How do I Use my Phone Account?

01

When a loved one is held in county jail, one of the first things families want to know is how to stay in contact. Phone calls are often the most immediate bridge, but the system behind them — account creation, funding, calling options, approved providers — is rarely explained in plain language. This guide walks through how the major inmate phone service providers work, what you need to set up an account, how to fund it, and where gaps in their systems tend to leave families confused or overcharged.

02What "How do I Use my Phone Account?" Actually Means in a Jail Context

The question "How do I Use my Phone Account?" carries real urgency when someone you care about has just been booked. It means: how do I get set up so my loved one can reach me, and how do I make sure the money I put in actually gets to them?

The answer depends entirely on which provider the jail contracts with. Jails do not run their own phone systems. They sign exclusive contracts with telecommunications companies that specialize in correctional communications, and every family must work within whichever system that facility uses.

Understanding that the provider is facility-specific is the first practical step. There is no universal "jail phone account." Each provider has its own website, app, funding rules, and fee schedule, so the right starting point is always finding out which company serves the specific jail where your loved one is held.

03Securus Technologies

Securus Technologies is one of the largest providers of inmate telecommunications services in the United States. The company serves a significant number of county jails and state correctional facilities, making it one of the first names families encounter when they begin searching for how to set up calling access.

To use a Securus account, a family member creates a profile at the Securus website or through their mobile app. Once registered, the account holder can add a phone number or debit calling account and fund it. Securus offers several funding options, including advance connect, where the family pays per call up front, and prepaid collect, where the incarcerated person initiates the call and charges are drawn from the family's balance.

Securus charges connection fees in addition to per-minute rates, and the specific amounts vary by facility and whether the call is local or long-distance. The Federal Communications Commission has regulated interstate call rates, but intrastate rates can still vary significantly depending on state rules and the jail's contract terms. Families should verify current rates directly with Securus or the facility before assuming any specific cost.

One limitation families frequently run into with Securus is the layered fee structure, which can make it difficult to predict how long a balance will actually last. If your loved one is in a facility that uses Securus but you need broader search tools to confirm which facility they are in before you can set up any account at all, that initial search step is where a service like InMato helps — the county jail inmate search on InMato's platform is free with no time limit.

04Global Tel Link (GTL / ViaPath)

Global Tel Link, also known as GTL and now operating in part under the ViaPath brand, is another major player in correctional telecommunications. GTL serves a large number of county jails across the country and is among the providers families are most likely to encounter when trying to reach someone in a local detention facility.

Families set up a GTL account through the ConnectNetwork platform. The process involves creating a profile, verifying your identity in some cases, and linking a payment method. From there, you can fund a prepaid account that your incarcerated loved one draws from when they initiate calls, or in some facilities you can set up a direct video visitation session through the same platform.

GTL has expanded beyond voice calls into video visitation and messaging at many facilities. This can be helpful when in-person visits are restricted, but it also means families may need to fund multiple services through the same or separate accounts to stay in full contact.

A limitation worth knowing: GTL's platform has faced criticism for fee transparency, particularly around processing fees attached to each deposit and the expiration policies on unused account balances. Verifying the exact policies for your specific facility before loading a large amount is a practical precaution.

05ICSolutions

ICSolutions is a third provider that families will encounter in county jails, particularly smaller and mid-sized county facilities. The company operates phone and messaging services through its own platform and has carved out a presence in markets where the largest providers are not the contracted vendor.

Setting up an ICSolutions account follows a similar pattern: register at icsolutions.com, create a family-side account, and select the funding method that matches how the facility processes calls — either advance pay or prepaid collect. ICSolutions also offers a mobile app for account management, and some facilities on their network allow text or photo messaging through the platform in addition to voice calls.

ICSolutions rates and fees are facility-dependent, and their customer service hours and response times can vary. For families dealing with a fresh booking, delayed customer service is a real friction point, which is why knowing the provider name before you call is valuable. Confirming which provider serves the facility is the step that makes everything else faster.

The gap here is consistent with other providers: families who do not know the facility location or official provider name can spend hours on the wrong platform entirely. Getting that confirmed first is the move that saves time and money.

06Telmate

Telmate is another inmate communications provider operating under the GTL/ViaPath corporate umbrella following acquisition activity in the industry. At many facilities, Telmate-branded services have transitioned to the GTL or ViaPath platform, though some facilities still present the Telmate name in their official documentation.

