Prison Phone Justice

Georgia Department of Corrections
Inmate Telephone System
Global Tel*Link Customer User Guide

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Inmate Telephone System Provider – Global Tel*Link
The Georgia Department of Corrections’ (GDC) current contractor for inmate telephone system services is
Global Tel*Link (GTL). All offender collect calls from Georgia Department of Corrections’ facilities will be
initiated and billed by the Global Tel*Link system. This document is to serve as a guideline and overview of the
services offered by Global Tel*Link for friends and families of offenders housed in Georgia Department of
Corrections’ facilities.

Receiving Calls from a GDC facility
Offender telephone calls will only be completed if the telephone or cellular phone number called is on
the offender’s call allow list AND if the number called is billable by Global Tel*Link.
Call Allow Lists: Each offender will have an established phone list of up to a maximum of twenty (20)
persons. The offender may have persons on the phone list that are not on his/her visitation list. The offender is
responsible for providing accurate call list information. The offender is responsible for updating his/her call
allow list every six months (if desired) according to procedure. Any offender who gives deceiving or deliberately
inaccurate information in an effort to deviate from/circumvent established procedures shall be subject to
disciplinary action through the offender disciplinary process.
Determining your type of billing with Global Te*Link: Global Tel*Link (GTL) will bill through a traditional
local telephone company (also known as a local exchange carrier or LEC) up to a monthly limit of $100.00.
Payments for these billings are made with your normal telephone bill. All other billings are payable through a
Global Tel *Link Direct Remit account directly to GTL.

Local Phone Company Customers
GTL has the ability to bill calls from an offender at a GDC institution through your local telephone company if it
is a traditional local telephone company (LEC) such as AT&T, Verizon or Qwest.
How do I know whether I am billed by my local telephone company or direct billed by Global Tel*Link?
• A customer can be billed through their local telephone company if the company has established a billing
arrangement with GTL. Once the offender places the call to your number, merely accept the call and the
charges will appear on your local phone company bill. However if you exceed a $100 per month in call
usage you will be required to set up a direct remit account to continue to receive calls.
• If in doubt that your local telephone company is a LEC with an established billing arrangement with GTL,
please contact Global Tel*Link customer service to confirm.

Direct Remit Account Customers
These include customers who:
• Have local phone company service but exceed $100.00 in calls monthly.

OR
•

Want collect calls placed to their cellular phones.

OR
•

Have a non-traditional telephone company service such as a cable provider (e.g. Cox, Comcast, etc.),
a VoIP provider (e.g. Vonage, 8x8, etc.) or a CLEC (Time Warner Telecom, etc.).

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When customers, who have local phone company service, exceed $100.00 in calls, they will be notified
by GTL via an automated call. The customer will be instructed to call Global Tel*Link within two business
days concerning billing changes for calls received from a GDC facility. If the customer does not open a
direct remit account within two business days, calls to their number will be blocked from receiving offender
calls. Once a direct remit account has been established, some customers may have up to a $250 dollar
limit and will not be able to switch to another form of billing.
Customers who want to accept collect calls to their cellular phones must contact GTL at 1-800-2310193 to establish a direct remit account. Customers may be required to fax the most current copy of their
cell phone bill to GTL at 1-866-262-9123. Once the fax is received and the billing name and address are
verified, an account may be created.
•
•
•
•

Restrictions for direct remit cellular accounts:
Direct remit accounts will be limited to cell phone customers with service from major cell phone
companies such as AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and Alltel.
The customer’s complete name and street address of their primary residence must be entered for each
cell phone number listed. No PO Boxes will be allowed to be used for an account address
Initially, direct remit accounts will be set up with a $100 monthly credit limit.
Direct remit accounts will not be established for customers who have any prepaid or other similar
temporary cell phone services.

Customers who receive calls from a non-traditional local telephone company will be required to
establish a direct remit account to receive calls. Customers must contact GTL customer service center at
1-800-231-0193 to establish an account. New accounts have a $100 usage limit each month.

