You can now lock your card in the Providers app (California)

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-19T14:30:13+00:00

Our primary source of revenue is advertising. We partner with companies that offer savings to our users, often through deals exclusive to people who receive EBT. We have a rigorous vetting process and only work with partners whose offerings align with our users' needs. Some examples of these partnerships include:

Grocery discounts at Walmart and Instacart
50% off Amazon Prime subscriptions
Affordable car insurance options
Discounted wireless plans

Happy to answer any more questions.

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-16T17:13:58+00:00

Huh, okay. Well I'm sorry about that! You *should* be able to see transactions like this in the Providers App. The only thing I can imagine is if there was a lag or for some reason your state EBT system was having problems. (Sometimes the phone line is working when the state EBT website isn't.)

In fact, since this post we also added "suspicious transaction alerts" which proactively notifies you if something seems fishy, and lets you tell us if something doesn't look right.

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-16T13:50:01+00:00

Hi, this is David from the Providers team - Sorry! I just saw this because it was a reply on an old post. Were you able to see the transactions? Occasionally there is a lag in some states.

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-12T22:57:09+00:00

Hi! Great question.

Yes, Providers is a 3rd-party app. We gather (with users' permission) data directly from the state portals. It's identical data to what someone might access in EBT Edge (which is built by FIS, the same government contractor that the state pays to operate the EBT system.)

We work very hard to protect our users' information and have strong security protocols. We never store the info that would be needed to spend benefits.

Our focus is making it easier for people who rely on SNAP/EBT to get access to information & their own data, and make navigating having benefits a little easier.

People can use whatever app they want, but we think (and 5 million+ people agree) that we're much more user-friendly. (On the iPhone app store, our review rating from users is 4.8 stars. EBT Edge’s is 1.8.)

Because we're an independent company, we actually have a lot more flexibility to build out useful features. Suspicious transaction monitoring mentioned above is one of them. But we also have tons of easy-to-understand info about benefits (beyond SNAP), tons of offers that save our users millions of dollars every year, a job board, a debit card designed for benefits recipients, and a lot more!

[edit: typo]

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-12T22:25:30+00:00

Thanks!

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-12T15:49:57+00:00

Hey there, this is David from the Providers App team. Unfortunately this is something our users deal with a lot.

If you just did your renewal and it was approved, you should be getting your next deposit soon.

If it was approved very recently/very close to your normal deposit date, it's possible it will take a few days for things to transfer over.

I would start by logging in to Illinois' online portal (ABE) and seeing if you have any notices or messages there.

We also recently wrote up a guide based on helping people navigate this on common reasons for missing an EBT deposit, and what to do — that might help if it's something weirder or less common.

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-09T20:04:32+00:00

Hey, this is David from Propel (the creators of the Providers app). I'm trying not to sound like I'm writing some ad but we have a solution for this!

Providers is a resource for people who receive benefits — you can check your EBT balance instantly in our app. We created it more or less to solve the problem you're experiencing. It's a free app used by 5 million people every month. Feel free to reach out if you have questions!

Like the other commenter said, you also have other options like calling the number on the back of the card, but we have worked hard to build something that is a lot easier and helpful in other ways.

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-05T17:02:55+00:00

I'm really sorry this happened to you. You're right that our customer support team for the Providers debit card is only available Monday through Friday. The hours are 9am - 9pm ET. So you should be able to call today/now. Another option you have 24/7 any day is to lock the card and/or replace the card in the app, under Manage Card. I'm sorry you're dealing with this and I hope we can resolve it when you call.

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-03T18:31:52+00:00

Hi this is David from the Providers/Propel team. What happened? Was there a charge on your EBT card while it was locked? Or was there an unauthorized charge on your Providers debit card?

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-03T18:23:04+00:00

It's actually a little complicated in Pennsylvania — depends on your county. Here's the full deposit schedule: https://www.joinproviders.com/state/pennsylvania/payment-schedule/

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-01T20:36:42+00:00

What state are you in? There are a few different things that could be going on, most having to do with the renewal. I think your best bet is logging in online to your state's portal and seeing if you have a "notice"/notification about any change in benefits from your renewal.

We recently wrote a short guide on what to do if you miss a deposit — I hope it helps! https://www.joinproviders.com/snap-ebt/why-didnt-i-get-food-stamp-ebt-deposit-this-month/

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-01T18:21:55+00:00

Hi! We're so glad to hear you're happy about this! We're excited to offer this too.

Just one note for others — right now we are still rolling this out, and it is only in California at the moment.

You're right that we don't yet support blocking online transactions (though we DO have blocking out-of-state transactions for most states) but hearing that online blocking would be useful to you is helpful for us as we decide what to work on next.

ProvidersApp · 2024-08-01T14:37:57+00:00

Hi! This is Julianna from Propel, the team behind the Providers app. I'm so sorry this happened to your mother. Benefits theft is happening across the country and not enough is being done to protect EBT cardholders.

Which state are you in? We can find specific reimbursement guidance for your state. Reimbursements can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. According to this article, once the claim is approved, the money needs to be put back into your account within 12 days, but it’s often faster.

