How Much Are Prison Phone Calls Really Costing Your Family Each Month?
When someone you love is incarcerated, a telephone call is much more than a conversation. It may be the primary way families share news, provide encouragement, maintain relationships and remain involved in each other’s daily lives.
But how much are those conversations actually costing?
The price of a single call may not appear significant. The real financial impact becomes much clearer when you calculate the cost over 30 days—and especially when incarceration lasts for months or years.
A Few Cents Can Make a Big Difference
Consider three illustrative calling rates: 10¢, 20¢ and 30¢ per minute. These figures are examples rather than rates for any particular correctional telephone provider.
At first glance, the difference between 10¢ and 20¢ per minute is only a dime. But multiply that dime by hundreds or thousands of minutes, and the difference becomes significant.
Here is what happens when an incarcerated person calls every day:
| Daily calling | Minutes/month | At 10¢/min. | At 20¢/min. | At 30¢/min. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 300 | $30 | $60 | $90 |
| 20 minutes | 600 | $60 | $120 | $180 |
| 30 minutes | 900 | $90 | $180 | $270 |
| 60 minutes | 1,800 | $180 | $360 | $540 |
These simple calculations demonstrate why families should pay attention to the per-minute cost of staying connected.
What Does 10 Minutes a Day Cost?
Ten minutes may be enough for a quick check-in: How are the children? How was work? Is everyone okay?
At 10¢ per minute, 10 minutes every day would cost approximately $30 per month in usage. At 20¢ per minute, it becomes $60, and at 30¢, it reaches $90.
The difference between the lowest and highest illustrative rates is $60 every month—or $720 over a year.
And that is for only 10 minutes of conversation per day.
What About 20 or 30 Minutes?
Twenty minutes per day equals approximately 600 minutes per month.
At 10¢ per minute, that is $60 in monthly usage. At 20¢, it becomes $120. At 30¢, the cost reaches $180.
Increase the conversation to 30 minutes each day and the difference becomes even more noticeable.
At 10¢ per minute, 900 minutes costs $90. At 30¢, those same 900 minutes cost $270.
That is a difference of $180 every month.
For families already dealing with reduced household income, transportation for visits, legal expenses and financial support for their incarcerated loved one, another $180 can make a meaningful difference.
When Families Talk for an Hour
Some families may accumulate an hour of telephone conversations over the course of each day, depending on the correctional system’s calling rules and limits.
Sixty minutes per day represents approximately 1,800 minutes per month.
At 10¢ per minute, the usage cost would be $180. At 20¢, it would be $360. At 30¢, it would reach $540 per month.
Over 12 months, that would represent $2,160, $4,320 and $6,480 respectively.
The conversations haven’t changed. The number of minutes hasn’t changed. Only the price per minute has changed.
Look Beyond the Advertised Rate
The per-minute price is important, but families should consider the total cost of the service.
Ask whether there are setup fees, monthly access charges, connection fees, taxes or other charges. If minutes are purchased in advance, find out whether unused minutes expire or roll over.
For example, a service charging 10¢ per minute but also charging a monthly access fee will cost more than simply multiplying the number of minutes by 10¢.
Understanding the complete pricing structure allows families to make a fair comparison.
Calculate Your Own Monthly Cost
One of the easiest ways to understand your telephone expenses is to calculate your family’s actual usage.
Use this simple formula:
Minutes per day × 30 days × cost per minute = estimated monthly usage cost
For example:
30 minutes × 30 days × $0.20 = $180 per month
Then add any monthly fees, taxes or other applicable charges.
Now calculate the same number of minutes using an alternative calling option. The difference represents the potential monthly savings.
Multiply that figure by 12 to see the potential impact over a year.
Affordable Communication Matters
For families affected by incarceration, telephone communication isn’t simply another household service. It is a connection between people who cannot easily see one another.
Parents want to hear their children’s voices. Children want to tell a parent about their day. Couples need opportunities to maintain their relationships. Incarcerated individuals need connections with the people and communities to which they may eventually return.
That makes affordability important.
A difference of only a few cents per minute may seem insignificant when looking at one short conversation. Over hundreds of calls, thousands of minutes and potentially years of incarceration, however, those pennies can become hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Before deciding what a prison phone option really costs, don’t look only at the price of one call. Look at the cost of staying connected for an entire month—and an entire year.
