AdvancePay vs PIN Debit vs Collect Calls: Which Phone Option Is Right for Your Family at Pendleton

People incarcerated at Pendleton can place calls three ways: collect calls, prepaid collect (AdvancePay), and inmate debit (PIN Debit). Collect calls bill the person who answers. AdvancePay works like a collect call, but charges come out of a prepaid account tied to a phone number you register. PIN Debit is different. It uses funds from the incarcerated person's commissary or trust account (or funds added to their phone minutes), so they pay for calls themselves.

AdvancePay (prepaid collect) works best when you want predictable costs and the account in your name. You set up the prepaid account and register the phone number where calls should go. From there, your loved one can only call that registered number. Each time you accept a call, the cost comes out of your AdvancePay balance.

PIN Debit puts the incarcerated person in control. Calls are paid for with debit minutes purchased using funds from their commissary or trust account. With a debit account, they can call any approved phone number, including cell phones, as long as the facility's phone rules allow it.

Collect calls can also run into carrier billing limits. If your phone company blocks collect calls after you hit a maximum billing amount, switching to a prepaid calling account lets you keep receiving calls. ViaPath can help you set this up at (800) 483-8314.

To fund AdvancePay, you create the prepaid collect account and choose the phone number to register. The key detail: the account is number-specific. Once set up, calls can only go to that registered number, and charges come out of the balance when calls are accepted. ViaPath and ConnectNetwork support creating these accounts and adding funds through multiple options, including online and phone support.

1. Create an Offender Phone account through ConnectNetwork. This is the setup that lets you add minutes to an incarcerated person’s PIN Debit calling.
2. Purchase phone minutes for the PIN Debit account. ViaPath and ConnectNetwork offer multiple ways to buy minutes, including online and by phone.
3. Confirm your loved one is calling approved numbers. PIN Debit minutes can be used for calls to allowed numbers (including cell phones), but the number still has to be approved under facility rules.

PIN Debit can also be funded from the incarcerated person's side. They use money from their commissary or trust account to purchase debit minutes, then place calls with those minutes. This is the simplest route when they have funds available and prefer to manage their own calling balance.

Pros Cons

• ✓ Collect calls: No prepaid setup, the cost is billed to the person who answers through their phone carrier. At Pendleton, collect calls cannot go to cell phones, office phones, or hospital numbers, and some carriers may block collect calls if billing limits are reached.
• ✓ AdvancePay (prepaid collect): You control the spending by prepaying, and charges are deducted from your balance when calls are accepted. The tradeoff is that calls can only go to the phone number you register.
• ✓ PIN Debit (inmate debit): Your loved one pays using debit minutes funded from commissary or trust (and family can also add minutes). It can be used to call approved numbers, including cell phones, but the incarcerated person controls when and how the balance is used.

If you only have a cell phone, standard collect calls are a dead end at Pendleton. Collect calls cannot reach cell phones here. PIN Debit is often the practical choice in this situation, since debit calling can reach approved numbers including cell phones. AdvancePay can also work if you register your cell number for prepaid collect calls. The key distinction: collect calls themselves will not reach your cell, but prepaid collect calls can.

1. Decide what you’re trying to solve. If collect calls are blocked by billing limits, move to prepaid calling so calls can keep coming through.
2. Set up prepaid calling if collect is blocked. Call ViaPath at (800) 483-8314 to sign up for a prepaid calling account so you can continue receiving calls.
3. Fund PIN Debit if you want calls to approved numbers (including cell phones). Create an Offender Phone account through ConnectNetwork, then purchase minutes using the available online or phone options.
4. Use AdvancePay if you want family control over costs. Set up the prepaid collect account, register the one phone number you want called, and keep funds in that balance for accepted calls.