The cheapest way to call from prison in Australia is an engine number — a local landline number that connects an inmate’s call straight to your mobile at the prison’s local-call rate (about $0.30–$0.40 per call) instead of mobile rates of up to $0.90 per minute. With an Engine Numbers plan from $0.92 per day for unlimited calls, a family that speaks daily pays about $28 a month instead of $200 or more.
Prison Call Costs in Australia — Compared
| How the call is made | Typical cost to the inmate | Cost over a month (daily 10-min calls) |
|---|---|---|
| Prison phone → mobile | up to $0.90 per minute (a 10-minute call can exceed $7) | $200+ |
| Prison phone → local engine number | $0.30–$0.40 flat per call | $9–$12 in call charges |
| Engine Numbers plan (your side) | from $0.92/day unlimited (long-term) · $2.50/day casual | from about $28 all up |
That is a saving of up to 80% — and because every Engine Numbers plan is unlimited, the saving grows the more often your loved one calls.
Why Engine Numbers Is Australia’s Best Prison Calling Service
The Original
Operating since 2004 — longer than any other prison calling service in Australia.
Lowest Published Rate
Long-term plans from $0.92 per day — no other Australian provider publishes a cheaper per-day unlimited engine number rate.
30+ Million Calls
More calls connected than anyone else, for more than 100,000 Australian families.
Truly Unlimited
No per-minute charges, no top-ups, no lock-in contracts — cancel any time.
Built to Comply
No call diversion, a locked answering location, active misuse monitoring — and every number goes through the facility’s own approval process.
Real Australian Support
Phone and email support on 02 9070 9777 — it is not unusual for a director to take the call.
How to Get the Cheapest Prison Calls
- Choose a plan. Daily ($2.50), weekly ($10), monthly ($34), quarterly ($96), 6-month ($189) or yearly ($336 — about $0.92 a day). See current pricing.
- We assign a local number in the region of your loved one’s prison, usually within minutes.
- They add the number to their approved contact list at the facility — the standard process every number goes through.
- Calls connect at the local rate and ring straight through to your mobile. No apps or equipment needed.
Save up to 80% from today
Engine Numbers covers 150+ correctional centres across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS and the ACT with numbers local to each facility. If your loved one transfers, we update the number free.
Learn what a prison engine number is and how it works, or see our 3CX engine number guide — our service runs on enterprise-grade 3CX infrastructure for reliability.
Switching From Another Provider?
Already paying more with another engine number or prison calling service? Switching takes minutes: your loved one simply submits the new number for approval at their facility, and most families are connected the same week. No exit paperwork on our side, no lock-in on theirs to worry about going forward — and you move to the lowest published unlimited rate in Australia. See how we compare with other providers in our side-by-side comparison, or check the cheapest engine number plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
An engine number. The inmate calls a local landline instead of a mobile, paying the facility’s local-call rate of about $0.30–$0.40 per call rather than up to $0.90 per minute. Combined with an unlimited plan from $0.92 a day, it is the lowest-cost way for Australian families to stay in touch.
A call from a prison phone to a mobile costs up to $0.90 per minute, so a 10-minute call can exceed $7. A call to a local engine number costs a flat $0.30–$0.40.
Engine Numbers provides a compliant service engineered to meet correctional regulations: calls cannot be diverted, the answering location is locked once activated, misuse is actively monitored, and every number is submitted through the facility’s own contact-approval process. Approval decisions rest with each facility.
Engine Numbers’ yearly plan works out at about $0.92 per day with unlimited calls — the lowest published per-day unlimited rate in Australia. Casual plans start at $2.50 a day.
150+ facilities across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS and the ACT. Get your number in minutes.