Get Your WIC Card

You will receive your WIC card by mail or in-person at a WIC office. We will mail your card if you enroll over the phone or by video. If you enroll at a WIC office, you will receive your card the same day at your appointment. The WIC program provides monthly food benefits to purchase healthy foods at most grocery stores. Not everything at the grocery store is eligible for purchase with your WIC Card. If your WIC card is lost or damaged, contact us for a replacement.

Find a WIC Authorized Grocery Store

Stores that accept the WIC card have a WIC logo on the front window. Look for the logo to know where to shop. To find WIC-authorized grocery stores near you in California, visit m.wic.ca.gov and click WIC Grocers. You can also search your zip code in the WIC Grocers section of the California WIC App.

Find Stores that Accept WIC

Foods You Can Buy

The WIC food list includes vegetables and fruits, milk, eggs, beans, peanut butter, juice, cheese, yogurt, canned fish, baby food, infant WIC approved cereal, WIC baby formula, and whole grain foods like rice, bread, cereal, tortillas, and pasta.

Your WIC eligible foods will vary based on your child’s age, medical needs, and your preferences. Soy milk, lactose-free milk, and other options are also available for your WIC items.

Find WIC Approved Foods

Shopping Tips

You will need your physical WIC card at every transaction. The CA WIC app is excellent at helping you keep track of your benefit balance and verify WIC-eligible foods, but it is currently not equipped for mobile pay or online shopping.

Look for the WIC logo on store shelves to help you easily find WIC foods, or scan the barcode of foods using the Food Scan feature in your WIC App.

Shop for extra fruits and vegetables before your benefit cycle ends each month. It can be hard to know how many fruits and vegetables you can buy with your WIC benefits because these items are often priced by weight. Shopping for extra fruits and vegetables before your benefits end each month will make sure none of your fruit and vegetable benefits go to waste. If the amount is more than the fruit and vegetable benefits you have left, use another form of payment to pay the difference, such as CalFresh.

The WIC fruits and vegetables benefit has a maximum dollar value. You can pay the extra if your purchase costs more than your benefits. A trusted family member or friend can shop using your WIC card for you if you share your 4-digit PIN.

Many families who qualify for WIC also qualify for CalFresh (also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP). Get the most out of both programs by paying with your WIC card first at the grocery store. Then, pay for the rest of your groceries using your CalFresh card. Using your cards in this order will make sure you do not use your CalFresh benefits to buy WIC foods.

  • Ask to speak to the store manager.
  • If unsatisfied, contact PHFE WIC at (888) 942-2229.
  • Call the WIC Card Shopper Support line at (800) 852-5770 for assistance from a live support person from 7:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Friday (not including holidays). Or email wicabuse@cdph.ca.gov.
  • Save your store receipt.

Report the following information:

  • Date
  • Time
  • Store name
  • Names of store staff involved
  • Details of the situation

There are several ways to check your WIC food balance:

  1. Call the phone number on the back of your WIC card: 1-844-469-3264.
  2. Use the free CA WIC App on your smartphone and scan as you shop.
  3. Ask the store's cashier or customer service desk to print out your WIC Food Balance.
  4. Look at your store receipt from your last shopping trip.
  5. Get a printout at your WIC office.
  6. Use your WIC benefits starting on the “first day to use” and no later than the “last day to use.”


CA WIC App CA WIC App

Understand Your WIC Foods in Ounces

Whole grains, cheese, yogurt, cereal, tofu, and juice benefits appear on your WIC Food Benefits list in ounces. Use this guide to help you purchase the right amount of foods issued in ounces to get the most from your benefits.