What do their calls cost?
Tell it how long a call runs. Tell it how often they ring. It shows what those calls cost them at the mobile rate. Then it shows the same calls at the landline rate. Same account. Same weekly cap.
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
Checked against the published rates.
The money is theirs, not yours. It stays in their account. Half the rate means about 2 times the calls out of the same weekly cap.
Do the sum
Every figure comes from the published HMPPS rates. The saving rounds down. The fee rounds up.
- To a mobile
- 5.50p/min
- To a landline
- 2.48p/min
- Saved, per minute
- 2.53p
- Talk for the same money
- 2×
How often do they ring?
That’s about 1,800 minutes a month. Minutes are unlimited.
What those calls cost them
£43.13
a month instead of £88.74. Same calls. Same capped account.
You pay £20.00 a month for that. It does not move if they ring more. Same cap. Same canteen money. About 2 times the calls, off the same money.
How it works
Every assumption, so you can check the answer.
How do I work out what prison calls are costing us?
Take the length of a typical call. Times it by how often they ring. Then times it by the rate for the number they dial. HMPPS charges 5.50p a minute to a mobile on weekdays. A landline is 2.48p. An hour a day to a mobile is about £99.00 a month of their money. The same calls to a landline are about £44.64.
What does the calculator assume?
It uses the published HMPPS rates for England and Wales. Those took effect on 1 April 2025. It blends them across the week. HMPPS charges the weekday rate from midnight Sunday to midday Friday. So about seven minutes in ten are at the weekday rate. It rounds the saving down and our fee up. The figure it shows is never better than the truth.
Does the 11 August rule change affect this sum?
Yes. The kind of number matters as much as the rate. From 11 August 2026 prisons must restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. Those are the numbers that pass your call on. The sum only works if the number stays on the list. ringyard passes nothing on. It is a real landline. It rings the phone you already have. Every minute at the landline rate leaves 2.53p more in their account.
Does the money come back to me or to them?
To them. Calls are paid from the account of the person inside. A lower rate leaves more of their own money in it. That money can go on canteen or more calls. You pay for the number. They keep the saving.
Why does the spending cap matter to the calculation?
It sets a ceiling. Prisons cap what a person can spend from their own account each week. On the standard regime that is £21.75. That cap buys about 1,911 minutes a month at the mobile rate. At the landline rate it buys about 3,933. Sending in more money cannot lift the cap. Only a lower rate gets more talk out of it.