Who Actually Pays for Video Visits? Understanding Payment Rules for Video Visits

At San Juan County Adult Detention Center, all detainee visits must be scheduled and conducted online. No in-person backup exists if the video visit doesn't go through. The visit either happens through the online system or it doesn't happen at all. Understanding how payment works is part of making sure you actually get time together.

Whoever initiates the visit is the default payer. If you start the visit and have funds available, you're responsible for the charge. If the incarcerated person schedules it and you accept, they're the default payer - assuming they have enough funds on their side.

A video visit requires sufficient funds in at least one place: either the inmate's account or the Friends & Family account. You don't need money in both - just enough in one for the visit to go forward. Even if both accounts have funds, only one gets charged per visit. Here's something that trips people up: payment isn't collected before the call starts. The system charges you after the visit ends, so the amount reflects what actually happened rather than billing you upfront.

• ✓ Check whether the inmate’s account has enough funds to cover the visit
• ✓ Check whether the Friends & Family account has enough funds to cover the visit
• ✓ Make sure at least one of those accounts can cover the time you expect to use

When you schedule a video visit, you're charged for the actual duration - not the full time slot. If a 30-minute visit ends after 5 minutes, you pay for 5 minutes. Since payment happens after the visit, billing matches the real time used.

Since the initiator is the default payer, visits can hit a wall if that person doesn't have funds. The visit still needs sufficient funds in either the inmate account or the Friends & Family account. Sometimes payment can shift to the recipient - if they choose to pay. But if nobody elects to pay or neither account has enough funds, the visit won't happen.

1. Check funds before you schedule or accept - the visit will only occur if there are sufficient funds in either the inmate account or the Friends & Family account.
2. Choose the initiator on purpose - since the person who initiates is the default payer, decide who should start the visit based on who has funds available.
3. Have a backup plan if funds are low - if the initiator doesn’t have funds, the recipient may be able to elect to pay; otherwise, reschedule for a time when one account can cover the visit.