eWIC Card and Shopping Tips‐‐A few things to try to make your WIC transaction go smoothly.

1. Do a balance inquiry at the customer service desk when you get to the store. This is a good practice to do. This allows you to see what you have available for a benefit balance but also allows you to know if there are any possible issues with your card being read properly.

2. If you got your card balance print out—do your shopping as usual. Make sure to follow items 4&5 below for a successful shopping experience.

3. If you did not get a balance print out—try steps 6, 7, or 9 below.

4. Use the NH WIC Food list or the WICShopper App to determine if the food item you want to buy is allowed. Common mistakes or errors occur when the wrong size is selected i.e. peanut butter must be 16‐18 ounces(oz.), beans 15‐16 oz., cereal must be 12 oz. or larger, tofu must be 16 oz. etc.

5. There is a 40 item limit to the number of WIC foods that can be bought in 1 transaction using your eWIC card. This is not often an issue for most however, when buying baby food along with other WIC foods, you may go over the limit and get a decline. If you have more than 40 items, separate them into 2 WIC transactions at the register.

6. If your card is declined at customer service or the register‐‐Try to swipe the card again— sometimes the magnetic stripe on the backside of the card may have not been read properly and will work if tried additional times.

7. If your card is still declined‐‐‐ASK TO ENTER YOUR CARD NUMBER DIRECTLY ON THE PIN PAD— this is acceptable to do and will bypass the magnetic stripe issue.

8. Ask to have your transaction completed at the customer service desk.

9. Call the WIC state office at 1‐800‐WIC‐4321 (M‐F 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). State staff will work with you to figure out what the issue may be.