Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, is a system that makes the issuance of state Family Assistance and federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits faster and easier through the use of electronic transactions. Clients can use their EBT card to access cash benefits (TANF) through automated teller machines (ATMs) and Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals at merchant locations that display the Quest® logo. To access food assistance benefits, clients can use their EBT cards at grocery stores and Farmers’ Markets that are authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Alabama’s EBT System was piloted in April 1997, in Jefferson, Montgomery and Russell Counties. The remainder of the state was phased in during the months of July, August and September 1997.
