How does telephone service work?
Incarcerated individuals can place outgoing telephone calls from detention facility phones during approved hours. Calls are billed to either a Prepaid Account (tied to a specific registered phone number that receives the call) or a PIN Debit Account (owned by a specific incarcerated individual for calls to unregistered numbers or optionally to registered numbers). You can deposit funds into either account type through SmartInmate, and call charges are automatically deducted from the account balance when calls are connected. Call rates vary depending on the detention facility, call type (local, in-state, out-of-state, international), and time of day.
What is a Prepaid Account?
A Prepaid Account is tied to YOUR registered phone number. When you deposit funds into a Prepaid Account, any incarcerated individual at a participating detention facility can call your phone number and the call will be billed to your account balance. Your phone number is the key identifier for the account. All calls to that number will use the funds you have deposited. Your Prepaid Account balance can also be used to pay for remote video visitation sessions. Prepaid Accounts are useful if you want to receive calls and pay for video visits from a single balance.
What is a PIN Debit Account?
A PIN Debit Account is tied to a SPECIFIC incarcerated individual. When you deposit funds into a PIN Debit Account, those funds become the property of the incarcerated individual. They can use PIN Debit funds to make calls to unregistered phone numbers, or they may choose to use them for calls to registered numbers as well. PIN Debit funds are owned by the incarcerated individual once deposited. If the incarcerated individual transfers to another detention facility or is released, they may request that their PIN Debit funds be released back to them. PIN Debit funds can only be released to the incarcerated individual and cannot be released to other parties.
Which should I choose: Prepaid Account or PIN Debit?
Choose a Prepaid Account if you want to receive calls to your registered phone number and pay for remote video visits from a single balance that you control. Choose a PIN Debit Account if you want to provide funds directly to a specific incarcerated individual for their phone calls, particularly to unregistered numbers. Keep in mind that PIN Debit funds become the incarcerated individual's property once deposited and can only be released back to them. Some detention facilities may only support one account type, so check with your detention facility or contact our Customer Care team through the contact form if you are unsure which option is available for your situation.
How do I add money for phone calls?
Log in to your SmartInmate account and select "Fund Account" from the main menu. For a Prepaid Account, enter your phone number. For a PIN Debit Account, search for and select the incarcerated individual. Choose the account type (Prepaid or PIN Debit) and select the amount you want to deposit. The system will display the call rates for that detention facility. Enter your payment method and complete the transaction. Your funds will be available immediately after payment is processed.
I deposited money but calls still say I have no balance. Why?
If you deposited money but the balance is not showing, verify the following: First, confirm that you deposited to the correct phone number (for Prepaid Account) or the correct person (for PIN Debit Account). Second, make sure you are looking at the correct account type in the system. Prepaid Accounts and PIN Debit Accounts are separate. Third, allow a few minutes for the system to process your deposit and update the balance. Fourth, verify that the incarcerated individual is using the correct phone number when calling (for Prepaid) or dialing correctly to access their PIN Debit account. If the issue persists, contact our Customer Care team through the contact form with your transaction confirmation details.
I deposited money to the wrong phone number. What should I do?
If you have deposited funds to the wrong phone number, contact our Customer Care team through the contact form and provide the following information: the incorrect phone number that received the deposit, the correct phone number where the funds should be transferred, and the date and approximate amount of the deposit. In most cases we can transfer Prepaid Account funds from one phone number to another. Please note that there is a $5.00 minimum balance required for fund transfers and refunds. Our team will review the request and transfer the funds for you as quickly as possible. To help avoid this issue in the future, always double-check the phone number on the deposit screen before confirming your payment. The phone number is displayed on the confirmation screen before you complete the transaction.
The call won't connect - what should I do?
If someone is trying to call but the call is not connecting, check the following: Verify that you have provided the correct phone number in your Prepaid Account (for Prepaid calls) or that the person has the correct PIN and account number (for PIN Debit). Ensure that you have sufficient funds in your account balance. Check that your phone is able to accept calls from unknown, blocked, or restricted numbers. Sometimes detention facility calls appear as restricted numbers and phones may reject them automatically. Ensure that you do not have call blocking or screening services active on your line. If the issue persists, contact our Customer Care team through the contact form for assistance.
Can I receive calls from any facility?
You can only receive calls from facilities that use Smart Communications for their telephone service. Not all detention facilities use our service. To verify if a specific detention facility uses Smart Communications for phone calls, you can check our detention facility directory on SmartInmate.com, or contact the detention facility directly to ask about their telephone service provider. Please note that some phone numbers outside of the continental United States may not be supported by our system for call delivery or account verification.
