How much do prison phone calls cost?
What the prisoner’s call credit is charged per minute in public-sector prisons in England and Wales, where those figures come from, and where they may not apply.
A 20-minute call: landline versus mobile
At weekday rates, a 20-minute call costs 49.6p to a UK landline or £1.10 to a UK mobile: a 60.4p difference in prison call credit. At weekend rates, the same call costs 44p or 72p. These are call-credit charges, not BluePhone subscription prices.
The weekday tariff runs from midnight Sunday to midday Friday; the weekend tariff runs from midday Friday to midnight Sunday. A 10p minimum applies per call. Private prisons and prisons outside England and Wales may differ.
Use the calculator to include the subscription in your total, or see ways to reduce costs without a subscription.
Pence per minute, charged to the prisoner’s call credit
| Number called | Weekday | Weekend | Weekday difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK mobile (07) | 5.5p | 3.6p | — |
| UK geographic landline (01/02) | 2.48p | 2.2p | About 55% lower per minute than a mobile |
Source: Ministry of Justice answer to UK Parliament, 18 June 2026. A minimum charge of 10p applies per call. The examples above exceed this minimum.
What a call costs in credit
Weekday rates. These are the prisoner’s call-credit costs only.
A subscription for a landline-style number — BluePhone is £15/month or £149/year — is a separate cost paid by the family. Whether a subscription saves money overall depends on how much they call; the calculator shows both sides.
| Call length | To a mobile | To a landline |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 55p | 25p |
| 20 minutes | £1.10 | 50p |
| 30 minutes | £1.65 | 74p |
| 20 min, every day for a month | £33.46 | £15.09 |
Where these rates may not apply
- Scotland. The Scottish Prison Service has its own telephony arrangements and says it provides 200 free call minutes a month.
- Northern Ireland. Prisons are run by the Northern Ireland Prison Service, separately from HMPPS.
- Privately run (contracted) prisons in England and Wales. We have not verified that every contracted prison uses exactly the same tariff. Ask the prison if you are unsure.
- Future changes. Tariffs can change. We review this page and date each review.
The prisoner’s credit comes from money in their prison account. Families can add money through the official GOV.UK service.
Questions about rates
Can prisoners call 01 and 02 numbers?
Yes, if the number is on their approved phone list. UK geographic 01/02 numbers are charged at the landline rate. The prison checks each new number and decides whether to approve it.
How much do UK prison calls cost?
Under the public-sector tariff from 1 April 2025: 5.5p a minute to a UK mobile and 2.48p a minute to a UK geographic landline on weekdays; 3.6p and 2.2p at weekends.
Is a BluePhone number charged at the landline rate?
A BluePhone number is a UK geographic 01/02 number, the type the landline rate applies to. BluePhone does not set the prison’s charges; the prison telephone system applies its own tariff.
What does “55% lower” mean?
At the weekday rate, 2.48p is about 55% less than 5.5p per minute. It describes the prisoner’s call-credit rate only. It does not mean a household’s total costs fall by 55%, because a landline-number subscription is a separate cost.
Are rates the same in every UK prison?
No. These figures are for public-sector prisons in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate arrangements, and we have not verified the tariff at every privately run prison.
Related guides
Get your own UK number
£15/month or £149/year. iPhone and Android. No eSIM required. Incoming calls only. The prison decides whether to approve the number.
