Electronic Benefits Transfer
Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, is a system that makes the issuance of state public assistance and federal food stamp benefits faster and easier through the use of electronic transactions. Clients can use their EBT card to access cash benefits (TANF) through automated teller machines (ATMs) that display the Quest™ or Honor/Star™ logo and at Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals at merchant locations that display the Quest logo™. To access food stamp benefits, clients can use their EBT cards at grocery stores authorized by USDA and also display the Quest™ logo.
Alabama's EBT System was piloted in April 1997, in Jefferson, Montgomery, and Russell Counties. The remainder of the state was phased in during the months of July, August and September 1997.
