Your Louisiana Purchase Card

504*-****-**** ****

JOHN Q PUBLIC

WELCOME TO LOUISIANA ELECTRONIC

BENEFIT TRANSFER (EBT) AND THE

LOUISIANA PURCHASE CARD – THE

SAFE, CONVENIENT AND EASY WAY FOR

YOU TO USE YOUR BENEFITS.

If you qualify for Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, you can

use your Louisiana Purchase Card to:

buy selected food items at any

participating store in Louisiana

and in most other states

If you qualify for Cash benefits, you can use

your Louisiana Purchase Card to:

withdraw your benefits at participating

ATMs

get cash or pay for purchases at

participating stores

IT’S SO SIMPLE AND EASY!

HOW TO USE YOUR LOUISIANA PURCHASE

CARD AT THE GROCERY STORE

Hand your Louisiana Purchase Card to

the clerk/cashier OR swipe your

card through the Point-Of-Sale

(POS) terminal.

Be sure to tell the clerk which account to

charge (SNAP or Cash)

Enter your four-digit Personal

Identification Number (PIN) on

the keypad and press the OK key.

The amount of your purchase will be

deducted from your account.

The clerk will hand you your receipt.

Make sure the information on the receipt

is correct.

Keep this receipt for your records. It will

indicate your new balance.

Stores will not give you the change for SNAP

purchases. Only the exact amount of your food

purchase is deducted from your SNAP account.

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You may use your Cash benefits to purchase

both food and non-food items (soap, diapers,

etc.). Stores can provide change/cash from your

Cash account. (Not all stores’ policies are the

same and some may choose not to offer cash-

back).

HOW TO USE YOUR LOUISIANA

PURCHASE CARD AT AN AUTOMATED

TELLER MACHINE (ATM) FOR A

WITHDRAWAL OF CASH BENEFITS

Insert or swipe your card.

Choose “English” or “Spanish”.

Enter your Personal Identification

Number (PIN) and press the

“OK” or “Enter” key.

Select the key marked “Withdraw Cash”

and then select “Checking”.

Enter the amount you’d like in whole

dollar amounts (for example, $20, $40,

$60, etc.). Some machines only give

cash in certain amounts, like $5, $10 or

$20 bills.

Take your card, your receipt and your

cash.

Count your cash and compare it to your

receipt.

Keep your receipt so you will know your

balance the next time you need cash.

LOUISIANA EBT QUESTIONS AND

ANSWERS

HOW DO I ACTIVATE MY LOUISIANA

PURCHASE CARD?

Before you can use your card to get your

benefits for the first time, you must activate your card. You can do this by calling the customer

service help line at 1-888-***-****.

HOW DO I GET MY BENEFITS WITH THE

LOUISIANA PURCHASE CARD?

Each month your benefits will automatically be

added to your account. As you use your benefits

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to get cash or buy goods, your account balance

will decrease. Your balance at the end of the

month is carried over to the next month.

WHEN DO I GET MY BENEFITS?

Benefits will be deposited into your EBT account

on the same day each month. Elderly or

disabled recipients will receive their SNAP

benefits from the 1st through 4th day of

the month. The availability date for all other

recipients will be based on the last digit of your Social Security number.

SNAP BENEFITS

CASH BENEFITS

NOTE: All benefits are available after 5:00 a.m. Central Standard Time. Benefits are available on weekends and holidays.

If your Social Security

Number ends with:

Your Food Stamp benefits

will be available on:

0 5th day of the month

1 6th day of the month

2 7th day of the month

3 8th day of the month

4 9th day of the month

5 10th day of the month

6 11th day of the month

7 12th day of the month

8 13th day of the month

9 14th day of the month

If your Social Security

Number ends with:

Your Cash benefits will be

available on:

0 5th day of the month

1 1st day of the month

2 2nd day of the month

3 3rd day of the month

4 4th day of the month

5 5th day of the month

6 1st day of the month

7 2nd day of the month

8 3rd day of the month

9 4th day of the month

WHERE CAN I USE MY LOUISIANA

PURCHASE CARD?

Use your Louisiana Purchase Card

to buy food or get cash benefits at

stores that display the “Louisiana

Purchase” sticker in the window or on

the door.

Use your card at hundreds of

participating ATMs (cash machines)

throughout Louisiana to get

cash benefits. ATMs accepting the card

include those displaying the Pulse, MAC

and Star logos.

HOW DO I USE MY LOUISIANA PURCHASE

CARD?

After you swipe or insert your card into the Point- of-Sale (POS) terminal at a store or an ATM, you

enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN)

and follow the instructions.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I LOSE MY LOUISIANA

PURCHASE CARD?

If your Louisiana Purchase Card is lost or stolen, call the customer service helpline,

1-888-***-****, or your caseworker

immediately. Replacement cards will be received

within 3 to 5 calendar days.

