Frequently Asked Questons

 

  • All active SNAP-EBT cardholders are eligible for DA BUX discounts. DA BUX discounts are issued to SNAP-EBT cardholders making qualifying purchases of local fruits and vegetables using their SNAP-EBT food benefits at a participating retailer.

  • DA BUX only offers discounts on Hawaiʻi-grown fruits and vegetables without any added salts, sugars, oils or fats. Each retailer has the discretion to choose a selection of Hawaiʻi grown produce that will be qualifying for DA BUX discounts. Retailers may choose to offer poi as a qualifying produce item. Click here to learn more.

  • If you purchase qualifying fruits or vegetables with P-EBT benefits at participating food retailers, you are eligible to receive a DA BUX discount. You will have 6 months (180 days) from the date you activate your P-EBT card to spend your P-EBT benefits before it expires. You are also eligible to receive a DA BUX discount when paying with SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT. Unused SUN Bucks benefits expire 122 days after the date benefits are issued. To receive a DA BUX discount on qualifying purchases at a participating grocery store, you must scan a DA BUX Access Card at checkout to trigger the discount. To sign-up for a DA BUX Access Card, please review the sign-up instructions here.

  • The DA BUX program restricts the discount to one transaction per day per SNAP card. We enforce this policy to prevent the re-sale of DA BUX produce for fraudulent activities such as fundraising or commercial sales. Federal law prohibits the buying, selling or otherwise exchange of SNAP benefits. The re-sale of products purchased with SNAP benefits and/or DA BUX discounts is a federal offense, and you risk losing your SNAP food benefits.

  • At participating grocery stores, you must make a minimum one cent SNAP-EBT payment and enter your SNAP-EBT pin number to validate you are the legal owner of your SNAP-EBT card and are an active SNAP-EBT cardholder. DA BUX is legally bound to issue discounts to only active SNAP-EBT cardholders. Other payment methods, such as cash, check, credit or debit cards, can be used to pay for the remaining balance.

    At farm direct food retailers (ex. farmers markets, CSAs, food hubs), the remaining balance of your qualifying purchase after a DA BUX discount is applied must be paid entirely with SNAP-EBT food dollars. The DA BUX program enforces a different policy for farm direct retailers to minimize their reporting burden and to increase their transactional efficiency of issuing DA BUX discounts.

    Please note that WIC is generally not accepted in the same transaction where a DA BUX discount is applied. Please check with a store manager to verify if your local participating store will accept WIC in combination with a DA BUX discount.

  • No. You do not need to register or activate your DA BUX Access Card. The DA BUX Access Card is not linked to any personal identifying information (PII). All DA BUX Access Cards are identical and contain a static barcode that triggers a 50% discount on qualifying fruits and vegetables at participating grocery stores.

  • A lost or stolen DA BUX Access Card does not need to be reported because it is not linked to any personal identifying information (PII). If you would like a replacement Access Card, please fill out our online sign-up form. You may also sign up for a replacement card in person with one of our community partners listed here, or you may call (808) 437-3044 to sign up for a new Access Card over the phone.

  • Participating grocery stores are the only retailers accepting DA BUX Access Cards because they have the POS systems to scan and trigger the discount.

    All farm direct retailers (ex. farmers markets, CSAs, food hubs) have to manually apply discounts and do not require a DA BUX Access Card.

  • KTA Super Stores maintains their list of qualifying items here. Qualifying items are subject to change without prior notice. Availability will differ from store to store based on their inventory. Times Super Market, Foodland, Waianae Store, Nanakuli Super, Big Save Markets, and Shima’s Super Market do not have a public listing, but the majority of their Hawai‘i-grown fruits and vegetables qualify for discounts, including local bananas, papayas, cucumbers and tomatoes. The best way to locate qualifying items is to look for the DA BUX logo on or near the price signage.

  • The DA BUX program is limited by our funding. We do not have enough program funding to support DA BUX discounts at all grocery stores across the state of Hawaiʻi. However, in Sept 2021, we received new funding to allow us to expand to a few additional grocery stores in low-income communities we were not serving. SNAP households received an official announcement of these new retailers in the mail in Nov 2021.

    Weʻre excited to announce that DA BUX discounts on qualifying local produce purchases are extended until August 31, 2024 based on available funding. This means DA BUX users will still be able to receive a full 50% discount. We hope this benefits you!

    The life of the program is 100% dependent on grant funding and philanthropy. If you’re interested in donating, please visit dabux.org/donate.