The Cost of Staying in Touch

Staying in touch has real costs: phone calls, video visits, electronic messages, and adding money to a person’s account each carry a charge. This guide explains how those costs work, the federal rules that limit them, the states that have made calls free, and practical ways to pay less.

Amounts change often and vary by state, facility, and vendor. Treat any figure here as general background, and confirm the current cost for a specific facility before relying on it.

How the charges work

Phone calls are almost always billed by the minute. You usually prepay into an account with the facility’s phone vendor, or the person pays from their own trust account. Rates depend on which company the facility uses and on state and federal rules.

Video visits are a paid service in most systems, billed by the minute or per session. Some systems allow video from home through an app; others only from a kiosk at a visitation center. A video visit is not the same as a free in-person visit.

Electronic messages — short digital notes, like email — are typically charged per message. Photos or longer attachments can cost extra “stamps.”

Adding money to a person’s account carries a transfer fee that varies by how much you send and which method you use. Instant online and phone deposits usually cost the most; a mailed money order is often the cheapest way to send money.

The federal rules — and why they are in flux

For years, prices were driven up by “site commissions” — payments from the phone company back to the prison or jail, funded by the people paying for calls.

The Martha Wright-Reed Act of 2023 directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to cap the cost of both phone and video calls and to limit those commissions. In 2024, the FCC set low caps — as little as about six cents a minute for prisons and larger jails — set to begin January 1, 2025.

Those caps did not fully take effect. In 2025, the FCC postponed them and then adopted new, higher interim caps that took effect April 6, 2026. So federal limits now exist, but they are higher than the 2024 order promised and have been contested. The practical takeaway: do not assume the lowest advertised rate — check the current per-minute rate for the specific facility.

States that make calls free

A growing number of states now provide free voice calls in their prisons. As of 2026, these include Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Colorado, and New York, and other states are considering it.

Two things to keep in mind: these policies cover state prisons, not necessarily county jails; and video, messaging, and money transfers usually still cost money even where voice calls are free. Confirm what is free in your state on its guide pages.

Ways to pay less

• Send money by mailed money order when you can. The per-transfer fees on instant online or phone deposits are often the most expensive part of staying in touch. See Sending Money.
• Set up accounts directly with the facility’s vendor, not a third-party website that adds its own markup.
• Compare methods. The same deposit can cost different amounts through different channels (online, phone, app, mail, or a walk-in kiosk).
• Use free options where they exist. Some systems include a few free calls or messages a week, and free monthly video sessions are common.
• Keep calls on the official system. Three-way calling or passing the phone to someone not on the account can get the account blocked.

Finding your actual costs

Once you know which company a facility uses — listed on the facility’s page and in your state’s guides — that vendor’s site or app shows the current per-minute rates and deposit fees. Start with Staying in Touch and Sending Money, then your state’s pages under States.