What calls cost
How much do prison calls cost?
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
5.50p to a mobile2.48p to a landlineEngland and Wales
In England and Wales, a call from prison to a mobile costs 5.50p a minute on weekdays. The same call to a landline costs 2.48p. That is about 55% less. The person inside pays, out of a weekly cap.
Checked against the published rates.
What a call costs, by length
| To a mobile | To a landline | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday, per minute | 5.50p | 2.48p |
| Weekend, per minute | 3.60p | 2.20p |
| A 10-minute call | £0.55 | £0.25 |
| A 30-minute call | £1.65 | £0.74 |
| An hour | £3.30 | £1.49 |
Averaged across a week, a minute to a mobile is about 4.93p. A minute to a landline is about 2.40p. HMPPS charges the weekday rate from midnight Sunday to midday Friday. Which side a call falls on depends on the wing’s regime. See when they can get to a phone.
The part that catches people out
Sending more money doesn’t buy more calls.
Prisons cap what a person can spend each week. The cap depends on their regime. Basic, Standard or Enhanced. It is a limit on money, not minutes. Put more in and it sits there.
| Regime | A week | MobileMins/month, mobile | LandlineMins/month, landline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £6.00 | 527 | 1,085 |
| Standard · most common | £21.75 | 1,911 | 3,933 |
| Enhanced | £36.25 | 3,186 | 6,555 |
Same cap. Same money. 2× the minutes. That is why the number they dial matters.
Private cash limits are the PSI 01/2012 figures. Each prison sets regimes under the incentives policy. They can change.
How much does a phone call cost in jail in the UK?
Calls from a UK prison are charged by where they land. These are the HMPPS rates for England and Wales. A call to a mobile costs 5.50p a minute on weekdays. It costs 3.60p at weekends. A call to a landline costs 2.48p on weekdays. It costs 2.20p at weekends. That is less than half. A half-hour call to a mobile costs £1.65. The same call to a landline costs £0.74.
Is there a difference between jail calls and prison calls?
Not in England and Wales. Jail and prison mean the same place. HMPPS sets the rates for all of them. A remand prison and a long-term one charge the same. A police cell is different. That is a matter of hours, not a phone account.
Who pays for a prison phone call?
The person inside pays from their own account. That is private cash. It is money they earn inside, or money family send in. Prison work pays a few pounds a week. So the cost falls on the household, even though the household is not billed.
Why are calls to a mobile more expensive than calls to a landline?
It costs phone companies more to send a call to a mobile. The prison price list passes that on. The rate is set by the type of number dialled. Who answers makes no difference.
Can I send more money so they can call more?
Not past a point. Prisons cap what a person can spend each week. On the standard regime it is £21.75. Once the cap is hit, more money sits there. The cap is on money, not minutes. The only way to get more talk is a lower rate.
How many minutes does a prisoner get per week?
There is no minute allowance. There is a spending cap. The minutes fall out of it. On the standard regime the cap is £21.75 a week. That buys about 1,911 minutes a month to a mobile. It buys about 3,933 minutes to a landline.
Are prison calls free at any time?
Calls to the Samaritans are free. So are calls to legal advisers on the approved list. Calls to family are charged at the published rate. Each prison decides compassionate calls case by case.
A landline they can ring for half the price.
ringyard gives you a UK landline number. It rings the phone you have. It goes on their phone list like any other number. Every call to it costs the landline rate.
No term. Stop in one tap.