Do I Need a GTL Account to Use the InmateAid Phone Number?

Yes. The InmateAid discount number cannot work independently of the prison's phone system. Every correctional facility operates under an exclusive contract with a phone provider, and all calls placed from inside must go through that provider's system. In this case that provider is GTL, also known as Global Tel Link.

Here is exactly what needs to happen for the discount line to work:

Open an account with GTL if you do not already have one. When setting up that account, use the new local InmateAid number rather than your personal cell phone number. Your husband will then dial the InmateAid number through GTL's system, and the call routes to your regular phone at the local rate.

The reason this matters financially is that GTL and other prison phone providers charge significantly more for long distance calls than for local ones. By giving your husband a local number to dial, the call is billed at the local tariff for that state rather than at the higher long distance rate. The prison phone company still handles the call and still records it, but they cannot charge above the local rate when the number qualifies as local.

It is not a perfect system. You are still required to use GTL. But the combination of their system and the InmateAid local number brings the cost down as far as it can go within the rules they operate under.

If your husband is ever transferred to a different facility or a new number is needed for any reason, contact InmateAid and a replacement number can be set up within an hour.