Comparing Payment Vendors for the $25 Visitation Fee: Keefe, JPay, and GTL

If you’re paying the $25 visitation background fee, you can use any of the three approved vendors: Keefe, JPay, or GTL. Friends and family can pay through several channels - online, a mobile app, by phone, or at a storefront/walk-up location - but the payment still needs to be submitted electronically. Before you start, have your Application Visitor ID ready, because you’ll need to enter it when you submit the payment.

The main difference? The vendor fee tacked onto that $25. Keefe charges nothing extra for online, app, or phone payments. JPay adds $0.95 per transaction. GTL charges $1.00 whether you're going through CheckFreePay or Western Union.

• ✓ GTL (CheckFreePay) storefront/walk-up fee: $2.50 per $25 visitation background fee transaction
• ✓ GTL (Western Union) storefront/walk-up fee: $4.50 per $25 visitation background fee transaction
• ✓ If you’re paying in person at a storefront/walk-up location, GTL’s fees are higher than the online/app/phone options

If your goal is to keep the total cost as close to $25 as possible, Keefe is the simplest choice because it charges no vendor fee - whether you pay online, in the mobile app, by phone, or at a storefront. Whichever method you pick, don’t start the payment until you have your Application Visitor ID in front of you; you’ll need it to submit the transaction.

A dollar here and there might not seem like much, but it adds up fast when multiple family members need to pay. JPay's $0.95 fee and GTL's $1.00 fee multiply quickly. The real surprise is storefront pricing with GTL: CheckFreePay charges $2.50 per transaction, and Western Union hits you with $4.50 - pushing your total well past $25. If you have options, stick with the lowest-fee vendor and skip the storefront. You'll keep more money in your pocket.