹³
Diapers, toilet paper, shampoo, makeup	No	Paper, hygiene and cosmetic items¹²
Hot food, beer, wine, tobacco, pet food	No	All excluded¹²

Check the label on drinks and bars. If it says Supplement Facts, SNAP can't pay for it.¹² Our A–Z list of SNAP-eligible items covers more gray areas.

Can you buy candy with EBT at Walgreens or CVS?

It depends on your state. USDA has approved state waivers that take candy, soda or both off the SNAP list.¹⁴

Candy limit	States (USDA target start date)
Already started	Indiana (Jan. 1), Idaho and Oklahoma (Feb. 15), Louisiana (Feb. 18), Texas (April 1), Florida (April 20), Arkansas (July 1), all 2026¹⁴
Starts Nov. 1, 2026	Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina¹⁴
Starts later	Kansas and Missouri (Feb. 15, 2027), Nebraska (March 1, 2027), Nevada (Feb. 1, 2028)¹⁴

Source: USDA's food restriction waiver page, updated Oct. 13, 2026. More states limit soda or sweet drinks but not candy, and a court stopped Tennessee's waiver on June 22, 2026.¹⁴

Do Walgreens and CVS take WIC?

Some stores do. WIC is a separate program, and each state picks which stores can take it. States look at food prices, the owner's record, and the variety and amount of WIC foods in stock.¹⁵ They only have to approve enough stores for families to reach WIC foods, so many drugstores are not on the list.¹⁵

Walgreens: its store locator has a "WIC Accepted" filter. On Oct. 26, 2026, it showed 74 WIC stores near Boston.¹⁶
CVS: a store that takes WIC shows "Accepts WIC" in its store details.¹⁰
New York: 572 of the state's 2,803 WIC vendors are listed as pharmacy-only. We counted 229 Walgreens or Duane Reade stores and 131 CVS stores among them.¹⁷

WIC foods include infant formula, so a WIC-approved drugstore can be a handy place to get it.¹⁵ See our list of stores that accept WIC or our WIC guide.

Is an OTC card the same as an EBT card?

No. An OTC benefit card comes from a health plan, mostly Medicare Advantage plans, and pays for eligible health items such as cold medicine and vitamins.¹ CVS says these allowances come with select Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans.¹⁸

That makes the two cards a good pair at a drugstore. SNAP can't buy medicine or vitamins, and an OTC card is meant for them.¹²¹ If your plan also gives a grocery allowance, read our guide to the Medicare grocery allowance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Walgreens take EBT for formula?

Yes, at stores that take SNAP. Federal rules count any food made for people to eat, and infant formula is food.¹³ If you get WIC, use your WIC card at a WIC-approved store for the formula on your WIC list.¹⁵

Does Walgreens take EBT cash?

Walgreens' payment page doesn't say.¹ CVS's SNAP pages don't cover EBT cash either.⁷ Ask the cashier before you choose EBT cash on the card reader.

Can I use EBT at CVS self-checkout?

We found no CVS or Walgreens page that covers it. If the self-checkout screen has no EBT choice, use a staffed register.

Do I need my PIN to pay with EBT online?

Yes. USDA says online EBT purchases still need your PIN.⁹ On CVS.com, you enter it at checkout.⁷

Can I return something I bought with EBT at CVS?

CVS says eligible returns on SNAP purchases go back to your EBT card.⁷ To see the refund, check your EBT balance.

How we checked this

On Oct. 26, 2026, we read Walgreens' and CVS's payment, SNAP, WIC and OTC pages, plus the companies' SNAP announcements with Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats.¹²³⁶⁷¹⁸ We read USDA's pages on eligible foods, online SNAP, food restriction waivers and WIC stores.¹²⁹¹⁴¹⁵

The same day, we counted locations in USDA's SNAP retailer data by store name and counted pharmacy vendors on New York's WIC list.⁵¹⁷ We did not visit stores or test cards. Store names in USDA's data vary, so a few locations may be missing from our counts.

Next step: read our SNAP guide, or compare dollar stores that take EBT. If your benefits run short, find a food pantry near you.