As of Wednesday, April 23, customers in Alaska can use their EBT/Alaska Quest cards to pay for online grocery orders through the AC app, and at shopalaskacommercial.com. This has been a four-year project for Alaska Commercial Company, to participate in the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot administered by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. The ability to accept EBT payments for online grocery orders is a big part of our mission to help make fresh, healthy food accessible to all Alaskans.
What is SNAP Online?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides funds to eligible households to help them “…afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.” Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is the electronic system that allows SNAP participants to use those benefits to pay for qualifying food items. In Alaska, SNAP benefits are distributed to participants using the Alaska Quest card.
The Alaska SNAP program is extremely important to helping increase food security and reduce hunger in Alaska. As of 2024, the SNAP program assisted 71,800 Alaska residents, many of whom live in rural Alaska, off the road system.
All AC stores accept SNAP benefits through the Alaska Quest card, and now we can also accept SNAP funds for online orders (of qualifying food items).
What items can SNAP funds purchase?
In general, SNAP benefits can be used to pay for food items. Pet supplies don’t count, and neither do household essentials such as cleaning products. In the AC app, and at shopalaskacommercial.com, items that can be purchased with SNAP benefits have a note in the Product Features that says, “Eligible for SNAP”.
Shoppers who create a user account in the AC app or at shopalaskacommercial.com can also turn on the “SNAP Eligibility” toggle in their account settings, which will show a “SNAP eligible” label on qualifying food items throughout the AC app and shopping site.
