CalFresh enrollees should activate new chip-enabled EBT cards. Here’s why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- California mailed chip-enabled EBT cards and urges CalFresh enrollees to activate.
- Old cards stop working when new card is activated or 6 months after its date of issue.
- Cards include chip and tap pay tech; request replacements via app, phone or county.
The California Department of Social Services has mailed out new chip-enabled EBT cards to CalFresh enrollees across the state, and state and county officials are urging recipients to activate their new cards when they arrive.
Old cards, which have only a magnetic strip, will expire between now and Oct. 25. They will stop working when a new card is activated or six months (180 days) after the enrollee’s new card is issued, whichever comes first.
Haven’t gotten a chip-enabled card? Request one through the ebtEdge mobile app or by calling 877-328-9677. Enrollees can also visit their county Department of Human Assistance or Human Services office, but wait lines may be long.
The new cards, which include both chip and tap-to-pay technology, will make benefits more secure and harder to skim or clone. state officials said in their announcements.
CDSS said it is automatically sending EBT cards to addresses on file, and any benefits or PIN information will automatically be transferred.
EBT cards, short for electronic benefit transfer cards, function like debit cards and can be used anywhere EBT is accepted: grocery stores, farmers markets and even restaurants participating in the Restaurant Meals Program for elderly, disabled and unhoused residents.
