Expensify will pay you to get vaccinated — and cover your groceries, too

Expensify is sweetening the deal for its users who get the COVID-19 vaccine with its new initiative.

The expense management system provider is offering employees an additional $50 for groceries with proof of full vaccination through its SNAP & VAX campaign. The campaign is an extension of the company’s involvement with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides eligible households with a $50 monthly grocery stipend.

"Many people who were on the frontlines throughout the pandemic are also the ones that face the toughest burdens in taking time off to get vaccinated," Puneet Lath, a Director at Expensify said in a release. "We're providing vaccine incentives to help ease some of those burdens.”

As long as the grocery receipt is dated after May 1st and the vaccination card displays a first dose of May 26th or later, Expensify will reward those who are eligible with up to $100 in reimbursement, the press release says.

Read more: These companies are paying their employees to get vaccinated

Expensify joins a slew of organizations in offering vaccine incentives in an effort to reach herd immunity, following in the footsteps of Trader Joe’s, Target and Amtrak, among others — all of which have been offering compensation for vaccinations as early as February.

Data shows that compensation is greatly increasing employees' willingness to get vaccinated — one third of workers saying they would complete the vaccination process for a $100 incentive or less, according to a study by Blackhawk Network. Incentives remain one of the leading strategies in ensuring a safe workplace post-pandemic, since 72% of employers still do not plan to require proof of inoculation for employees who are returning to the office, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson.

Instead, employers plan to implement other safety measures, including mandating mask-wearing, regulating distances between employees and even providing at-home testing.

Read more: Office reopening strategies don’t include mandated vaccinations

Under the SNAP & VAX campaign, Expensify is currently accepting and reimbursing the first 3,000 individuals or households who receive SNAP and electronic benefit transfers and hold a US bank account, the press release says. Additionally, the campaign is only applicable to those who didn’t participate in the 2020 SNAP reimbursement campaign and those who have yet to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Vaccinations started out as a supply problem, and have quickly turned into a demand problem,” Lath said in a release. “We’re in a unique position where we can not only help people with food security, but also help curb vaccine hesitation.”