Lakewood families who receive SNAP or WFNJ benefits face a hard deadline Tuesday, October 20, when old magnetic-stripe EBT cards stop working in Ocean County and every other New Jersey county outside Cumberland, Essex and Mercer, The Lakewood Scoop reported.

The state Division of Family Development has mailed every cardholder a new chip-and-tap card. It arrives in a plain white envelope with a Kentucky return address – not from the county social services office – making it easy to mistake for junk mail. Anyone who may have tossed that envelope should check the mail pile tonight.

To activate the new card, go to NJFamiliesFirst.gov, use the ConnectEBT app, or call EBT Customer Service at 1-800-997-3333. Existing benefits transfer to the new card automatically once it is activated, and the old card stops working at that point. The state says to destroy the old card after activating.

Cardholders who have not activated by Friday, November 20 will have their new chip card deactivated and will need to contact their county social services agency for a replacement. Fees may apply. Anyone who never received a card should check the mailing address on NJFamiliesFirst.gov or in the ConnectEBT app before requesting one.

The new card has an encrypted chip, tap-to-pay and a three-digit security code on the back. At checkout, cardholders should tap or insert the card; if a store does not accept the chip, the terminal will prompt for a swipe, which the state calls less secure. Cardholders can also use the card lock feature in the app or on the website to block purchases when the card is not in use. The upgrade comes after the EBT skimming thefts that hit Lakewood families last year.