PD 26-04: Deactivation of Magnetic Stripe EBT Cards

Date: 04/14/26
To: DEBS Staff
From: Kamille-Angelita Reddy, SSA BPIS
Reference: ACWDL 03/19/26

Background

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided Santa Clara County with a list of current cardholders with magnetic stripe-only Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards that have been used within the last 6-8 months and will be deactivated by CDSS on April 19, 2026. 


This is part of the final activities related to the transition to Chip/Europay, Mastercard, and Visa and Tap (Chip EMV/Tap) EBT cards. These magnetic stripe cards did not meet the “active” criteria at the time of the EBT mass replacement or were subsequently reactivated by county eligibility staff upon reapplication for food and/or cash benefit programs.

 

Changes

EBT cardholders impacted by this deactivation are eligible to receive a replacement Chip EMV/Tap EBT card by requesting a replacement through any of the following methods: 

  • Call the EBT Customer Service Helpline at (877) 328-9677, 
  • Online at BenefitsCal or the ebtEDGE mobile application and cardholder portal, or
  • Contact their local county office at (408) 758-3800, or 
  • Visit a local county office in person.

 

Many of these individuals may not be currently associated with an active benefit case yet maintain a balance on their EBT account or are former cash aid recipients requesting access to expunged cash benefits. 

DEBS Outreach Efforts

Any cases that are on the report will be sent an automated text message to the impacted cardholder(s) before the magnetic stripe cards are deactivated on April 19, 2026, to help minimize traffic to local county office over-the-counter print demands. DEBS staff should be aware that impacted cardholder(s) may be calling or visiting DEBS lobbies regarding the text message. 


The text message will be delivered to all impacted cardholders on or around April 15 and will state the following: 

From Social Services: Your old EBT card will stop working on 4/19/26. Get a new chip/tap EBT card by:


Additionally, a social media outreach campaign will be posted on various days in April 2026.

Secure Destruction of Remaining EBT Mass Replacement Cards

During the card replacement effort from February through April 2025, some DEBS district offices may have received Chip EMV/Tap EBT cards by mail that were never picked up by cardholders. DEBS OMCs must securely destroy any remaining cards as soon as possible using their established EBT card destruction procedures for mail retention by April 19, 2026.  

Reminder of Chip EMV/Tap EBT Card Security Features

In addition to safeguarding EBT cardholders against fraud by making card transactions more secure with the addition of the Chip EMV and tap functionality, the new card design sustains the magnetic stripe with the hidden Card Authentication Value/Card Verification Value to support Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) interoperability with other states. The new card includes the addition of an expiration date and Card Security Code that provides an extra layer of security for SNAP online purchases. In addition, personal cardholder information such as the name, card number, and State Unique Identifier have been moved to the back of the card, hiding these details from cameras often used by bad actors during skimming and similar electronic theft schemes. 

 

Implementation

The information contained in this Program Directive is effective immediately.