Split-tender EBT for Online Grocery
Justin Intal, CEO of Forage, on helping online grocery platforms process EBT
The real opening was never just taking EBT on delivery apps, it was building checkout that can split one basket into food the government will pay for and fees it will not. That is why grocery first made sense. Online grocery already has item catalogs, SKU level eligibility, and basket sizes large enough that adding a second payment method is worth the friction. Delivery apps can unlock a big new customer base, but only if they can separate apples from service fees in real time and collect the rest on a debit or credit card.
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The hard part is compliance, not card acceptance. Online SNAP requires item level eligibility, a government approved checkout flow, and a PIN step. Forage built split tender so one payment covers eligible food and a second payment covers taxes, tips, and fees. That is why general processors largely stayed out and why Instacart needed a large internal team to do it first.
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The market proved out on grocery marketplaces before restaurant delivery. Instacart became the main on ramp for many grocers, with some chains offering online EBT there before on their own sites. DoorDash later launched SNAP on grocery and convenience orders in 2023 and had expanded to more than 50,000 stores by February 2026. Uber Eats launched nationwide SNAP with ALDI in October 2025.
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This also explains which new businesses become possible. The best fits are merchants selling mostly SNAP eligible baskets, like online grocers, ethnic supermarkets, discount food sellers, and food desert delivery services. A pure convenience or restaurant app has a tougher mix, because more of the ticket is fees, prepared food, or other items SNAP will not cover.
The next phase is broader grocery coverage inside delivery apps, with EBT logic becoming a standard payments layer rather than a bespoke project. As more retailers connect catalogs, eligibility rules, and fee splitting, the winning platforms will look less like restaurant apps adding EBT and more like digital grocery rails that happen to have delivery attached.