The number has stopped working

Six reasons this happens. Two of them are ordinary mistakes. Rule those out first. Work down the list. It is in order of how likely each one is.

Checked against the published rates.

Whoever you buy from. This page is not about one company. It applies to us as much as anyone.

  1. A digit is wrong

    By far the most common cause. And the least suspected. Nothing is ever reported back as an error. The form was accepted. The number went on the list. It has never been your number.

    What to do: Get them to read the number back to you on the next call. Digit by digit.

  2. It was never approved

    A number sits on the list before it is cleared. If it has never once connected, it may still be waiting. No published HMPPS policy sets a deadline for that check.

    What to do: They should ask the wing whether the number is live on their account yet.

  3. It was refused, or looked at again

    Approval is not permanent. A number can be reviewed after a transfer. Or after a change of category. Or on intelligence. Neither of you is told when it happens.

    What to do: They should ask the wing directly. A refusal is not always explained. They can ask for it to be reconsidered.

  4. They have moved prison

    A transfer can mean the phone list is rebuilt at the new prison. A number that worked for a year elsewhere may need putting in again.

    What to do: If they have moved recently, assume the list needs redoing. Start there.

  5. The number is a divert, and it was spotted

    Most call-forwarding services take the call on a landline number. Then they send it on to a mobile. HMPPS policy requires prisons to restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. Such numbers can be used to reach people a prisoner is barred from contacting. That is why some numbers stop working months after approval.

    What to do: Ask your provider, in writing, whether your number forwards calls. It is a fair question. The answer decides whether this is likely.

  6. The account lapsed

    A failed card or empty credit stops the number with no warning. The person inside has no way to know. To them a dead number reads as being cut off by family.

    What to do: Log in to your provider. Check the subscription or the credit balance.

On the fifth one

The restriction is real and it is national. HMPPS policy tells prisons to restrict requests to add 0800 numbers. The same goes for numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services.

Of the services whose pages we have read, Cellphone Rocks and FoneSavvy and Call From Prison and BluePhone and PhoneSavvy and NeatPhone and Second Ring forward the call on. That is a fact about how they are built. We read it off their own sites. It is not a claim about why any number stopped working. We have no way of knowing that.

ringyard sells a landline number too. So this paragraph is about us. Ours rings your handset directly. It does not forward a call between two lines. Whether a prison treats that as inside the restriction is their judgement. Nobody can promise a prison will approve a number. Do not believe a company that does.

Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework, paragraph 7.9 — HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice, issued 11 August 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/interception-monitoring-and-security-of-prisoner-communications-policy-framework

If you get nowhere

The Prisoners’ Families Helpline deals with this every day. It costs nothing. It is not selling you anything.

0808 808 2003

Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm. Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm.

Common questions

Talk to a person
Why has the number stopped working?
The most common causes are a wrong digit or a number that was never approved. Others are a refusal after a review, a move to another prison, or a lapsed subscription. If a number worked for months and then stopped, a review or a move is more likely than a fault.
Can a prison block a number after approving it?
Yes. Approval is not permanent. HMPPS policy requires prisons to restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. A number can be looked at again at any point. That includes after a transfer or a change of category. The policy allows exceptions. They are set out in a manual we have not been able to read.
Why are prison calls not coming through to my phone?
If the number is live on their list, check your own phone first. Do Not Disturb can stop it ringing. So can a setting that silences unknown callers. If that is not it, work down the six reasons on this page.
How do I find out which it is?
Only the person inside can ask. They should ask wing staff what has happened to that number on their PIN account. There is no route from outside. There is no number for a family to ring and no form to submit.
Do I still get charged?
That depends on your provider, not the prison. A monthly subscription keeps billing whether or not the number works. Prepaid credit usually sits unused. Check the terms before assuming either.