GTL Inmate Payments: Deposits, Fees, and Inactivity Refunds

GTL inmate payments run through ConnectNetwork, the deposit platform operated by ViaPath Technologies (formerly Global Tel*Link). You use it to fund one of two very different accounts: an AdvancePay account tied to your phone number for receiving calls, or a trust (commissary) account that belongs to the incarcerated person and covers commissary, messaging, video visits, and tablet services at participating facilities. Picking the right account, keeping fees down, and moving before the 180-day inactivity clock runs out are the three things that decide whether your money does what you meant it to.

Pick the Right Account First

AdvancePay and trust accounts are not interchangeable, and a deposit into the wrong one is hard to reverse.

An AdvancePay account is a prepaid calling account tied to your phone number. When the incarcerated person places a collect call to you, the per-minute cost comes out of your prepaid balance. You control the account. The person inside never touches the funds directly.

A trust or commissary account belongs to the incarcerated person. Money you deposit there enters the facility’s internal accounting system, and the person can spend it on commissary items like food, hygiene products, and stationery. At many facilities, the trust account also pays for messaging, video visits, and tablet services.

Not every facility offers both through ConnectNetwork. When you select the facility and the person during setup, the platform shows you which options are available.

How to Deposit

ConnectNetwork is the main portal. Create an account, select the facility, link it to the person you’re supporting, and choose the account type. Deposit methods:

AdvancePay deposits made online or by phone are generally available within minutes. Trust account deposits can take one to two business days to post, depending on the facility’s internal processing.

What You’ll Pay in Fees

Every deposit method carries a service fee, and the amount varies by facility and deposit size. ConnectNetwork shows the exact charge at checkout before you confirm. Fees are heavier as a percentage on smaller deposits. A $20 deposit with a $3.95 fee loses nearly 20% to processing; a $200 deposit with a $7.95 fee is closer to 4%. Fewer, larger deposits generally cost less overall than frequent small ones.

Retail and Western Union deposits have their own transaction charges. Mailing a money order avoids the online processing fee but costs postage plus the money order fee. There is no fee-free option.

If you set up auto-reload to keep calls from cutting out mid-conversation, remember each reload triggers a fresh transaction fee.

What the Funds Cover

Phone Calls

AdvancePay was built for this. Once funded, the incarcerated person can place collect calls to your number and the per-minute rate is deducted automatically. You do not have to accept billing through your phone carrier, which is the point of the prepaid setup.3ConnectNetwork. ConnectNetwork AdvancePay Per-minute rates depend on the facility and on whether the call is in-state or out-of-state, and you can check the rate for your specific facility through ConnectNetwork before depositing.

Commissary

Trust account funds let the incarcerated person buy items from the facility commissary: snacks, drinks, hygiene products, stationery, stamps. The exact selection varies by facility.4ConnectNetwork. ConnectNetwork Trust Fund – Deposits for Inmate Commissary

Messaging and Video Visits

ConnectNetwork supports electronic messaging and video visitation at participating facilities. Messaging runs on credits you purchase, select the facility and person for, and send. You can attach credits so the person can reply without needing their own funds.5ConnectNetwork. Buying Message Credits and Sending a Message Costs are set per facility and displayed at checkout. Video visits work similarly, with scheduling and per-minute charges that depend on the facility. Some allow video calling from a home computer or phone; others require you to visit facility video stations.

Tablet Services

Some facilities offer tablet-based services with access to music, games, and e-books. Whether these draw from the trust account or a separate tablet account depends on the facility.

The 180-Day Inactivity Trap

If an AdvancePay account goes 180 consecutive days without activity, it becomes inactive and the remaining balance is subject to forfeiture. No refunds are available once the account hits inactive status. Any use of the account during that window resets the clock.6ConnectNetwork. ConnectNetwork Help

The practical trap: if the person is transferred to a facility using a different provider, or simply does not call for six months, the money disappears. If you know a transfer or release is coming, request a refund before the account goes dormant.

Getting a Refund

To refund an active AdvancePay account, verify your identity as the account holder and submit a request through ConnectNetwork. If the online refund flow is not available for your facility, request one by phone through customer service at 1-877-650-4249. ConnectNetwork aims to process refunds within 30 days and states it may take up to 60.6ConnectNetwork. ConnectNetwork Help

The word that matters is active. Once 180 days pass without activity, the refund window closes. If the person is released or transferred, do not wait.

Trust account balances follow a different process, because those funds are held by the facility, not by ConnectNetwork. Contact the facility’s accounting office directly for trust fund refunds after release.

Before confirming any deposit, double-check the facility and the person selected. Depositing to the wrong account is difficult to reverse. Customer support can investigate, but recovery is not guaranteed, especially once funds land in a trust account controlled by the facility.

Managing the Account

Check your AdvancePay balance by logging into ConnectNetwork or calling the automated phone system. Transaction history is available through the website. ConnectNetwork does not mail paper statements, but you can request call records and deposit histories from customer service.6ConnectNetwork. ConnectNetwork Help Low-balance alerts and automatic reload are available in account settings.

What Calls Should Cost After April 2026

The Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022 gave the FCC authority to set rate caps on both interstate and intrastate calls from correctional facilities.7GovInfo. Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022 The FCC finalized new rate caps in a December 2025 order with a compliance deadline of April 6, 2026.8Federal Register. Incarcerated Peoples Communication Services – Implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Act

Audio rate caps for phone calls, by facility size:

  • Prisons: $0.09 per minute
  • Large jails (1,000+ population): $0.08 per minute
  • Medium jails (350–999): $0.10 per minute
  • Small jails (100–349): $0.11 per minute
  • Very small jails (50–99): $0.13 per minute
  • Extremely small jails (under 50): $0.17 per minute

Video call caps run from $0.17 to $0.42 per minute along the same size tiers. Facilities may add up to $0.02 per minute to recover their own costs. The FCC also prohibited site commissions, the payments from phone providers to facilities that effectively acted as kickbacks built into call rates, and banned separate ancillary service charges under its 2024 order, though limited exceptions for automated payment fees and third-party transaction fees are still under review.9Federal Communications Commission. FCC 25-75 Report and Order If your facility is charging rates above these caps after April 2026, that is worth reporting to the FCC.