Frequently Asked Questions

Some frequently asked questions from a prisoners and your point of view

Prisoner FAQs

Will I get an IEP warning for using the Prison phone service?
No. The Prison Phone LTD service is nothing at all to do with the prisoner and is a contract between Prison Phone LTD and the customer outside of prison.

Do I need credit to use Prison phone?
Yes our package’s do require credit and calls will be charged by the prison at the prisoner’s local rate of up to a maximum of 9.17p per minute rather than the expensive mobile rate of over 20p per minute.

If I move prison does the number come with me?
The number is your friend’s or family members and will be theirs for as long as they have a Prison Phone LTD contract so therefore it is saved for them regardless of where you are. Some prisons automatically change the number over to the new prison some you may have to reapply for the number to be added.

Am I breaking any rules?
No, not at all! All Prison Phone LTD telephone numbers are directly connected to one allocated destination (much the same as BT connects to your home address or Vodafone to your sim card etc) and conforms with NOMS guidelines. Our service in no way poses a security risk to the prison service and does not affect the way in which the prison chooses to monitor or record your calls.

Does Prison phone put a time limit on calls?
No, the time limits are set by the prison you are in and calling a prison phone ltd phone number will not change this.

So how many free minutes do I get?
The prisoner doesn’t have any free minutes as such his calls will always be charged at the lower rate by the prison.

It’s your loved one that has the free minutes so as long as they receive calls on their prison phone number that totals less than their allowance each month they will only be charged the package price of £22.99 +vat (If they have chosen local package 4). However should they receive 450 minutes for example, they would be charged the £22.99 + vat for the first 350 minutes then £7 + vat for the additional 100 minutes (100 x 0.07 = £7).

How long does it take before I can use the Prison phone number?
The Prison Phone LTD number will be usable within 24 hours of setting up the account, which is more often than not much faster than you being granted permission to use the number on your pin.

I would like more than one Prison phone number on my pin is there a limit per prisoner?
We do NOT cap the number of phone numbers you are allowed on your pin as our service is absolutely nothing to do with you or the prison you are in. But please check with your prison to see if and what their limit is per pin as this is normally at least a 20 number allowance.

Your FAQs

Do I have to sign into a 12 month contract?
No not at all. All we ask is 30 days’ notice should you wish to cancel your prison phone service. You can do this online by logging into your prison phone account.

What happens if I go over my allocated minutes?
We have the most up to date billing systems that will automatically adjust your direct debit amount to reflect the usage on your account. Usage after your price plan allowance will be charged at our STANDARD RATE. The prisoner will never be charged any extra for the call, You will receive an itemised bill displaying the total minutes used and the cost of those calls.

How do I pay my bill?
After you sign up and pay the £24 inc VAT sign up fee and your first months line rental in advance via credit/Debit card or paypal you will then be directed to our secure online direct debit system that will take your direct debit details for future payments. Alternatively you can pay on receipt of invoice online by logging into your account or over the phone on 02071279128

What happens if I change my telephone number?
That’s not a problem at all just send us an e-mail and we will change this for you. Due to the current prison security regulations a new Prison Phone number will have to be issued to you and this will have to be added to the prisoner’s pin as you did before. An administration fee of £10 + VAT will be added to your next bill and your current number will remain live until your new number is added so you will not be disconnected from the prisoner at all.

Can I divert my prison phone number to my friend whilst I’m on holiday?
Unfortunately, we DO NOT under any circumstances divert any prison phone ltd numbers once they have been allocated. Only the person whose details have been put forward by the prisoner and allocated to their pin MUST be the person that the prison phone number is connected to.

My Mobile phone is a pay as you go will this use my credit?
No not at all, your Prison Phone bill has no affect on your existing mobile phone bill as long as you can receive calls your mobile phone calls to your Prison Phone number will also come through.

I am not V.A.T registered do I still have to pay the V.A.T?
Unfortunately yes all Prison Phone ltd sales are subject to V.A.T at the current rate of 20% and a V.A.T invoice will be supplied.

So how much will I pay exactly?
Every new connection is subject to a one off connection fee of £20 + VAT on top of this your first months line rental (package price) will be due before your account can be opened. So for example our Local package 1 at £4.99 per month would be £20 connection fee (this is a one off payment) plus £4.99 for your first months line rental and £5 V.A.T bringing the total amount payable to open your Prison Phone account to £29.99 After this your monthly line rental will be charged at £4.99 plus V.A.T so £5.99 in total. (plus any additional call charges above your allocated allowance)

I have a question that is not listed here how can I contact you?
If your question about prison phone is not listed on this page why not try looking through the prisoners FAQs  you can also send using the contact us page which we will do our very best to get back to you within 1 business day. If its urgent you can also call our customer service number on 0207 1279 128 between 8am and 9pm