Propel app: how to use it to manage EBT, SNAP, WIC, and protect your benefits from theft.
Propel is a free smartphone app — available on both iPhone and Android — used by over 5 million people to manage their EBT, SNAP, WIC, and TANF benefits. It started as Fresh EBT, became Providers, and is now called Propel. The name has changed but the core purpose has not: to make managing government benefits easier than the state systems that administer them.
The app does several genuinely useful things that state EBT portals do not. It consolidates multiple benefits in one place, shows your balance and transaction history in a clear format, and — most importantly for many users — gives you tools to protect your benefits from theft that your EBT card itself does not have. This page covers how each feature works, who it helps most, and what to know before you link your account.
For a broader overview of other apps that help low-income families, see apps that focus on helping low-income families. You can download Propel at https://www.propel.app/, free on iOS and Android.
Checking your EBT and benefit balances
The most used feature is also the most straightforward. Once you link your EBT card to Propel, you can check your SNAP, WIC, and TANF cash balances instantly from your phone — without calling the number on the back of your card, without going to an ATM, and without buying something just to see the balance printed on a receipt.
Balances update automatically after every transaction. The app shows your full transaction history up to two years back, including which store you shopped at and how much each transaction was. If a charge looks wrong or you want to review what you spent at Kroger last month versus Walmart, that history is there.
The app also predicts your next deposit date and sends a notification when benefits arrive, which matters for households timing bill payments around deposit schedules. It covers SNAP food stamp balances, WIC benefits, TANF cash assistance, and SSI in supported states.
Propel works in 52 states and territories — every state except Iowa and Montana, plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Check the app's current state list before downloading if you are in one of those two states.
EBT theft protection — the feature most users do not know about
EBT card skimming has become a significant problem across the country. Criminals install devices on store card readers that capture EBT card numbers and PINs, then drain accounts — sometimes within hours. The federal government has increased replacement protections for stolen benefits, but getting money back takes time and means going without in the meantime.
Propel has added a set of security features specifically to prevent this from happening in the first place:
- Card locking lets you lock your EBT card directly from the app when you are not actively shopping. A locked card cannot be used for purchases even if someone has the card number and PIN. You unlock it in the app before shopping and lock it again when you are done. This is the most effective theft prevention tool available — and it costs nothing to use.
- Out-of-state transaction blocking prevents your card from being used in states other than your home state. Most EBT skimming involves running stolen cards in a different state. Turning this on eliminates a large category of fraud risk.
- Online transaction blocking prevents your card from being used for online purchases if you do not shop online with your EBT.
- Suspicious transaction monitoring alerts you to transactions that look unusual — unexpected amounts, unfamiliar locations, or patterns that suggest unauthorized use — so you can act quickly.
Not every feature is available in every state, as it depends on the state's EBT system capabilities. Check the app for what is active in your state after setting up your account. If you have had benefits stolen in the past, enabling every available protection immediately after linking your card is worth the two minutes it takes.
Budgeting and spending categories
Beyond balance checking, Propel lets you categorize your EBT spending — by store, by type of purchase, or by whatever categories make sense for how your household shops. You can set spending targets within the month and get alerts when you are getting close to a limit in a given category.
For households managing a tight monthly SNAP allotment, being able to see at a glance how much is left for the rest of the month — and where it has gone so far — is more useful than it might sound. Running out of SNAP benefits a week before the next deposit is a common and stressful situation. The spending history and remaining balance visibility in Propel makes it easier to pace spending across the month rather than discovering the problem at the register.
There is also a recipe feature with over 100,000 recipes that use affordable, commonly available ingredients, and a food pantry locator that shows nearby food banks and pantries if you need to supplement your benefits before the next deposit arrives. Find more on the NHPB food banks guide.
Deals and discounts for EBT cardholders
Propel surfaces deals that are available specifically to EBT cardholders — discounts at grocery retailers, pharmacy savings, and offers from brands that partner with Propel to reach its user base. These are separate from general coupons and are often not advertised elsewhere.
Some grocery retailers have expanded discounts available to EBT cardholders — Amazon Fresh offers a discount on its Prime membership for EBT holders, Walmart and other stores have EBT-specific programs — and Propel aggregates these in one place so you do not need to know to look for them individually.
Propel makes money through these advertising partnerships rather than by charging users. The company states it does not sell personal data and does not store card PINs, full card numbers, or Social Security numbers. It connects to state EBT portals to display your balance information but cannot initiate transactions or access your funds.
For grocery coupons beyond the EBT-specific deals, see the coupon apps page for tools like Ibotta and Checkout 51 that stack well with EBT shopping.
Jobs listings
Propel added a job board that shows local employment opportunities — from gig work to full-time positions — near your location. For users on SNAP who are subject to work requirements, or for anyone on benefits who is actively looking to transition off them, having job listings available inside the same app as your benefit management reduces friction.
This is not a full-featured job search tool, but for surfacing nearby openings quickly without switching to a separate app it is a useful addition — particularly for gig and hourly positions that tend to list and fill quickly.
Setting up Propel: what to expect
Download Propel from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android) and search for "Propel EBT." The app is free with no hidden fees or charges to users.
After downloading, you select your state and enter your EBT card number to link your account. Some states require your Social Security number to authenticate against the state portal — this is the same information you would need to log into your state's own benefits website, and Propel encrypts it. The company is explicit that it does not store your full SSN on its servers. If that is a concern, you can use the app in a limited mode without registering your card, which still gives you access to the deals, job listings, food pantry locator, and recipes, but not to your balance or transaction history.
Once linked, your current benefit balances appear on the home screen and update automatically after each transaction. Enable the security features — card locking and any available transaction blocking — immediately after setup.
The app is available in English and Spanish.
A note on what Propel is not
Propel is not a bank. It does not hold your money, offer savings accounts, or provide FDIC insurance. It is a benefits management and security app that connects to state EBT systems to display your information. Some earlier versions of the product included banking features that have since changed — if you have seen descriptions of interest-bearing savings accounts or AutoSave features associated with Propel, those reflect older product iterations or other products in the fintech space.
What Propel reliably does today: shows your benefits balance in real-time, displays transaction history, protects your card from theft, surfaces EBT-specific deals, lists local food resources, and provides a job board. Those features are well-established and consistent across the user base.
This page provides general educational information about the Propel app based on publicly available information. App features, state availability, and program terms change over time. Verify current features and capabilities directly with Propel at propel.app before making decisions based on any specific feature described here.
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