EBT Card

Benefits for SNAP and RI Works recipients are issued on Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. These benefits are placed on these cards every month, and recipients will use the same card for as long as they receive benefits. The following is more information about selecting a PIN, what to do if your card is lost, stolen or damaged, EBT restrictions, if it is used fraudulently and additional details.  

Selecting a PIN 

If this is your first EBT card, you need a PIN (Personal Identification Number) to use the EBT card. Call the RI EBT Card Customer Service Line (ebtEDGE) at 1‐888‐979‐9939 to create or change your PIN. Alternate payees must create their PIN with help from our DHS staff. Recipients should never share their PIN with anyone.

NEW: Temporary Freeze

You can place a temporary freeze on your card if it is misplaced prior to requesting a replacement card. Similar to what most banks and credit card companies do for debit and credit cards, a freeze temporarily disables the card and doesn’t allow any transaction to go through until the cardholder unfreezes the card and makes it active again. Find out more below. 

Protecting Your Benefits

DHS has measures in place to help prevent fraud. For an additional layer of security, customers are encouraged to change their PIN often and learn about the ways information can be compromised. Additional details can be found below in the "How to Protect Your Benefits" document.

If your card is lost, stolen or damaged

You can request a replacement card by going online to www.ebtedge.com or by calling RI EBT Card Customer Service Line (ebtEDGE) at 1-888-979-9939. As a third option, you can also fill out the following replacement EBT form and submit it to DHS. 

EBT Replacement Form (English)

EBT Replacement Form (Spanish)

EBT Replacement Form (Portuguese)  

Homeless Safe Sites

If a SNAP recipient needs to replace an EBT card due to loss or damage, the replacement card will be mailed. If no address is available, a homeless household may pick up their card at an identified safe location. Replacement cards EBT cards are not available from DHS offices since they are closed to the public during COVID-19.

• Harrington Hall, 30 Howard Ave, Building #58, Cranston
• Crossroads, 160 Broad Street, Providence
• Amos House, 460 Pine Street, Providence
• Welcome House, 8 North Road, Wakefield
• WARM Center, 56 Spruce Street, Westerly
• Lucy's Hearth, 19 Valley Road, Middletown
• McKinney Shelter, 15 Meeting Street, Newport
• Community Care Alliance, 800 Clinton Street, Woonsocket
• House of Hope, 3188 Post Road, Warwick

If you received a replacement EBT card

The replacement card arrives active and you can use the PIN from your previous card. However, if you’d like to change your PIN, please call 1‐888‐979‐9939. If you had benefits on your account before your card was lost or damaged, those benefits will automatically be on the replacement card. If you have questions about using the EBT Card, call the RI EBT Card Customer Service Line at 1‐888‐979‐9939 or visit WWW.EBTEDGE.COM.

EBT replacement restrictions (temporarily suspended due to COVID-19)

SNAP EBT cardholders who request five (5) or more replacement EBT cards within a 12-month period will be asked to contact DHS to provide an explanation for the card requests and losses prior to getting the 5^th (or more) EBT card. Following that conversation, DHS staff may make a referral to the Office of Internal Audits within the Department of Administration (DOA), which houses the fraud unit, if fraud is suspected. 

At the request of a 4^th replacement card, the SNAP household will be sent a notice informing them that if they request a another card within that 12-month period, the card will not be issued until they contact DHS.

When the 5^th or subsequent card is requested, a notice will be sent to inform the household that they must contact DHS prior to getting another replacement card. Once the recipient household contacts the Department, the requested card will be issued. DHS will determine from the conversation whether to make a referral to a community resource to support the household or the DOA for possible fraud.

If a referral is made to DOA, the fraud unit will investigate the cardholder’s EBT transactions to determine if there was misuse or abuse with the card. Documented violations may result in one or all following actions: disqualification from the program, recovery through recoupment/restitution, and/or referral for criminal prosecution.

If a 5^th (or greater) replacement card is requested within a 12-month period and the SNAP recipient does not make contact with the Department within 30 days of their replacement card request, the case will automatically be referred to the fraud unit.

For RI Works recipients only

There is never a transaction fee for using your SNAP benefits to buy food with your RI EBT card. There is also never a transaction fee for using your cash benefits to buy food or get cash at a Point of Sale (POS) machine.

At ATMs, after your second Cash withdrawal in a month, a 45¢ transaction fee is automatically taken out of your Cash account each time you withdraw cash. A surcharge is an additional fee charged by the owner of an ATM or POS machine for using that machine to make a cash withdrawal. Surcharges, if any, for getting cash will also be taken from your account automatically. If you do not want to pay the surcharge, simply cancel your transaction and go to another ATM or POS location that does not charge a surcharge.

RI Works EBT restrictions

RI Works EBT card holders are not allowed to use their EBT card to buy anything in the following places and are also not allowed to use an ATM machine located at these places to withdraw cash:

• Liquor Stores (meaning any establishment which sells exclusively or primarily intoxicating liquor);
• Casinos, Gambling Casinos, or Gaming Establishments;
• Retail Establishments that provide adult-oriented entertainment (where performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed state for entertainment).

Using your card in these locations will result in the following penalties:

• The first time you use your card at one of the restricted places, you will receive a written warning;
• The second time, you will be required to pay DHS the amount of cash withdrawn or the amount of the purchase made at the restricted location;
• The third time and each time after that, you will be required to pay DHS the amount of cash withdrawn or the amount of the purchase made at the restricted place AND your RI Works Benefit amount will be reduced by the amount that would be paid for the parent who used the card in violation of the rules.

More information about fraud, including how to report it, can be found here.