Does Walgreens Accept WIC? Does Duane Reade? Answered

Short Answer

Some Walgreens stores take WIC benefits — but not all of them. About 50% of the Walgreens locations we contacted in various states accept WIC, while none of the Duane Reade locations we checked in New York or New Jersey (which are owned by Walgreens) accept it.

Does Walgreens Take WIC?

Walgreens takes WIC benefits at some locations. But, because individual states assign WIC-approved retailers, not all Walgreens stores accept WIC.

We called Walgreens stores in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Texas to get a better understanding of how many Walgreens take WIC. Of those we contacted, 50% told us they do accept WIC.

To find out if your local Walgreens takes WIC, check your state’s database or contact the store.

Walgreens does accept Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, according to our communications with the company — and WIC benefits are sometimes added to EBT cards.

We also looked into whether Duane Reade accepts WIC. Walgreens owns Duane Reade, a chain with stores primarily in New York City and the surrounding area.

None of the Duane Reade stores we contacted accept WIC; Duane Reade also does not appear on New York’s list of approved WIC vendors or in New Jersey’s WIC-approved store map.

The USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) helps low-income and nutritionally at-risk pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children up to age 5.

For more options, see our full list of grocery stores that take WIC.