Paying the $25 Visitation Background Fee: Comparing Vendor Transaction Fees

Want to visit an incarcerated person as an adult? Whether you're applying for in-person visits, phone visits, or video visits, you'll need to pay a one-time, non-refundable $25 background check fee (required under Department Order 911). That $25 is just the base cost. The part that catches people off guard? How you pay can add extra transaction fees on top.

Those extra charges depend on the payment vendor and the method you choose - online, app, phone, or storefront. Two people can both pay the same $25 fee but end up with different totals because one method costs more than another. If you're paying for multiple adults in your family, those small differences stack up quickly.

Here's a straight comparison of transaction fees charged per $25 background-fee payment, broken out by vendor and payment method. These are the add-on fees (if any) on top of the $25 background check itself.

• ✓ Keefe - Internet transactions: No fee
• ✓ Keefe - Mobile app transactions: No fee
• ✓ Keefe - Telephonic transactions: No fee
• ✓ Keefe - Storefront transactions: No fee

• ✓ JPay - Internet transactions: $0.95 per $25 transaction
• ✓ JPay - Mobile app transactions: $0.95 per $25 transaction
• ✓ JPay - Telephonic transactions: $0.95 per $25 transaction
• ✓ JPay - Storefront transactions: $0.95 per $25 transaction

• ✓ GTL (CheckFreePay) - Internet transactions: $1.00 per $25 transaction
• ✓ GTL (CheckFreePay) - Mobile app transactions: $1.00 per $25 transaction
• ✓ GTL (CheckFreePay) - Telephonic transactions: $1.00 per $25 transaction
• ✓ GTL (CheckFreePay) - Storefront transactions: $2.50 per $25 transaction

• ✓ GTL (Western Union) - Internet transactions: $1.00 per $25 transaction
• ✓ GTL (Western Union) - Mobile app transactions: $1.00 per $25 transaction
• ✓ GTL (Western Union) - Telephonic transactions: $1.00 per $25 transaction
• ✓ GTL (Western Union) - Storefront transactions: $4.50 per $25 transaction

Keefe is the cheapest option across the board - no transaction fee for internet, mobile app, phone, or storefront payments. If Keefe isn't available to you, JPay beats GTL for internet, app, and phone payments ($0.95 vs. $1.00). For storefront payments, JPay ($0.95) is also cheaper than GTL's CheckFreePay ($2.50) or GTL's Western Union option ($4.50).

Here's something that simplifies the decision: visitation-related payments - including the $25 background fee - must be made electronically. So your real choice is which electronic channel to use (online, app, phone, or a storefront/walk-up option) and which vendor is available for your situation.

1. Confirm which vendor you’re set up to use - The published options include Keefe, JPay, and GTL (including GTL through CheckFreePay or Western Union), and the transaction fees are different.
2. Pick the channel you can reliably complete - You may be able to pay by internet, mobile app, telephonic payment, or a storefront/walk-up option.
3. Use the fee chart to choose the lowest-cost route - For example, Keefe shows no transaction fee across internet/app/phone/storefront, while JPay lists $0.95 per $25 transaction and GTL lists $1.00 for internet/app/phone.
4. If you need a storefront payment, compare carefully - Storefront fees can jump: GTL (CheckFreePay) lists $2.50 and GTL (Western Union) lists $4.50 per $25 transaction, while JPay lists $0.95 and Keefe lists no fee.

Want to keep costs down? First, check whether you can pay through Keefe using the internet or mobile app - Keefe charges no transaction fee for the $25 payment. If Keefe isn't an option, compare vendor fees for the specific channel you'll use: JPay charges a $0.95 transaction fee per $25 payment, while GTL's fees vary by channel and storefront option.

One money-saving exception: if you only want to accept phone calls from an inmate and aren't applying for visitation, you don't need to pay the $25 background check fee. Just apply for phone privileges through the regular application process instead.