Yes — Target accepts EBT for SNAP-eligible grocery items at all U.S. Target locations, both in-store and for select online orders. While Target is primarily known as a general merchandise retailer, its grocery section carries a full range of SNAP-eligible food, making it a popular option for EBT households who want to combine grocery shopping with other purchases in one trip.
This guide covers exactly how EBT works at Target — in-store, online, through Target’s delivery partnerships, and how Target Circle rewards interact with your SNAP benefits.
Target’s Grocery Section and EBT
Target stores include a grocery department (sometimes internally referred to as including a “Target Market” or full grocery aisles depending on store format) that carries the standard range of SNAP-eligible items:
- Fresh produce
- Meat, poultry, and seafood
- Dairy products and eggs
- Bread, cereal, pasta, and rice
- Frozen foods
- Snacks, candy, and beverages
- Baby food and infant formula
Larger Target stores (Super Target format, where it exists, and most modern Target stores built with expanded grocery sections) carry a wider selection comparable to a standard supermarket. Smaller Target locations may have a more limited grocery footprint but still carry core SNAP-eligible staples.
How to Use Your EBT Card at Target In-Store
- Shop for SNAP-eligible items throughout the store — your cart can include both eligible groceries and non-eligible general merchandise
- Proceed to any checkout — standard register, express lane, or self-checkout
- After scanning, select “EBT” as your payment method on the register screen
- Insert or swipe your EBT card
- Enter your 4-digit PIN
- Target’s point-of-sale system automatically separates SNAP-eligible items from non-eligible items in your transaction
- Your EBT balance covers only the eligible portion; pay for the rest with another payment method
Can You Use EBT at Target Self-Checkout?
Yes. Target’s self-checkout lanes accept EBT the same way staffed registers do. Select EBT as your payment type on the self-checkout screen and complete the card and PIN entry at the terminal.
Does Target Take EBT Online?
Target accepts EBT for SNAP-eligible items through Target.com and the Target app in participating areas, though online SNAP purchasing availability and fulfillment options can vary more by location than with some other major retailers.
Target Order Pickup (Drive Up) With EBT
Target’s Drive Up service allows you to order groceries online and have them brought to your car in the parking lot without going inside:
- Shop for SNAP-eligible items on Target.com or the Target app
- Select your EBT card as payment for eligible items at checkout
- Choose Drive Up as your fulfillment method
- When you arrive at the store, check in through the app
- A Target team member brings your order to your vehicle
Drive Up is free — there is no service fee for this option, making it a good choice for EBT households wanting to avoid delivery charges.
Target Delivery via Shipt
Target’s home delivery service is powered by Shipt, a delivery platform Target owns. Shipt handles the actual delivery of Target orders to your home.
- SNAP-eligible items in your order are paid with your EBT card
- Delivery fees through Shipt are not covered by EBT and require a separate payment method
- A Shipt membership (which reduces or eliminates per-order delivery fees) requires its own non-EBT payment
Check current Shipt/Target delivery availability and EBT support for your specific address, as this has evolved over time and coverage varies by region.
Target Circle and EBT
Target Circle is Target’s free loyalty and rewards program, offering personalized deals, birthday rewards, and cash-back-style “Target Circle Earnings” on purchases. Target Circle is completely free to join and works alongside EBT purchases:
- Digital coupons and Target Circle offers clipped in the app apply automatically at checkout, reducing the price of eligible items before your EBT card is charged
- Target Circle Earnings (a percentage back on qualifying purchases) can accrue on EBT-paid grocery purchases, though specifics on which item categories qualify for earnings can vary by current promotion
Signing up for Target Circle costs nothing and can meaningfully reduce your out-of-pocket grocery costs when combined with EBT — similar to how coupons work at any store. See our full can you use coupons with EBT guide for more on stacking discounts with your SNAP benefits.
Target RedCard and EBT
Target’s RedCard (debit or credit card) offers a standard 5% discount on most purchases. However, the RedCard is a completely separate payment method from EBT and cannot be combined on the same tender for the same items — you use either your EBT card for eligible groceries or your RedCard for other purchases, but not both for the same items in the same transaction line. If your cart has both eligible and non-eligible items, you can pay for the eligible portion with EBT and the non-eligible portion with your RedCard to get the RedCard discount on that separate portion.
What You Cannot Buy With EBT at Target
Target sells far more than groceries, and most of its inventory is not SNAP eligible:
- General merchandise (clothing, electronics, home goods, toys)
- Household cleaning products and paper goods
- Personal care items (soap, shampoo, cosmetics)
- Vitamins and supplements (Supplement Facts label)
- Alcohol
- Hot prepared food from Target’s in-store Starbucks or food court, where present
- Pet food and supplies
Target’s registers automatically identify and separate these non-eligible items from your EBT payment regardless of how they are mixed in your cart with groceries.
Target Starbucks and EBT
Many Target stores have an in-store Starbucks. Hot and prepared Starbucks beverages purchased at the café counter are not SNAP eligible, following the same hot food and prepared beverage rules that apply everywhere. However, packaged cold Starbucks products sold in Target’s regular grocery aisles — bottled Frappuccinos, canned cold brew, bagged coffee — are SNAP eligible. See our detailed can you buy coffee with EBT article for the complete breakdown.
FAQs
Does Target take EBT for online orders?
Yes, in participating areas. Target EBT online ordering works through Target.com and the Target app for SNAP-eligible items, with free Drive Up pickup or Shipt-powered delivery (delivery fees apply and are not covered by EBT).
Can you use EBT at Target self-checkout?
Yes. Target’s self-checkout lanes accept EBT the same way staffed registers do — select EBT as your payment method and complete your card and PIN entry at the terminal.
Does every Target store accept EBT?
Nearly all U.S. Target locations with a grocery section are SNAP-authorized and accept EBT. Very small-format Target concepts with minimal grocery inventory may have limited SNAP-eligible selection, but standard Target and Super Target stores are fully authorized.
Can I use my Target RedCard and EBT together?
You can use both in the same shopping trip but not for the same items in a single tender. Pay for SNAP-eligible items with your EBT card and any non-eligible items separately with your RedCard to receive the RedCard’s 5% discount on that portion.
Does Target take EBT for Starbucks purchases?
No. Hot and prepared beverages from an in-store Starbucks counter are not SNAP eligible under the hot food and prepared beverage rules. Packaged cold Starbucks products sold in the regular grocery aisles are eligible.
Is Target Drive Up free for EBT customers?
Yes. Target’s Drive Up service has no service fee regardless of payment method, making it a cost-effective way for EBT households to shop online without paying for delivery.
Summary
Target accepts EBT for SNAP-eligible groceries in-store, at self-checkout, and online through free Drive Up pickup or Shipt-powered delivery (delivery fees apply separately). Target Circle rewards and digital coupons stack with EBT purchases at no cost, while the RedCard discount applies only to non-EBT portions of your purchase.
For more retailers that accept EBT, see our grocery stores that take EBT directory. Check your current monthly SNAP benefit with our food stamp calculator.