How to make prison calls cheaper.
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
Calls to your mobile cost them the most. A landline number makes prison calls cheaper: it cuts the weekday rate by 55%. There are three ways to get one. One is free. One costs to install. One is us.
Checked against the published rates for England and Wales.
Your options
The options, side by side.
Costs them is a weekday minute, from their account. Costs you is what you pay.
- They ring your mobileCosts them 5.50p a minute · Costs you nothing extraWhere most families start. It is the dearest thing they can dial. Every minute costs them more than twice what it needs to.
- A landline you already haveCosts them 2.48p a minute · Costs you nothingIf there is a landline in the house and someone is home, use it. Put that number on their list. No service can beat free.
- Installing a landlineCosts them 2.48p a minute · Costs you installation, then line rentalSame rate. But you pay to install it, then rental on top. You often sign up for a year. It only works when someone is home. Only worth it if you wanted a landline anyway.
- A landline on the phone you haveCosts them 2.48p a minute · Costs you £20 a month with us, unlimitedThe landline rate, without being home for it. No limit on how long you talk. Others charge by the minute, or sell a bundle that runs out. Other unlimited plans we checked cost from £15 a month, in an app, to £59.99. Ours is £20, and that is the whole price. If a free option works for you, take it.
11 services checked, 20 August 2026 – 9 October 2026. Their prices were read from their own sites. Tell us if one is out of date. We will fix it.
All three landline options get the same rate. The same capped money buys more than twice the talk. A half-hour weekday call drops from £1.65 to £0.74.
Call calculatorThe 11 August rule
What forwarding is.
Some numbers take the call and pass it on to a mobile. Since 11 August 2026, prisons are told to restrict them.[3, 7.9] Ours passes nothing on. It rings your phone.
If you are paying for one
Seven things to ask before you pay.
There is more than one service. We are not always the lowest price. Ask any of them these seven things. A low price with a limit can cost more than a higher price without one.
Does it pass your call on?
Since 11 August 2026, prisons are told to restrict numbers that pass calls on.[3, 7.9] Such a number can be refused. It can also be taken off the list later. Ask how the call reaches you before you ask the price.
Is it a real UK landline number?
A UK landline number starts 01 or 02. Prisons check every number on the list.[11]
Is it unlimited, or metered?
With a per-minute plan, you count minutes again. Ask what a minute costs, and what a minute past any limit costs. Ask before you sign up.
What happens if the prison refuses it?
Ask what the service does then. Do you get a fresh number for free? How long does that take? Ours: If the prison refuses the number, we swap it for a fresh one, free. If that is refused too, we refund you.
How do you stop it?
You should be able to stop it yourself in one tap. No phone call. No notice period. If you must email and wait, expect that to be slow.
What do they store about the person inside?
The law treats a conviction as very private. No service needs the name of the person inside. At most it needs the name of the prison.
Can you pay month by month?
Things change fast. A transfer. A release. A recall. Paying monthly lets you stop when things change.
Already looking at one by name? We have put our prices against theirs. We also say what the 11 August rule means for their kind of number.
Questions
Common questions.
What is the cheapest way to get prison calls?
A landline you already have, if you are home to answer it. It costs nothing extra. Calls to it get the landline rate. If you are out a lot, or have no landline, a landline number on your mobile gets the same rate. Calls to a mobile cost the most. That is where most families start.
Do I need to pay to get the lower rate?
No. A landline you own gets it for free. Paying only makes sense if you have no landline, or are rarely home to answer one.
Is it worth putting in a landline for prison calls?
Usually not. You pay to install it. You pay line rental. You often sign up for a year or more. It only helps when someone is home to answer.
How do I choose between virtual landline providers?
Use the seven questions above. Start with how the call reaches you. That outranks price.
Will a virtual landline get me in trouble with the prison?
No. A UK landline number goes on the phone list like any other. The prison checks it, like any number. ringyard's number is not a redirect. The eSIM puts the landline on your phone. Nothing passes the call on. It rings your phone. If asked how it works, say so. There is nothing to hide.
Anything else? Email us. A person replies the same day.
Check us
- Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework. HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice, issued 11 August 2026. Read 26 August 2026. Paragraph 7.9 points to a separate operations manual for exceptions. We have not read it. Read it yourself
- Staying in touch with someone in prison: letters, video and telephone calls. GOV.UK, current guidance. Read 25 September 2026. States that the prisoner has to call you from a prison phone, only to people on their list of friends and family, that the list is checked on arrival, and that most calls can be listened to and recorded. It gives no daily number of calls. Read it yourself
No landline at home? We put one on your phone.
No term. Stop any time.