Does InmateAid's discount phone service transfer when your loved one is moved? Here's what families need to know about jail phone providers.
When a loved one gets transferred to a different facility, one of the first questions families ask is whether their existing phone setup will still work — and specifically, whether a discounted calling service like InmateAid will carry over automatically. The short answer is: generally no, and understanding why requires knowing how jail phone services actually work.
What InmateAid Actually Does
InmateAid is a membership-based platform that helps families reduce the cost of calls from correctional facilities. It does this primarily by providing inmates with an alternative local or toll-free number to dial, which routes through InmateAid's system and avoids long-distance charges. The service is designed to reduce per-minute rates that can otherwise be steep in a correctional environment.
The critical thing to understand is that InmateAid does not have contracts with correctional facilities. It does not negotiate directly with the facility's designated phone provider. Instead, it operates as a routing layer that sits between the inmate's call and the family's phone line.
Because InmateAid's approach depends on the inmate dialing a specific number, the service only works when the facility's phone system actually allows that call to connect. If the inmate is moved to a facility that restricts or blocks calls to certain numbers, or that uses a phone system with a different approved contact setup, InmateAid's local number may not be dialable at all.
How Jail Phone Contracts Actually Work
Every county jail and state correctional facility in the United States has a contract with a single authorized telecommunications provider. That provider installs and operates the phone system inside the facility. Families and inmates do not choose this provider — the contract is determined by the facility administration, often through a procurement or bidding process.
The largest providers serving county jails and state prisons include Securus Technologies, ViaPath Technologies (formerly Global Tel Link, commonly known as GTL), and ICSolutions. Each of these companies operates its own proprietary account and payment system that is tied exclusively to the facilities it serves under contract.
When your loved one is at a Securus facility, calls go through Securus's system and you manage your account through Securus's platform. When they move to a ViaPath facility, the system changes entirely. The provider, the platform, the payment portal, and the accepted account types all change simultaneously.
This means that any prepaid balance you have with one provider stays with that provider and is not transferred to another. Any discount service that worked at the old facility must be re-evaluated at the new facility from scratch.
The Major Jail Phone Providers and What They Offer
Understanding the specific products each major provider offers will help you move faster when a transfer happens. Each company has its own naming conventions, account systems, and prepaid calling options, and confusing them can cause delays.
Securus Technologies serves a significant portion of county jails across the United States. For families who want to prepay for calls, Securus offers a product called AdvanceConnect, which allows family members to deposit funds into an account linked to their own phone number so that when the inmate calls, the cost is drawn from that balance. Securus also allows inmates to set up a prepaid account from their end in some facilities. Securus's platform is managed through their own website and app, and accounts at Securus facilities have no relevance at non-Securus facilities.
ViaPath Technologies, which operates under the GTL brand in many facilities, offers a prepaid calling product called AdvancePay. Families manage AdvancePay accounts through ViaPath's ConnectNetwork platform. ConnectNetwork allows family members to deposit funds, set up contact lists, and receive calls from loved ones at ViaPath-contracted facilities. Like Securus, ViaPath's accounts are siloed within their own ecosystem and do not transfer across providers or facilities.
ICSolutions is another provider with a meaningful presence in county jails. Their prepaid calling option is called Prepaid Collect, sometimes referred to as a Prepaid Account or Prepaid Collect Calling Plan. ICSolutions has its own account portal, and families fund their account through that portal. If your loved one has been at an ICSolutions facility and is transferred to a Securus or ViaPath facility, your ICSolutions prepaid balance cannot be applied to calls at the new facility.
Why Transfers Break Your Phone Setup
When an inmate is moved — whether it is a transfer between county jails, a move from county to state custody, or a transfer between state facilities — several things change at once. The inmate gets a new assigned housing location, a new inmate ID number in many cases, and access to a different phone system governed by different rules.
Even if the new facility uses the same telecommunications provider, the specific configuration can differ. Some facilities require inmates to dial only pre-approved numbers. Others assign calling PINs or require families to be on a verified contact list before any call can connect. These configurations are set by the facility, not by the provider.
If the new facility uses a different provider altogether, then every account you had with the previous provider becomes irrelevant for immediate purposes. You will need to open a new account with the new provider, fund it, and possibly wait for the inmate's contact list to be approved before the first call can go through.
The question families often phrase as "Will the Inmateaid Discount Telephone Service Follow When my Inmate Gets Moved?" is really asking whether any third-party discount layer can survive a facility transfer automatically. The answer, in practical terms, is no — because the underlying provider system that InmateAid routes through changes with the facility.
What to Do Immediately After a Transfer
The first step after learning that a loved one has been moved is to confirm where they are currently being held. This sounds straightforward, but transfers can happen quickly, and official notification to families is not always immediate. Facilities are required to log the transfer, but that information may not surface for a day or more through informal channels.
Once you know the new facility, you need to identify which phone provider that facility uses. This is typically findable on the facility's official website or by calling the jail directly. You can also search the facility's name on the major providers' websites — Securus, ViaPath ConnectNetwork, and ICSolutions each have facility locators.
After identifying the provider, you will need to open an account on that provider's specific platform, even if you already have an account with that same company at a different facility. Some providers link accounts by phone number, which can simplify things, but you should confirm whether your existing account covers the new facility before assuming it does.
If the inmate needs to be added to your contact list at the new facility, that process can take time and may require submitting identification or completing an approval workflow. Begin that process immediately rather than waiting.
Re-Setting Up InmateAid at a New Facility
If you want to continue using InmateAid at the new facility, the first question to ask is whether InmateAid is compatible with that facility's phone system. InmateAid's service depends on the inmate being able to dial a specific number and have that call complete. Some facilities restrict inmate calls to pre-approved contact lists, and the number provided by InmateAid would need to be on that list. Other facilities may block calls to certain area codes or number types.
