Alabama EBT Card Number: Balance, Activation, and Skimming

Your Alabama EBT card number is the 16-digit sequence printed across the front of the card. You use it to check your balance, log in to ConnectEBT, activate a replacement card, and complete purchases at approved retailers. Cards issued since Alabama’s chip rollout in February 2026 also carry an expiration date and a three-digit security code on the front, with your name moved to the back for privacy.¹

What the 16-Digit Number Is

The 16-digit number is your account identifier. Point-of-sale terminals read it to route payment to the correct SNAP or TANF account, and the automated phone system and ConnectEBT site both ask for it before showing any account details.

The number belongs to the card, not to the household. If you request a replacement, the new card arrives with a different 16-digit number even though it connects to the same benefits. Any receipts, screenshots, or saved logins tied to the old number stop working once the replacement is activated.

On the current chip-enabled cards, two other items share the front with the 16-digit number: an expiration date and a three-digit security code. Both are needed for activation and for some online purchases.¹

Card Number vs. PIN: Don’t Confuse Them

Your 16-digit card number identifies the account. Your four-digit PIN authorizes transactions. The two work together, and neither one alone should ever be given out over the phone, by text, or by email, no matter who the caller claims to represent. DHR will never ask you for your PIN or full card number through an unsolicited contact.²

You choose your own PIN and can set or change it through the ConnectEBT website, the ConnectEBT mobile app, or the customer service line.³ Skip obvious combinations like your birth year or repeating digits. You will enter the PIN at every checkout, so pick something you can remember without writing it down.

Using Your Card Number to Check Your Balance

Any of the following will show your current SNAP or cash balance once you enter the 16-digit number:

ConnectEBT website at www.ConnectEBT.com, where you can also view transaction history and change your PIN.
The ConnectEBT mobile app on Android and iOS, which carries the same features as the website.³
EBT Customer Service at 1-800-997-8888. The automated system asks for your card number and reads back the balance.⁴
Your most recent store receipt, which prints the remaining balance at the bottom.

Checking regularly is the simplest way to catch unauthorized transactions early. If a charge appears that you did not make, change your PIN right away and contact your county DHR office.

Using Your Card Number to Activate a New Card

A new chip-enabled card will not work at the register until you activate it. Call EBT Customer Service and have the card in front of you. The system asks for the 16-digit card number, your date of birth, your zip code, the three-digit security code, and the expiration date.¹

You have 180 days from the issue date to activate the card. Miss that window and the card is deactivated, and you will need to request another one.

For online grocery purchases at retailers approved under the USDA’s SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, your identity is verified through your PIN rather than a traditional credit-card CVV.⁵

If You Can’t Find Your Card

Report a lost or stolen card as quickly as possible, either through ConnectEBT or by calling 1-800-997-8888. Federal regulations require the state to place an immediate hold on the account the moment you report the loss, and any benefits withdrawn after that point become the state agency’s responsibility to replace.⁶

To verify your identity you will need your Social Security Number, date of birth, and the mailing address DHR has on file. If anything has changed since your last certification, update it with your county office first so the replacement is not delayed.

Federal rules require the state to mail the replacement within two business days of your report.⁶ Delivery normally takes another seven to ten business days. First-time replacements are generally free. Alabama may charge for additional replacements, but the fee is capped at the actual cost of producing the card, and the state cannot treat you as an excessive replacer at fewer than four cards within twelve months.

Protecting Your Card Number From Skimming

Skimming devices attached to store card readers capture both the 16-digit number and the PIN as you swipe. Once criminals have both, they can drain the account before you notice. DHR recommends four habits to limit the risk:²

Change your PIN regularly, ideally just before each month’s deposit, so a PIN captured last month no longer works.
Check your balance often through ConnectEBT or at 1-800-997-8888, and look for charges you did not authorize.
Inspect the card reader before you swipe. Wiggle the card slot and the keypad. Skimmers are often attached loosely and will shift. If something feels off, pay at a different register or a different store.
Ignore any call, text, or email asking for your PIN or full card number. DHR does not contact cardholders that way.

If you suspect your card number has been compromised, change your PIN immediately, then contact your county DHR office to report the theft and request a replacement card. Contact information for all 67 county offices is at dhr.alabama.gov/county-office-contact.²

One limit worth knowing: the federal authority that let states reimburse SNAP benefits stolen electronically expired on December 20, 2024. Alabama can no longer process claims for benefits stolen after that date, which makes PIN changes and account monitoring the practical line of defense.

1
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Alabama DHR Launches Chipped EBT Cards for SNAP and TANF Benefits
2
Alabama Department of Human Resources. EBT Fraud
3
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Alabama DHR Announces New Website and App for SNAP Clients
4
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Electronic Benefit Transfer Contacts
5
Food and Nutrition Service. Stores Accepting SNAP Online
6
eCFR. 7 CFR 274.6 – Replacement and Disposition of EBT Cards