Families setting up a Telmate account use the Telmate.com portal or the associated app. Account registration, funding, and call-access steps follow the same general pattern as other providers: create a profile, load funds, and ensure your phone number is approved or that the incarcerated person's account reflects your contact information.

One thing families notice with Telmate-adjacent facilities is that the migration between branding can create confusion — a family searching "Telmate" may be redirected to a GTL or ViaPath interface, and the account they set up may or may not transfer cleanly. Checking with the facility directly about which platform is currently active is a practical step worth taking before funding any account.

07InMato LLC

InMato LLC is positioned differently from every other entry in this comparison. It is an information, search, and referral service — not a phone company or payment processor. InMato never holds or touches user money. What it does is help families find which facility is holding their loved one and then connect them with the correct, official, licensed provider for phone and commissary services.

The free county jail inmate search on the InMato platform covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states, and that search has no time limit and requires no account to use. For families asking "how do I find someone in jail" before they can even get to the question of phone access, that starting point matters enormously. You cannot set up a phone account if you do not know which facility, which provider, and which official website to use.

InMato also addresses a real safety concern that many families do not anticipate: lookalike payment sites. When families search for commissary or phone deposit options under stress, fraudulent imitation sites can appear in search results. InMato only surfaces official, licensed providers, so when a family follows a referral from the platform, they are going to the real system — not a fraud site designed to collect payment details.

For families who want proactive support beyond search, InMato+ is available at $19.99 per month per loved one with self-service cancel-anytime terms. InMato+ includes jail booking alerts, release and transfer alerts, court date notifications, bail bond and attorney referrals, and real-time case tracking with court document summaries. The free tier remains free permanently — no trial period, no automatic upgrade. InMato LLC is a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.

Where InMato fills the gap left by every provider listed above is at the very beginning of the process: knowing where your person is, knowing which company runs the phones there, and getting to the right deposit page without being intercepted by a fraudulent intermediary. The InMato app and platform are built to answer those prior questions so that the provider-specific steps that follow actually work.

08Pigeonly

Pigeonly is a service that helps families communicate with incarcerated loved ones primarily through letter printing and mailing, with some phone-related features. Pigeonly allows family members to send printed letters, photos, and postcards by uploading content through their platform, which then prints and mails the materials to the facility on the family's behalf.

Pigeonly also offers a reduced-cost phone service at some facilities through a local number forwarding approach, where they provide a local number the incarcerated person can call to avoid long-distance rates. Whether this works at a specific facility depends on that facility's phone system and what numbers it permits.

One limitation of Pigeonly's phone-related features is that they do not work everywhere and require verification that the facility's system will accept the local number arrangement. Families should confirm with the facility before relying on Pigeonly's phone service specifically. For the search and identification step that must happen before any of this, a county jail inmate search tool built for that purpose is a more direct path.

09JPay

JPay, now operating as part of the Securus Technologies family of companies, is widely known for its money transfer, email, and video services for incarcerated people. JPay allows family members to send money electronically, purchase email credits, and in some facilities access video visitation — all through a single JPay account.

Setting up a JPay account involves registration at jpay.com, selecting the facility, and linking a payment method. Deposits made through JPay go to the incarcerated person's spending account, which may be used for commissary, phone credits depending on the facility, or other approved purchases. The per-transaction fees vary and are displayed during the deposit process.

JPay's ecosystem is significant because it bundles multiple contact methods together, which can be convenient. However, families often discover that phone calls still require a separate account with the facility's contracted phone provider even when they have a JPay account, because phone and spending funds are often held in separate systems. Understanding that distinction before funding accounts in both places is useful.

The limitation for some families is that JPay's fee structure on transfers can be a meaningful percentage of smaller deposits. For families sending money to someone in jail for the first time, reviewing the fee schedule before selecting a deposit amount helps ensure more of what you send actually arrives.

10How to Set Up Any Inmate Phone Account: The Core Steps

Regardless of which provider serves the facility, the process for setting up a phone account shares the same basic structure. Knowing these steps in advance makes the experience far less disorienting, especially during the first 24 to 48 hours after a booking.

The first step is identifying the correct facility. This sounds simple but can be surprisingly difficult, especially if someone was transferred, booked in a jurisdiction you are unfamiliar with, or held by a different agency than you expected. The free county jail inmate search on InMato covers this efficiently — searching by name and state returns facility information without requiring an account or any payment.

