Yes, the call still runs through the facility's phone system and the cost comes out of the inmate's account just as it always has. What InmateAid changes is the price of that call.
Here is how the system works. Every jail and prison has a single contract with one phone carrier. Securus, GTL, IC Solutions, Telmate, Paytel, Reliance, CityTeleCoin, and more than twenty others compete to win that contract, and once they have it, they are the only option at that facility. No competition, no incentive to keep prices reasonable. The result is some of the most expensive phone rates you will find anywhere, with calls commonly running between $7.50 and $23.75 for a single 15-minute conversation.
What InmateAid does is provide you with a local or low-cost number that routes your calls more efficiently through that same carrier. The inmate dials the InmateAid number instead of your regular number, and the per-call rate drops. InmateAid has tracked carrier pricing across facilities and knows exactly where savings are available and how much. The average savings runs between $2.25 and $6.75 per call.
To figure out whether the service makes sense for your situation, estimate your savings per call and multiply by how many calls you receive each month. If that number exceeds the cost of the InmateAid line, you are coming out ahead.
InmateAid's phone line is currently $19.95 per month for 300 minutes, with no contract and no sign-up fee. That pricing is about to get significantly better, so check the site for the latest plan details before signing up.