Credit/Debit Consider your credit/debit customer base (transaction volume, transaction amount) and decide if you want to accept these payment forms. Since the pandemic, electronic touchless payments have become more common with many more farmers market vendors accepting credit/debit directly. For markets implementing a market-level system, this might mean that offering a credit/debit token system is unnecessary. However, if you do decide to offer credit/debit, you may consider charging a token fee to credit/debit customers to offset the cost of running the program. Note that it is illegal to charge a fee to anyone for using their SNAP/EBT/P-EBT card at farmers markets. Another way to offset costs for debit/credit is to charge vendors a fee for redeeming tokens. For example, some farmers markets charge credit/debit customers $1.50 per transaction and charge vendors a 3 percent token redemption fee. Typically, vendors understand the card machine increases sales and are amenable to this slight charge. If your market is in an area that is unlikely to have high credit/debit sales but more SNAP sales, you will need to offset SNAP/EBT/P-EBT transaction costs through increased vendor fees or additional fundraising. Purchasing Tokens If your market is implementing a market-level system, you will need to order separate sets of tokens for SNAP/EBT ($1) and optionally, credit/debit ($5) transactions. You can order tokens from any token manufacturer that allows you to customize your coins by uploading images, including your market logo, on each side of your coin. It is advisable to list "no change given" somewhere on the SNAP token design. Consider differentiating between the $1 SNAP/EBT tokens and the $5 credit/debit tokens, if applicable, by using different images or colors. When ordering tokens, keep in mind that customers may hang on to their coins from week-to-week. In its first year offering SNAP/EBT, a large market in Baltimore (54 vendors) averaged $700 in SNAP/EBT sales per week and $800 in credit/debit sales. By contrast, a smaller market (13 vendors) averaged $100 in SNAP/EBT sales per week and $80 in credit/debit sales. Based on these numbers, a smaller market might consider ordering approximately 500 $1 tokens and 200 $5 tokens and a larger market might order 2000 $1 tokens and 1000 $5 tokens. To store and manage your tokens, use zip-top bags, a poker chip tray, or other homemade chip tray.
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