For All Direct Remit Account Customers
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•

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•

•

Payments may be made multiple times within a month to reset the dollar limit.
You will be notified by an automated call when you are close to reaching your dollar limit. You will
also be notified by an automated call when this limit has been reached and your telephone number
is blocked. You will be unable to receive additional calls until the balance is paid.
You will receive monthly invoices with remittance slips.
Payments may be made with a credit card by calling Global Tel*Link at the number below or with a
check/money order using the remittance slip that is furnished with your monthly invoice. Credit card
payments can also be made via the web at https://www.correctionsgtl.com or by phone 1-800-2310193.
The Company may terminate your account if your account balance remains unpaid twenty-one (21)
days after the date of invoice.
To increase a dollar limit account of a direct remit account, customers must have three
consecutive GTL invoices paid in full and on time (by the invoice due date). Customers can request
increases in $50 increments once they have a proven good payment history based on the criteria
above. The maximum usage limit allowed by GTL is $250.
Failure to pay invoices in full and on time may result in a usage limit reduction. Customers may also
request a reduction in their usage limit if they choose. SERVICE

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GDC Offender Collect Call Rates
How much will a call from a GDC institution cost? The following rates will be applied to calls
received from GDC institutions. The cost of the call is based on each customer’s call jurisdiction.
(The distance from the GDC correctional facility)

GDC Collect Call Rates
Rate Type 536
effective as of 7/01/2008

Local
Long
Distance In
State
Long
Distance Out
of State

Connection
Surcharge
$0.00

Rate for
1st
Minute
$2.70

Rate
Additional
Minute
$0.00

Cost for
15 minute
Call
$2.70

$2.00

$0.19

$0.19

$4.85

$3.95

$0.89

$0.89

$17.30

GTL Customer Service Information
Where can I find GTL’s toll-free Customer Service Center phone number?
• GTL charges billed through a local telephone service provider will appear on the service provider’s
billing invoice in a section titled “GTL” and will include the GTL toll-free number for customer service
and billing inquiries.
• Charges billed directly by Global Tel*Link will include the customer service number (1-800-2310193) which is published on the GTL invoice.
What is your website for online customer service?
https://www.correctionsgtl.com - For direct remit customers only.
What are the GTL Customer Service Center hours of operation?
Monday – Friday 8 am – 12 Midnight ET / Saturday and Sunday 9am – 8pm ET
What are the busiest days of the week for GTL’s customer service center?
Monday is the busiest day, followed by Tuesday

Billing and Payment Methods and Procedures
What forms of payment does GTL accept?
• Credit Cards – Visa, MasterCard and Discover
• Money Order
• Check
• Western Union

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Where do I send my GTL payment?
1. For GDC offender call charges billed to you by your local telephone company, use the payment
address provided by the local exchange carrier.
2. For direct remit accounts, you have the following options for making a payment:
a. GTL Customer Service website (https://www.correctionsgtl.com)
b. Credit card payment via GTL automated operator or a live Customer Service
representative by calling 1-800-231-0193
c. International 1- 866-430-5348 ***For customers in Canada, Puerto Rico, US Virgin
Islands]
d. Mail payments to the address listed on the GTL billing invoice - (Global Tel*Link,
P.O. Box 173875, Denver, CO 80217-3875)
e. Western Union -Instructions for making payments can be found on
www.westernunion.com
How do I use Western Union?
Family members and friends of offenders in GDC correctional facilities who receive direct billing
from GTL for collect calls can use Western Union agents to make payments. This additional
payment channel is being offered as a convenience and to facilitate prompt posting of cash and
debit card transactions. This is a valuable service to family members and friends of offenders who
do not have access to checks or credit cards.
Western Union has over 55,000 agents throughout North America, 40% of which are located in
supermarkets. Western Union’s “Quick Collect” (blue form) service, which will be used for this
application, is offered at a reduced fee of $9.95 per transaction. This fee is charged by Western
Union and is discounted off their normal retail cash transaction fee.
Normally, payments will process through agents and be posted to accounts within four (4) hours. Some
account types may take up to 48 hours to post, but this is exceptional. Deposits can be made on our
website at http://www.correctionsgtl.com.

GTL International Offender Call Procedures
What if I reside outside of the United States and want to receive calls from an offender of the
GDC?
Customers located outside of the US must locate their nearest Western Union Agent location and
either complete a blue form with their personal information or provide the required information to the
Western Union agent. Customers must provide the following information:
International Locations
Pay To Company Name – GLOBAL TEL LINK INTL
Company Code – VGTL AL
Amount to be Paid – The amount the customer wishes to be applied to their phone account
Account Number – Customer’s full telephone number including country and city code
***For customers in Canada, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands] use:
Pay To Company Name - GLOBAL TEL LINK INTL
Code City – VAPAY
State - AL
Amount to be Paid – The amount the customer wishes to be applied to their phone account
Account Number – customer 10 digit phone number***

