Weekday
2.48p to a landline
The published HMPPS rate. Same weekly cap. More talk from the same money.
The full tableThe number they dial
A landline
for prison calls.
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
They cannot ring a mobile at the landline rate. If you already have a home phone that works, stop here. Buy nothing.
Checked against the published rates.
The rate
The number is the whole game.
Weekday
5.50p to a mobile
The other published rate. About twice as dear. The extra stays in their account.
What they pay to ringHonesty
Buy nothing, sometimes
A home phone you already have already gets the landline rate. Two options compared cost nothing.
The free optionsTheir account
The rate is the number.
Calls from prison go out. You cannot ring in.[1] They pay from a capped account. The tariff is set by the kind of number they dial.
Weekdays: 5.50p a minute to a mobile. 2.48p to a landline. The same money buys about 2.1× the talk. That extra time stays in their account. It is not a discount for the person who pays for a number.
Three ways
How to have a landline.
A home phone you already have
Free. It only works when someone is there to pick it up.
A new line in the house
A contract, a socket, a rental. Same limit: someone has to be home.
A landline on the phone you carry
They dial a landline. Your mobile rings. How it is built decides the check.
On your phone
Two builds.
Kind one: the provider takes the call on a landline number, then sends it on to your mobile. Two legs. That is forwarding.
Kind two: the landline number sits on the handset itself. A call to it is a call to you. One leg. Nothing is passed on. ringyard is this kind. £20 a month, unlimited. It installs as an eSIM. You need a phone that takes one. Most from the last six years do. Dial *#06#. If you see an EID, it takes one.
If they talk less than a few minutes a day, a monthly number can be a lot for the difference. The calculator will say so. If you already have a working home landline, do not buy this.
Why 11 August 2026 sits here
The cheaper number is not the advice.
Since 11 August 2026, prisons are told to restrict “numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services”.[3, 7.9] A forwarded number can be refused on the way in, or pulled later. There are exceptions. They sit in a manual we have not read.
The price facts stay on the comparison. The advice does not send you somewhere the phone may stop.
Questions
The short answers.
Why do prison calls cost less to a landline?
HMPPS sets the rate by the kind of number dialled. A weekday call to a mobile is 5.50p a minute. A call to a landline is 2.48p. The same capped account buys about 2.1 times as many minutes. The difference stays in their account, not yours.
Do I need to buy a number if I already have a home landline?
No. If someone is home to pick it up, that number already gets the landline rate. Buy nothing. A number on the phone you carry is for when you are not at that socket.
Will the prison allow a landline that rings a mobile?
The prison checks each number. Nobody can promise a yes. Since 11 August 2026 they are told to restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. A landline that lives on the handset is a different build from one that forwards. Both still have to be checked.
What does ringyard sell?
A real UK landline on the phone you have. £20 a month, unlimited. It installs as an eSIM. You need a phone that takes one. No app. Nothing is passed on. The prison still has to approve it.
Sources
Check us.
[1]Staying in touch with someone in prison
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-08-23.
https://www.gov.uk/staying-in-touch-with-someone-in-prison[3]Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework
HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice — issued 11 August 2026. Read 2026-08-26.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/interception-monitoring-and-security-of-prisoner-communications-policy-framework
If you need it on the phone you carry.
£20 a month. Unlimited. A real landline, as an eSIM. No app. Nothing passed on. The prison still checks it.
No term. Stop in one tap.
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