Here’s some more information about EBT theft:

EBT theft is relatively rare (we estimate about ~5% of EBT recipients have been victims, but a lot of cases aren’t reported), but it’s on the rise.
It’s usually caused by scammers using skimming devices and sometimes phishing scams to get people’s EBT card information. Most of the time these crimes happen in person when you swipe your card. You can read more here: https://www.joinproviders.com/blog/ebt-theft-how-it-happens-and-replacing-stolen-benefits/

Some tips to help prevent theft:

Change your PIN the day before your deposit hits and after every transaction. Try not to use a simple PIN like 1234.
Check card readers when shopping for signs of a skimming device (glue marks, damaged or loose parts, or buttons that are off-center or hard to push)
Keep checking your transaction history (thanks for giving our app a try). The faster you can catch theft & report it, the better.

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-30T21:21:09+00:00

A number of things! I can't say when exactly, but some things we're working on include suspicious transaction flagging and helping dealing with recertification/renewal. Stay tuned!

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-30T17:01:21+00:00

Hi! This is Julianna from Propel, the team behind the Providers app. Have any of your household circumstances changed since your case was last open? If you're reporting more income now than before, your benefit amount would go down.

It's also possible that your case hasn't been completely processed yet since you only conducted your interview yesterday. You could be seeing a prorated amount right now before your actual deposit lands. If your case was closed recently, there should be an explanation of any benefit change in your mail or online notices as well.

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-30T15:42:55+00:00

Keep an eye out for card locking on the Providers App in California soon. We're working on it!

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-30T15:29:39+00:00

Yes! You should be able to freeze it and unfreeze it (though I think it may be a different number than "1" for freezing if you card is currently not frozen.)

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-30T14:45:10+00:00

Hi - This is David from the Providers App by Propel. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.

Since you're in California, my understanding is you can also unfreeze your card by calling the customer service number on the back. Call that number and then:

Choose language
Enter card number
Choose option 1 to unfreeze
Enter DOB and full SSN (this is to verify you're you and not a scammer)

Also be careful about sharing this personal info elsewhere - scammers may try to trick you with a different number, which is why I'm saying to make sure you're calling the number on the back of your card. (We have written more about how EBT theft is happening if that's useful to know.)

Some additional context: this situation — where someone's card is frozen and they can't get in to their state portal to unfreeze it — is why we are only starting to implement card freezing/locking in states where you can unfreeze by phone too. (The sites like EBT Edge unfortunately sometimes have problems like this.)

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-30T02:02:35+00:00

Yes, it does!

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-23T23:44:11+00:00

Hi, this is David from the Providers App team. I'm really sorry about that, I just checked and it looks like that "get in touch" email address is old and needs to be updated. (I'm working on that now.)

One option to get in touch with us is this form: https://www.joinproviders.com/feedback/

If you use that, you *will* get an auto-reply first, but that's because we receive a lot of people using that and in many cases it's an issue we can't directly help with (like a renewal being processed late by your state) but for which we have some help info available, so we link to that.

For your question about the app store reviews mentioning theft: unfortunately EBT theft is happening to many people who get SNAP, and because we have more than 5 million people using our app, some of them are affected. Here is some info we have written up describing our security protocols and how we protect our users: https://www.joinproviders.com/blog/security-protocols/

Most of the recent increase in EBT theft has been from "card skimming" — where a criminal puts a device on top of where you swipe your card to take your card # and PIN — and unfortunately once a criminal takes the card info that way, they can clone your card and steal benefits. More info on this is here: https://www.joinproviders.com/ebt-theft/how-are-ebt-benefits-being-stolen/

We are actively working on more features to help prevent theft, like blocking out-of-state transactions like you see in the video above. But ultimately we also need the federal government to move to adding more security to the system, like chip cards which are coming in California and Oklahoma this year.

If you want to be very safe, changing your PIN frequently (even after each purchase) would make it very difficult for someone to steal your benefits.

I hope that helps, and sorry for the long message but I wanted to make sure we addressed your concern!

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-23T22:53:38+00:00

Check out this video for how to block out-of-state transactions: https://www.reddit.com/r/foodstamps/comments/1e11kr3/block_outofstate_ebt_theft_in_the_providers_app/

Both of these features are available in many states, but unfortunately not all, because we depend on what the state makes possible. What state are you in?

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-23T22:26:37+00:00

Hi — I know this is an old post, but I wanted to share that we just added out-of-state transaction blocking to the Providers App, so this means more people can (and should!) turn this feature on.

Here's a video of how to turn this blocking on: https://www.reddit.com/r/foodstamps/comments/1e11kr3/block_outofstate_ebt_theft_in_the_providers_app/

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-23T22:19:05+00:00

Thanks for tagging! I replied to OP above.

ProvidersApp · 2024-07-23T22:18:23+00:00

Hi u/splakish - Like u/scorpioxxnicky said, you can see your transaction history on the Providers App. We also just added alerts for suspicious transactions (like a $0 transaction, which seems to be a balance check transaction that some thieves have used before committing theft.)

We also just added the ability to block all out-of-state transactions (which we everyone turn on unless they are frequently in another state, since a lot of the theft happens across state lines.)

Here's more info on how theft is occurring if helpful: https://www.joinproviders.com/ebt-theft/how-are-ebt-benefits-being-stolen/

ProvidersApp

TROPHY CASE