The High Price of Jail Calls: Reducing the Cost of Long Distance Calls

The High Price of Jail Calls: Reducing the Cost of Long Distance Calls

If the jail where your inmate lives is far enough away that the calls from the jail are long distance, communication can become beyond your budget. Private companies provide services to jails for those calls by leasing telephone lines from Bell South or other phone companies and they pass the cost onto you while making a tidy profit. The following tips will help reduce the cost of jail phone calls. 1.Investigate the jail location. It is important figure out the jail’s exact location and what area code it is in. 2. Choose a cell phone carrier. You are going to purchase a cell phone with a phone number starting with the same area code that the jail uses. Check out: More charges after he called me from jail.  Why? 3. Call the carrier. Keep it simple. Tell the customer service representative you wish a new number for the cell phone you are purchasing and that you need it to start with XYZ area code. No need to elaborate about why. Most carriers are used to this request due to families being spread across the country and needing a specific area code. 4. Order the phone and number. Once it is activated, test it by calling another phone from the new cell phone. Check the caller ID to be sure the new cell phone number has the correct area code. 5. Call the jail approved phone company. In most cases, you can set up a phone account using an automated system. If not, the customer service representative can help. The only information you need to share is the phone number where you want the account set up. No need to elaborate about you living in one area code and putting the phone in another area code. Put some money on the account and you are good to go. Final Words:  Now when your inmate calls, it is a local call and will cost much less than a long-distance call would cost. This translates into being able to speak with your inmate more frequently. Related: Dad calls into his son’s funeral from jail