As of August 17, 2026, the MIFMA team has confirmed that chip-enabled SNAP cards with a new design are being distributed to SNAP recipients and will likely begin being used at Michigan farmers markets any day now. The MIFMA team expects this transition process to be simple for retailers, and has a few updates to share to make it easier.
- The Bridge Card has a new look! The graphics itself on the card has been updated, and the card now includes Tap & Chip technology
- The Bridge Card no longer includes the words “SNAP” or “EBT” on the front side of the design. All of that information is now found on the back of the card.
- All retailer processes remain unchanged, and MIFMA has no reason to believe any changes are coming. As a reminder, retailers must be approved to accept SNAP to process transactions with the card.
- There are no changes to authorized products. See MIFMA’s Food Assistance Benefit Eligibility Guide if you need a refresher.
- Your current point-of-sale device can process transactions with the new cards with no additional action required. Software updates to SNAP point-of-sale devices are still being developed. When processing a transaction with the new card, if the chip method fails, revert to Swipe or Manual Entry. Currently, we estimate an update for PAX devices to be available in October. We do not have an estimate for Clover or TotilPay Go devices.
If you have any questions or concerns about this transition, please contact the MIFMA Food Access team at foodaccess@mifma.org. We’d also like to hear from retailers who have seen the new cards at the market and/or processed transactions with them to make sure the information we have is up to date and accurate. Thank you for your dedication to food access in your community!
Graphic of the new card design:
