How do I activate my card?

• Select a PIN by calling (844) 386-3149 or going online to the portal (called ebtEDGE) at ebtEDGE.com. Have the cardholder’s date of birth and the household mailing zip code available to set the PIN.
  The clinic staff cannot do this for you. Your PIN is personal and confidential. You may change it at any time.

How many eWIC cards can a family have?

• One per “household”  However, if you are shopping for multiple “households” (for example you are a foster parent with multiple children on WIC) you may be shopping with multiple cards.

What if my card is lost or stolen?

• If you believe you have temporarily lost your card, you may call your local WIC clinic for assistance. Ask to “put a hold” on your card.
• If it has been stolen or definitely lost you can cancel and reorder a card by calling (844) 386-3149 or going online to the portal (called ebtEDGE) at wic.alaska.gov. Additionally, you may call your local clinic to cancel and request a new card. If this is your first or second lost/stolen card, call your local clinic to receive a new card.
• If the 3rd card is lost/stolen within a year, you will need to cancel the card, and reorder a new one using by calling (844) 386-3149, or go online to ebtEDGE.com. Please be aware that cards ordered through the customer service line or online may take several weeks to reach you, as they are shipped from out of state.

How will I know what I can purchase?

• When issued a card at the clinic you will receive a print-out of your benefits and a Food List.
• After you leave the clinic you may access your benefits in the following ways:
  • Use the “My Benefits” feature in WICShopper.
  • Review the print-out of food benefits from the clinic.
  • At the store you can request a “balance inquiry” or review your last receipt.
  • Use the portal to ebtEDGE.com to see your household’s remaining benefits.
  • Call the customer service line at (844) 386-3149.

Can I give my card to a friend to shop for me?

• Yes! The person who is issued the card, and identified as the primary cardholder, is in charge of the card. You may ask someone else to shop for you by simply giving them the card, the PIN and instructions on how to use it and what to buy. Be aware that you are responsible for their actions when you provide this information. Food benefits if used will not be replaced.

Will the store be checking signatures or ID?

• No. The person shopping only needs the card and PIN.

Where can I shop with eWIC?

• Use the “WIC Stores” feature in WICShopper or call your local WIC clinic to inquire about WIC stores in the area.

Do I still need to go to the clinic to get benefits?

• Call your local clinic to determine if you will need to come in, or if your card and benefits can be issued remotely. You may still need to go to the clinic for certifications, height, weight, and blood work.

If a food item that I think should be paid by my eWIC card and is not, how do I send that information to WIC?

• Use the “I couldn’t buy this!” feature in WICShopper to submit the UPC and product information to WIC!
• You may also go to our website at wic.alaska.gov for information about how to submit foods for consideration.
• Foods are reviewed, and either accepted or rejected within 30 days of submission. Newly approved foods will be found on the Approved Food List (APL), which is an excel spreadsheet of all foods that have been approved for Alaska WIC.

With checks the WIC items had to be separated out and run as a separate transaction, how will eWIC work?

• Let your cashier know you will be using WIC so they can guide you. Some stores will allow you to put everything together for the transaction, but it may be easier to separate WIC foods from others. Always run your eWIC card FIRST, so the remaining food items can be identified for other payment (such as SNAP, TANF, debit/credit, or cash). Be sure to review the foods being “charged” to WIC prior to accepting the transaction.

A:

• ALLOWED – This items is allowed for Alaska WIC and you have the WIC benefits to purchase this item!
• NO ELIGIBLE BENEFITS – This is a WIC eligible item, however you DO NOT have the benefits available to purchase it.  Either you were not assigned benefits for this item, or you do not have enough remaining benefits to purchase it.
• NOT A WIC ITEM – This means WIC hasn’t approved this item. If you think you should be able to buy this food with WIC food benefits let us know by using “I couldn’t buy this!” [HC(3] located in this app.
• Unable to identify – This means the item is not in the food list but we weren’t able to connect to the WICShopper host to see if it was added in the last few days.  Most likely, this isn’t a WIC eligible item.

Q: I tried scanning fresh fruits and vegetables.  Either they don’t scan or they come up as not allowed. Why?

A: In many cases, WICShopper can’t scan fresh fruits and vegetables and sometimes stores use their own packaging that wont be in the list of approved products.  However, all whole, pre-cut , sliced or individual serving sizes without sauces or dips are allowed. There are some other rules, so refer to your food list in the app for more details.