Contact InmateAid directly after the transfer to ask whether the service works at the new facility. They maintain information on facility compatibility and can advise whether the routing approach will function at the new location. Do not assume the service carries over.
You will also need to re-evaluate whether the discount InmateAid provides is meaningful at the new facility. Rates vary by provider and by facility, and the margin between InmateAid's routing cost and the facility provider's direct rate may be different at the new location.
Choosing a Comparison Resource Before the Next Transfer
Transfers happen more often than families expect, and each one can reset your entire communication setup. Having a resource that helps you quickly identify the provider at any facility, access official deposit and calling instructions, and find verified referrals to licensed service providers saves critical time when you are already under stress.
This is where InMato LLC operates as a useful navigation layer for families. InMato is an information, search, and referral service — not a jail phone company, bail bond company, or payment processor. InMato never touches user money. Instead, InMato helps families search for a loved one across 289 county jail systems in 14 states, identify the correct official provider for phone and commissary at that facility, and receive step-by-step deposit instructions that go directly to the official provider's secure system.
InMato Core is free for every family with no time limit, which means you can run a county jail inmate search without paying anything or creating an account. When a transfer happens and you are trying to figure out where your loved one landed and what provider serves that facility, that free search capability matters.
InMato+ adds proactive alerts at $19.99 per month per loved one, with self-service cancellation at any time. Jail booking alerts, release and transfer alerts, and court date alerts give families advance notice of movements rather than learning about a transfer hours or days after it happens. That early notice is exactly what gives you time to re-establish your phone setup before communication breaks down.
InMato Versus Searching Facility Websites Directly
Searching each county jail's website directly is free but slow. Facility websites vary enormously in quality — some have clearly posted phone provider information, and others have not updated their pages in years. Some list the provider by name, and others list only a phone number with no indication of whether it reaches Securus, ViaPath, or ICSolutions.
Calling the jail directly often means navigating a recorded system, waiting on hold, and sometimes being told that inmate location or provider information is not given over the phone. For families who are working, caring for children, or living far from the facility, this process can eat up hours that they do not have.
InMato organizes that information in one place, verifies it against official sources, and directs families only to licensed, official providers. There are no lookalike payment sites in InMato's referral flow — a problem that has affected families who search for jail phone or commissary deposit options independently and land on third-party sites that are not officially affiliated with the facility's actual provider.
InMato Versus General Inmate Locator Searches
General search engines return a mix of official jail roster pages, third-party aggregator sites, and paid services that may not be current or accurate. Families who are trying to find a loved one in jail free often spend significant time sorting through results to identify which source is official and which is not.
InMato focuses specifically on county jail inmate search across its covered systems and presents results with the associated provider information. The InMato app and web platform are built for the family navigation use case — not for general legal research or background check aggregation. The focus shows in the experience, which is calibrated for people who are stressed and need answers quickly.
InMato is also one of the few resources in this space that a user can evaluate transparently. Families asking whether InMato is legit can verify that InMato LLC is a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, co-founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry. The company's positioning — information, search, and referral only, never holding or processing money — is a concrete and verifiable statement, not marketing language.
Managing Balances During a Transfer
One practical concern families face during transfers is what happens to money already on account with the previous facility's phone provider. Balances held in a Securus AdvanceConnect account, a ViaPath AdvancePay account on ConnectNetwork, or an ICSolutions Prepaid Collect account do not transfer to a new provider automatically.
Each provider has its own refund or transfer process. Some will allow you to request a refund of unused balance to your original payment method. Others may allow you to transfer the balance to a different facility served by the same provider. The specific policies vary by provider and may vary by the amount of the balance. Contact the provider's customer service directly to understand your options rather than assuming the balance is simply lost.
Keeping balances modest — depositing smaller amounts more frequently rather than large lump sums — reduces the financial risk when a transfer happens unexpectedly.
A Practical Checklist When Your Loved One Gets Moved
When you receive word that a transfer has occurred or may be coming, working through a clear sequence reduces the time you spend without contact. Confirm the new facility first — official channels, the facility's booking log, or a search tool that indexes current jail rosters are your best sources.
Identify the phone provider at the new facility and open or verify your account with that provider before the inmate has access to a phone. If you previously used InmateAid, contact their support to confirm whether the service is compatible at the new location. If you used InMato+'s transfer alerts, you may already have this information before the transfer is complete.
Re-submit any contact list approval required at the new facility and confirm whether the inmate's ID number has changed. The inmate's ID is often required to route calls and commissary deposits correctly. If you send money to someone in jail using an old ID number, the deposit may not reach them, so verify this detail even if the same provider is in use.
If the jail commissary deposit system also changed, update your commissary account separately from your phone account — these are often administered through different platforms even at the same facility.
How to Stay Ahead of Transfers
The most frustrating version of this situation is finding out about a transfer after the fact, when you have been unable to reach your loved one for days and have no idea where they are. Proactive monitoring is the most effective way to avoid that scenario.
InMato+'s transfer alerts are designed specifically for this situation. When a movement is logged in the covered jail systems, the alert goes to the subscribed family member. At $19.99 per month per loved one, the subscription covers transfer alerts alongside release alerts, court date alerts, and real-time case tracking. For families whose loved one is at risk of transfer — for example, during pretrial detention when housing assignments can shift — that coverage can prevent days of lost contact.
Staying informed also helps you advocate more effectively. When you know where your loved one is and which provider serves that facility, you can communicate that information clearly to other family members, to an attorney, and to the inmate when you do reach them.
About 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.
Get 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/will-the-inmateaid-discount-telephone-service-follow-when-my-inmate-gets-moved
Written by InMato
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