How Does the InmateAid Discount Phone Number Work?

Yes, you will receive a phone number. Here is how the whole process works from start to finish.

After you complete your payment, InmateAid assigns you a local phone number and sends it to you by email. Orders placed overnight are processed first thing in the morning, so if you ordered during off-hours expect the number to arrive within an hour or so of the business day starting.

Once you have the number, the next step depends on the facility. In the federal system, your inmate takes the new number to their counselor or unit team manager and requests that it be added to their approved call list. That approval process is handled entirely on the facility's end and the timeline varies, but once it clears your inmate can dial out to that number at only six cents per minute.

That rate is the whole point of the service. Jail and prison phone systems charge significantly more for long-distance calls. By giving you a local number that forwards to your regular phone, InmateAid brings the cost down to local rates without changing anything about how your inmate places calls or how you receive them.

A few things worth knowing going in:

• The number routes to whatever phone you already have. You do not need a new phone or any special equipment.
• If your inmate is in a state facility rather than federal, the approval process may work differently. Check with the facility on how new numbers get added to an inmate's list.
• Keep the email with your number handy. Your inmate will need to write it down accurately when submitting it for approval.