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A GDC offender will only be able to use these funds to dial the specific phone number you have
selected as their account number. Once the money transfer is complete – the offender will be able to
place a call to that designated number in approximately 24 hours. (No calls will be completed to
cell phones). Note – payments cannot be made via the Western Union website.
How do customers find the nearest Western Union Agent Location?
Customers can visit www.payment-solutions.com and click on the “Quick Pay” option in the middle of
the screen and follow instructions. Or, they can call their location information service and ask for the
Western Union Agent location in their city.
***For customers in Canada, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, visit www.westernunion.com and click
on the “Find Agent Location” at the top of the screen and follow instructions or call 1-800-325-6000
and press 2.
•
Are there fees involved for this transaction?
Yes. Western Union charges between $10 and $15 USD per transaction depending on the
country of transaction origin.
•
What if the account holder sets up an account with the wrong phone number?
For help with accounts, the most effective way to reach GTL Customer Service is by contacting
GTL via email at AdvancePayInternational@gtl.net. GTL can also provide, upon email request, this
FAQ document and rate table where customers can contact GTL Customer Service via telephone
(along with dialing instructions). Customer service by phone is available from select countries at 1888-216-7423. Because dialing protocol may vary by country, customers need to check with their
local operator or request dialing protocol information by sending an email to GTL customer service at
AdvancePayInternational@gtl.net. Customer service is provided in English and Spanish.
•
Can the offenders make calls to other parties with this setup?
No. Offenders can only call the phone number that has been setup by the party that has deposited
the money to establish the prepaid account.
•
Can anyone set up an account?
Generally, yes. But the correctional facility still reserves the right to block/restrict specific numbers
and there may be limitations on call lengths. Also, calls may be subject to monitoring and recording.
•
Can I get a refund on an unused balance?
Yes. Refund requests are processed by customer service. Refunds will be sent via Western Union
Quick Cash to participating Western Union Agent locations and are subject to currency fluctuations.
Any refunds not retrieved from the Western Union Agent within 30days will be forfeited to GTL.
Refund requests are also subject to Western Union transaction fees. When an account balance is
less than the Western Union transaction fee, a refund request will not be processed.
*GTL’s Western Union International AdvancePay program is 100% prepaid, so there is no
monthly bill.

GTL has Customer Service numbers for offender international telephone services.
1-800-231-0193 – Domestic collect calls to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands
001-888-216-7423 – International calls to Mexico,
0808-234-4566 – International calls to United Kingdom

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Frequently Asked Questions about Inmate Telephone System services
As a GTL customer who should I call for service?
You should call 1-800-231-0193 toll-free. If you make payments by mail, address them to: Global
Tel*Link, P.O. Box 173875, Denver, CO 80217, and if you make payments via the web, go to
www.correctionsgtl.com.
Why can’t I receive calls?
Some services offered by GTL are restricted to a set number of calls per month or a certain dollar
limit. If you cannot receive calls, it may be for one of these two reasons. If you believe you should be
able to receive calls and cannot, please call 1-800-231-0193.
If my payment to GTL was misdirected to the wrong Global Tel*Link address, how do I correct
it?
Global Tel*Link has encountered cases of misdirected payments and is proactively working to
redirect them. If you think you may have experienced this situation, please let us know by calling
1-800-231-0193.
I am no longer able to receive international collect calls from GTL and I live outside the United
States. What should I do now?
Global Tel*Link has arranged for you to establish a prepaid international telephone account through
Western Union. You can simply go to the nearest Western Union agent location and tell them you
want to establish a prepaid telephone account to receive calls from the United States and they will
provide you with further instructions. For more information, visit www.gtl.net/advancepayinternational.

If the offender is released or I wish to close my account will I receive a refund for the
remaining funds on the account?
In order to receive a refund for any monies that may be in your GTL account you must do the
following:
•
Contact the GTL Customer Service Department at 1-800-231-0193. We require a written
request to be mailed or faxed by the owner of the account when requesting a refund. Requests can
be mailed to Global Tel*Link, P.O. Box 173875, Denver, CO 80217-3875 Fax number will be
provided upon request.
•
Refunds must be requested within 90 days of the last call received, since as a
business policy, GTL closes accounts that have had no activity after 90 days.
“No activity” means that no calls have been made on the account and there have been no
deposits/adjustments, or any customer calls into the GTL automated system for that account. In the
event that customers contact us after 90 days, GTL generally enforces a liberal policy in reactivating
an account or refund based on a customer request so long as the account in question can be located
in the database and authenticated. GTL adheres to this policy In order to maintain efficient
databases for our customers and the GTL service team. Accounts that are dormant or inactive are
purged from the active database

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