New Yorkers who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will soon have a more secure way to access them.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that the state will begin issuing new chip-enabled Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards in early 2027 as part of an effort to prevent benefit theft caused by illegal card-skimming devices.

State officials say the new cards will use the same chip technology found in most debit and credit cards, making them significantly more difficult for criminals to clone.