Mailing Money to North Branch: Checks, Money Orders, and a Safe Checklist

ConnectNetwork (GTL/ViaPath's payment system) accepts mailed payments - checks and/or money orders sent through the U.S. Postal Service. Here's the catch: what's allowed varies by facility. Some accept checks, others only money orders. At North Branch, inmate trust account deposits through ConnectNetwork are handled by TouchPay Holdings, LLC (doing business as GTL Financial Services). That's why formatting matters. Your deposit has to be readable and match exactly what the system and facility require.

Plan for mail time plus processing time. Mailed deposits are typically processed the next business day after arrival, but when funds actually become available depends on North Branch's policies. If timing matters - commissary day, phone time - build in a buffer. Don't count on same-week availability.

Choosing between a personal check and a money order? Confirm what North Branch accepts before mailing. ConnectNetwork's mail option covers "checks and/or money orders," but the specifics vary by facility. Some explicitly require money orders for Trust Fund deposits - no personal checks, sometimes no cashier's checks either. If North Branch has that rule and you send a personal check, it gets rejected. You'll lose time waiting for it to come back.

What to Include

• ✓ Incarcerated person’s full name
• ✓ Incarcerated person’s ID number
• ✓ Facility name (North Branch)
• ✓ Your name and return address (so it can be returned if there’s a problem)
• ✓ If you’re paying an AdvancePay account: your account number
• ✓ If you’re mailing an AdvancePay payment: make the check or money order payable to “AdvancePay Service Department”
• ✓ If you’re mailing a PIN Debit deposit: write the inmate name/ID and facility name on the check or money order

AdvancePay has a specific "payable to" requirement: make your check or money order out to "AdvancePay Service Department" and include your account number. ConnectNetwork shows a sample mail flow for these payments - sent to an AdvancePay Service Department PO Box in Dallas. Good reminder: the correct mailing destination is often a processing lockbox, not the prison itself.

For GTL/DSI/PCS AdvancePay payments by mail, ConnectNetwork lists this address example: AdvancePay Service Department 1722 PO BOX 209722 DALLAS, TX 75320-9722. Use the address shown for your exact account type on ConnectNetwork. Don't assume the facility's mailing address is where you send payments.

1. Confirm what North Branch accepts by mail - ConnectNetwork can allow checks and/or money orders depending on the facility, and some facilities require money orders for Trust Fund deposits.
2. Verify the correct mailing instructions for the deposit type - Trust Fund deposit directions can differ from AdvancePay instructions, so make sure you’re using the right process for what you’re trying to fund.
3. Match the identifying details exactly - Use the incarcerated person’s name/ID and the facility name, and follow any payment-type instructions (for example, PIN Debit deposits require the inmate name/ID and facility name on the check or money order).
4. Set expectations on timing - Mailed deposits are generally processed the next business day after receipt, but funds availability still depends on facility policy.

While you're on the facility page, grab the Site ID. If you switch to the phone option instead of mailing, you may need that Site ID for a Trust Fund or PIN Debit deposit. Phone payments accept Visa or MasterCard 24/7.