The second step is identifying the official provider. Once you know the facility, you can either call the facility directly or use InMato's referral information to confirm which telecommunications company holds the contract and which URL is the real, official platform. This step protects you from landing on a lookalike site.

The third step is account registration. Create an account on the provider's official platform using your real name, contact number, and a valid email address. Most providers will ask you to add the phone number you want to receive calls on, or to specify that you are funding the incarcerated person's account for outgoing calls.

The fourth step is funding the account. Deposit an amount you are comfortable with, keeping the fee structure in mind. Smaller initial deposits are a reasonable approach until you understand how the system charges and how quickly funds deplete. Every provider displays fees during checkout — review them before confirming.

The fifth step is confirming with your loved one. Let them know the account is funded and which number or account name is linked. In facilities where the incarcerated person initiates all calls, they will need to know to look for your number in the system or to request it be added to their approved list.

11Common Problems and How to Handle Them

One of the most common problems families run into is funding an account only to find calls are still not connecting. This is usually because the deposit went to the right provider but the wrong account type, or because the phone number has not yet been approved on the incarcerated person's end. Contacting the provider's customer service with the transaction confirmation number is the fastest path to resolution.

Another common issue is discovering after the fact that a deposit was made through an unofficial or third-party site rather than the provider's own platform. These sites often charge additional fees that the official provider does not, and in the worst cases, they are outright fraudulent. Booking-watch alerts and verified referrals — features available through InMato+ — help families stay connected to the right official channels from the start.

Delays in account activation are also frequent, especially at facilities with manual approval processes. Some facilities require the incarcerated person to submit a form before a family member's account becomes active. Asking the facility about that process directly is the most reliable way to avoid a delay that leaves both parties unable to connect.

12Understanding Rates, Fees, and the FCC's Role

The Federal Communications Commission has placed caps on interstate inmate calling rates, meaning calls that cross state lines are subject to federal rate limits. Intrastate calls — those within the same state — are regulated at the state level, and the rules differ considerably from one state to another.

Connection fees, account maintenance fees, and deposit processing fees are additional costs beyond per-minute rates. These are not uniform across providers or facilities, and they can meaningfully affect how far a deposit goes. Reviewing the full fee disclosure before completing a deposit is the only way to know what you are actually paying.

Some advocacy organizations have pushed for broader FCC jurisdiction over intrastate rates, and regulatory conditions in this area have evolved over time. For the most current rate information at a specific facility, contacting the provider directly or asking the facility's inmate services staff is the right approach. Assumptions based on general estimates can lead to funding shortfalls.

13Staying Connected Beyond Phone Calls

Phone calls are often the first thing families set up, but they are rarely the only communication channel available. Many facilities also permit physical mail, and some providers offer electronic messaging, photos, or video calls in addition to voice.

Physical mail remains one of the most reliable and lowest-cost ways to stay in regular contact. Every facility has specific rules about envelope size, page count, permitted content, and whether photos or cards are accepted. Checking the facility's official visitation and mail policies before sending anything saves frustration.

Video visitation, where available, often runs through the same provider that handles phone calls. Some facilities charge per-session rates; others include a set number of video minutes with phone account funding. Understanding what is included in the account you set up — and what is billed separately — helps you budget for consistent contact over time.

Jail commissary deposits, separate from phone accounts, allow incarcerated people to purchase food, hygiene items, and sometimes additional phone credits directly from their spending account. These are typically handled through a different system than phone calls, though some providers like JPay bundle both. Knowing which accounts serve which purposes is essential to making sure your loved one has what they need.

14About InMato LLC

InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families locate a loved one in county jail and connect with official, licensed providers. Founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry with a founding principle: treat families with dignity and never profit from their fear. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system. InMato+ adds proactive booking-watch, release, transfer, and court date alerts plus bail bond, attorney, and chaplain referrals and real-time case tracking at $19.99/month per loved one, cancel anytime. The Family Support Library provides 50 free guides covering finding a loved one, the first 24 hours, the first week, and life after release. Available in English and Spanish. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.

15Get Started with InMato LLC

Search for your loved one now at inmato.com — free for every family, with no time limit. Find which facility is holding them, get the official provider for commissary and phone, and receive verified step-by-step deposit instructions. No account required to search. Available in English and Spanish.

Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/how-do-i-use-my-phone-account

Written by InMato