How much do phone calls cost?
Call rates vary significantly by detention facility and call type. Rates differ for local calls, in-state calls, out-of-state calls, and international calls. Some detention facilities also may charge different rates during peak and off-peak hours. The specific call rates for any detention facility are displayed on the deposit screen when you are adding funds to an account. Before depositing, you can view the rates to understand how much calls will cost.
Calls from jail are showing as restricted, unknown, or spam on my phone. How do I receive them?
Calls from detention facilities often display as "Restricted," "Unknown," "No Caller ID," or may even be flagged as spam by your phone. This is normal because detention facility phone systems do not transmit a standard caller ID. To make sure you can receive these calls, check the following: First, go to your phone settings and make sure you have not enabled "Silence Unknown Callers" (iPhone) or "Block Unknown Numbers" (Android), as this will prevent detention facility calls from ringing. Second, check if your phone carrier has a spam or call screening service enabled, such as AT&T ActiveArmor, T-Mobile Scam Shield, or Verizon Call Filter, and add an exception or disable the screening for unknown numbers. Third, if you use Google Voice, a digital answering service, or any app that requires callers to say their name before connecting, these services are not compatible with the detention facility phone system and will prevent calls from connecting. Fourth, make sure calls are not going directly to voicemail by testing with a call from another phone with caller ID blocked. If you have verified all of these settings and calls are still not connecting, contact our Customer Care team through the contact form and we can review the call records for your number.
How do I change my phone number on my account?
You can update the phone number on your SmartInmate account by logging in and going to "My Account" to edit your phone number. You will need to verify the new number by entering a verification code sent to it via text message. Please note the following important details: Your Prepaid Account balance is tied to your phone number, not your SmartInmate account. When you change your phone number in your account settings, your Prepaid Account funds do not automatically move to the new number. If you have funds on your old number that you need transferred to your new number, please contact our Customer Care team through the contact form with both the old and new phone numbers and we will transfer the funds for you. If you are having trouble verifying your new number (for example, if the verification code is not arriving), make sure you are using a standard mobile phone number. Some phone numbers, including VoIP numbers, TextNow numbers, and other virtual or app-based phone numbers may not be compatible with our verification system.
Can I receive calls from a detention facility if I am outside the United States?
Our telephone service is primarily designed for calls within the United States. Calls to international phone numbers may be available at some detention facilities, but availability, supported countries, and rates vary significantly by facility. International call rates, where available, are displayed on the deposit screen when adding funds to an account. Please note the following limitations: Some phone numbers outside of the continental United States may not be supported by our system for call delivery or for account verification during signup. If you are located outside the United States and need to communicate with an incarcerated individual, electronic messaging through SmartInmate may be a more reliable option as it does not depend on phone number compatibility. If you have questions about international calling availability at a specific detention facility, contact our Customer Care team through the contact form or by phone at 1-727-349-1561 and we can check the options available for your situation.
How do I block a specific incarcerated individual from calling me?
If you want to block a specific incarcerated individual from calling your phone number without blocking calls from the entire detention facility, contact our Customer Care team through the contact form or by phone at 1-727-349-1561. Provide the name of the incarcerated individual, the detention facility they are located at, and your phone number. Our team can block that specific person from calling you while still allowing other incarcerated individuals at the same facility to reach you. Please note that if the detention facility has placed a block on your number, Smart Communications is not able to override or remove that block. You would need to contact the detention facility directly to resolve facility-imposed restrictions.
I think I accidentally blocked calls. How do I unblock my phone number?
First, please note that the automated recording that plays when an incarcerated individual calls you does not include an option to block calls. It is not possible to accidentally block your number by pressing a wrong button during a call. If you are not receiving calls, the issue is most likely caused by a setting on your phone rather than a block in our system. Please check the following: Make sure "Silence Unknown Callers" or spam filtering is not enabled on your device (see the question above about restricted and unknown calls). Check that you have not accidentally blocked the facility phone number in your phone's call settings or recent call history. Verify that your Prepaid Account has sufficient funds for the incarcerated individual to call you. If you previously requested that your number be blocked and want to reverse that request, please call our Customer Care team at 1-727-349-1561 directly from the phone number that was blocked. We can verify and remove the block for you over the phone. Blocks placed by the detention facility cannot be removed by Smart Communications. You would need to contact the detention facility directly for facility-imposed blocks.
If you have a question that is not answered here, please use the contact form to submit your question to our Customer Care team and we will respond as quickly as possible.