What is InmateCanteen.Com?

InmateCanteen.Com offers a multitude of convenient online services for family and friends of inmates. Our services allow you to safely and securely send care packages, video visit from a remote location, and purchase credit for your loved one.

Why is an inmate not answering my video call?

Inmates are not always available to receive video calls. The facility may have restrictions on when the video kiosk is accessible.

How do I send money?

First, sign up for a free account, input your credit card information (this is a secure site). You then log-in to your new account, and click the 'Purchase Credit' link. Our easy-to-use Wizard will take you through the steps of selecting the facility and inmate, and completing the transaction. Purchased credit is immediately available to the inmate.
Note: Service Fees Do Apply. To sign up now please click here.

Did the inmate receive the credit that was sent? How do they know?

If the purchase was successful, the credit will be available to the inmate. You can access a history of all your transactions by logging in and clicking on My Account then Transaction History.

How can I tell how much credit is available on an inmate's account?

We are not allowed to give out the balance of an inmate's account. This is private information. However, you can access a transaction history for online purchases.

What is the most credit that I can purchase for my inmate?

The Maximum Amount is $500 per Credit Card per Inmate per 30 Days.

What are the fees for purchasing credit?

The fee associated with a credit purchase on Inmate Canteen.com is a flat rate 8.95 processing fee . This fee will be automatically added to your total.

Fees are subject to change for individual locations.

Is InmateCanteen.com Secure?

Yes. We use a 128-bit SSL certificate to ensure that the data transmission between your PC and our web site is not readable by a third party. Also, your personal information is for internal use by InmateCanteen.com, and their subsidiaries only. We do not sell, trade, or otherwise provide your personal information to any third parties.

Can I use a prepaid card with InmateCanteen.com?

Yes you can, but you must make sure your gift card has been registered. How to register your card to make an Online Purchase Our credit card processing requires us to ensure that an address is associated with the information provided with the card. Pre-loaded cards do not always contain this data.

When I purchase credit for an inmate, when is it available for them?

Within 2 minutes of making a successful transaction, the inmate should have the credit on their account. The credit is available for them to load onto a smart card for vending, or to order canteen/phone cards.

How does my inmate receive the phone card I have purchased?

The next time your inmate logs into a terminal using their smart card and uses their 4-digit security PIN it will be delivered to them.

How many minutes are available on the phone cards?

Phone cards come ready to use with a number of minutes specified by the individual location's electronic phone vendor. Some locations offer a variety of different phone card denominations.

What happens when a canteen product refund is neccessary?

If there is an issue delivering an item due to availability or other reasons, the inmate will receive credit to their account equal to the amount of the purchase.

Why don't I get the option to buy a phone card at my inmate's site?

Phone cards are not available at every site. If the phone cards can be bought at the inmate kiosks at a particular site, they will be available online.

Why is the inmate I am trying to order product for blacklisted?

There are many reasons for an inmate to be blacklisted:

The particular inmate could have restrictions on the products they may receive (ex:Diabetic).
The inmate may have a discipline set by jail staff to limit products.
The inmate may not have any activity on a kiosk within the last 48 hours.