WHAT IF MY CARD WON’T WORK?

Call Customer Service and they will assist you.

WHAT IF MY STORE DOES NOT HAVE A POS

TERMINAL OR THE POS TERMINAL IS NOT

WORKING?

If your store does not have a POS terminal, you

may not be able to use your Louisiana Purchase

Card there. Ask the store manager or a clerk if

the store accepts the Louisiana Purchase Card.

Some retailers (small stores, farmer’s markets or

route vendors) may use a paper form or voucher

that you will need to sign. If a POS terminal is

not working, the store may decide to process

your purchase by calling customer service to get

the information they need to let you buy your

food; some retailers may limit the amount of

your purchase.

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WHAT IF THERE IS AN INCORRECT

TRANSACTION ON MY ACCOUNT?

When a retailer is paid either too much or too

little from your EBT account due to a computer

system problem, a correction may be made

to your balance. This correction could impact

your current or next month’s balance. You will

receive advance notice of the correction if it

reduces your balance. If you do not feel that the

correction is accurate, you may request a fair

hearing.

HOW DO I TAKE CARE OF MY LOUISIANA

PURCHASE CARD?

NEVER tell your Personal Identification

Number (PIN) to anyone, except a

person you trust to use your benefits on

your behalf. This person will

have access to all of your benefits.

Do NOT write your PIN on your card.

Sign the back of your card.

Keep your card safe and clean.

Do not bend your card.

Keep your card away from magnets and

electronic devices (handbag clasps,

TVs, VCRs, stereos, etc.).

Do not place it in direct sunlight (i.e., on

your car’s dashboard).

WHAT IS A PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION

NUMBER (PIN)?

A Personal Identification Number (PIN) is a four-

digit secret code that allows only you to use your Louisiana Purchase Card. Never tell your PIN to

anyone! If someone knows your PIN, they can

use your card to get your benefits – and those

benefits will not be replaced.

HOW DO I REMEMBER MY PERSONAL

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN)?

You will be asked to choose four numbers that

are easy for you to remember, but hard for

someone else to figure out (for example, your

child’s or parent’s birthday). Do not write your

number on your Louisiana Purchase Card and

do not keep it written down in your wallet or

purse.

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WHAT IF I FORGET MY PERSONAL

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN)?

If you forget your PIN, you can select a new one

at by calling the customer service help line at

1-888-***-****. If you enter the wrong Personal

Identification Number at a POS terminal or

ATM, you have two more chances to enter the

correct number. If the correct PIN is not entered

by the third try, your card will be suspended

and you won’t be able to use it until 12:00 a.m.

In some cases, your card may be taken by the

ATM. If the ATM keeps your card, contact your

local Department of Social Services office for a

replacement card.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF SOMEONE FINDS OUT

MY PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

(PIN)?

Immediately call the customer service help line

and change your PIN.

HOW WILL I KNOW MY ACCOUNT BALANCE?

The easiest way to know your account balance

is to keep your receipts. If you don’t have your

receipts, call customer service. You should

always check your account balance before you

shop.

CAN I GO TO A BANK TELLER AND

WITHDRAW MONEY OR INQUIRE ABOUT MY

EBT ACCOUNT?

No, you may only withdraw money from an ATM

or through a cash-back/cash-only withdrawal at

a participating store. Bank tellers do not have

information or access to EBT accounts.

CAN I WITHDRAW COINS OR CASH

AMOUNTS LESS THAN $5.00 FROM AN

AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE?

No. The smallest cash denomination that can be

dispensed from a bank machine is usually a $10

or $20 bill. The ATM menu will tell you the cash

denominations that can be withdrawn, like $5,

$10 or $20.

IF I HAVE LESS THAN $10.00 WORTH

OF CASH BENEFITS ON MY LOUISIANA

PURCHASE CARD, HOW WILL I GET IT OUT?

You can make a Point-of-Sale cash-back

transaction at participating stores to get these

funds.

ARE THERE ANY FEES FOR USING MY

LOUISIANA PURCHASE CARD?

There is never a charge for using your card to

buy food. Bank surcharges, if any, for using cash

machines will also be taken from your account.

CAN I DEPOSIT MONEY INTO MY EBT

ACCOUNT?

No. You may only withdraw money from your

cash account.

WHEN DO I CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE?

Call if your card is lost or stolen

Call if your card is damaged.

Call if you have questions or need help

with your card.

Call to change your PIN

Call if you have questions about a

transaction or need account information

WHAT IF I PLAN TO MOVE OR CHANGE MY

ADDRESS?

You must contact your caseworker if you move

or change your address.

CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBER

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

1-888-***-**** toll-free

In accordance with Federal Law and the U.S.

Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,

Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-***-****

(voice and TDD).

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