Maryland’s Department of Human Services sent nearly 507,000 chip-and-tap EBT cards to benefit recipients and estimates that about 85 percent have been activated. That leaves roughly 15 percent, about 76,000 cards by simple arithmetic, still unused. The department’s October 1 announcement says magnetic-stripe-only cards will deactivate “soon” and gives no date.
A September 30 cutoff that now reads “soon”
On August 24, Gov. Wes Moore announced the next phase of the “Don’t Wait, Activate” campaign, and the state set September 30 as the activation deadline. Current magnetic-stripe-only cards were to be deactivated that day. As of August 23, more than 294,000 recipients, 58 percent, had activated the new card.
The October 1 figures show how far the rollout moved in about five weeks: about 85 percent activated, and over 4.8 million transactions on the new cards since July. The department says it will keep contacting customers who have not used theirs over the coming month. It plans to release validated fraud-reduction data later in October.
For a household still using the old card, “soon” means the card could stop at the register with no date to plan around. The state’s instructions are to follow the sheet that came with the new card or call 1-800-997-2222. Activation is not complete until the cardholder sets a new PIN, the department says.
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How the old card turns off, and what activation takes
Once the new card is activated and has a PIN, the old card stops working automatically, according to the October 1 announcement. The state’s EBT updates page adds that the old card also deactivates after a successful transaction with the new one, at a store terminal, an ATM, online, or through PIN Select by phone or the ebtEDGE app. Benefit amounts, balances and deposit schedules do not change.
That page tells cardholders to destroy the old card by cutting straight through the magnetic stripe once the new one works. It also warns that skipping the PIN step “may result in problems accessing your benefits.” The same page says to call 1-800-997-2222 for help with activation.
Cards were mailed in stages, with every customer expected to have one by July 31, the page says. Anyone who had not received a card by August 7 was told to call EBT Vendor Services. The October 1 announcement tells cardholders without a card to report it lost, missing or stolen to order a replacement, or visit a local department of social services office.
Replacements cost nothing the first time. The state’s page says the first replacement in a 12-month period is free and later ones cost $2.00. Addresses can be updated at benefits.maryland.gov or by calling the DHS Call Center at 1-800-332-6347, since new cards go to the address on file.
Prince George’s County’s August 11 notice gave the same September 30 date and said about 500,000 chip-and-tap cards were going to the address on record. It tells cardholders to call 1-800-997-2222, follow the instructions enclosed with the card and select a PIN during activation.
The county notice adds a practical tip: if the phone system answers “invalid” after the new card number is entered, stay on the line. A cardholder who still cannot finish setup by phone is told to go to a local department of social services office. Benefit amounts, deposit dates and balances stay the same, it says.
Rodgers said in the August release that these are “new cards with new security features that let you access the same benefits.” Neither the October 1 announcement nor the help page says what happens to a stripe-only card whose holder never activates the new one, beyond the department’s statement that those cards will deactivate soon.
If a store declines the new card, the page says to check the PIN, unfreeze the card if it was frozen, try the magstripe, or try another store, and it notes that some retailers may not yet accept chip or tap. The freeze feature in the ebtEDGE app began May 18. State staff, the page adds, will never call or text to ask for a card number or PIN.
Why Maryland switched cards
Stacy L. Rodgers, the acting DHS secretary, said in the October 1 announcement that “Maryland is delivering on its promise to make it harder than ever for criminals to steal the benefits.” Maryland is the fourth state to move to chip-enabled EBT cards, the department says. DHS counted more than four million customer touchpoints by email and text during the changeover.
USDA says criminals steal SNAP benefits through card skimming, card cloning and other scams, and that the agency is rolling out chip card technology to make that harder. Federal program rules are on USDA’s SNAP site, but the card, the PIN and the activation line are all run by the state.
The numbers left open are the ones DHS says are coming. The department has not said when the stripe-only cards go dark, how many of the roughly 76,000 unactivated cards belong to households that still use them, or whether thefts have fallen since July. A household holding an unactivated card is the one that has to settle the first question itself.
Is the new Maryland EBT card activated with a PIN yet?
An unactivated card is the weak point in this changeover. DHS says activation is not complete until a PIN is set, and the stripe-only card is set to go dark on a date the state has not announced. A household that waits could meet a declined card at the register.
Activation is a phone call to DHS; the SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer covers the paperwork that keeps benefits loading onto the card. It holds 51 state packs, a renewal document checklist and a renewal and reporting calendar, so renewal dates sit next to the card steps.
Pair card activation with a renewal calendar from the organizer →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
