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If you have a loved one in prison, staying in touch isn’t optional, it’s essential. But families are always shocked when they discover just how expensive prison phone calls can be.
If someone you care about is in prison, staying in touch becomes one of the most important ways to maintain connection, provide emotional support, and keep relationships strong. Yet many families across the UK quickly discover that regular prison phone calls come with a surprisingly high price tag. What should be a simple conversation can become a recurring expense that places strain on already stretched household budgets.
The exact price depends on the prison provider and the number dialled, but many families pay far more than they expect.
Typical costs:
Calls to UK mobiles:
20p–25p per minute
Calls to landlines:
lower, but restricted to having a landline
A 15-minute call:
£3 – £4
Weekly calls:
£12 – £20
Monthly cost:
£50 – £100+
For families supporting someone inside, these costs add up quickly.
Over a year, staying in touch can cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Prison phone systems operate differently from everyday telecom services. Several factors contribute to higher costs:
Security & monitoring
All calls are recorded and monitored for safety and compliance.
Restricted infrastructure
Prisons use specialist telecom providers rather than mainstream networks.
Limited provider competition
Families cannot choose which system prisons use.
Mobile call routing costs
Calling mobile numbers is significantly more expensive than landlines.
While these safeguards are necessary, they often leave families paying the price.
If you’re looking to save money on prison calls, there are practical steps you can take.
✔ Use a landline number
Mobile calls are the most expensive option.
✔ Avoid missed calls
Each connection attempt can reduce call time and waste credit.
✔ Schedule regular call times
Pre-arranged times prevent repeated call attempts.
✔ Use a virtual landline service
This is the most effective way to reduce costs.
Our service helps families receive prison calls at landline rates, even if they only have a mobile phone.Instead of paying expensive mobile rates, calls are routed through a virtual landline number, dramatically lowering the cost.
How it works:
1. You receive a dedicated landline number
2. Your loved one calls that number from prison
3. The call connects to your mobile or landline
4.You pay significantly lower rates
Simple. Legal. Effective.
✔ Dramatically cheaper prison calls
✔ Works with any UK mobile or landline
✔ Quick and easy setup
✔ Trusted by families across the UK
✔ No complicated contracts
✔ Start saving immediately
Most importantly, it allows families to talk more often without worrying about the cost.
Families choose our service because it provides an immediate and practical way to make prison calls affordable. The setup is quick, the service works with any UK mobile or landline, and there are no complicated contracts or technical barriers. Most importantly, it allows families to speak more often without worrying about the cost.
Affordable communication makes it easier to maintain relationships, provide emotional support, and remain present in each other’s lives during a difficult time.
If you want to understand exactly how much you could save, our free savings calculator provides a quick comparison between your current call costs and potential savings. In less than a minute, you can see how switching to a landline-rate service could reduce your monthly expenses and make regular contact more affordable.
Prison calls should strengthen relationships, not strain finances. If you are searching for cheap prison calls in the UK, the cheapest prison call options, or ways to reduce prison call costs and save money, there are solutions available that can make a real difference.
Staying connected is essential. Making it affordable ensures that those connections remain strong.
The reality is that maintaining contact is not optional. Partners, parents, children, and close friends rely on these conversations to stay emotionally connected. However, when call costs escalate, families often feel forced to limit how often they speak, turning what should be supportive contact into a financial calculation.
Find out more about our most popular plan and get unlimited calls from prison.
Start saving todayFind out how much you can save with prison call with our cost saving calculator.
See how much you can saveWe're on a mission to keep you connected to your loved ones at an affordable rate.
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