I just got off the phone with Global Tel and MCI no longer has control over my phone bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D :D :D
The lady at Globel Tel said they took over our phone calls this past weekend. IF any of you have questions you can call 877-650-4249 and unlike MCI you do not have to hold the phone to your head for hours. If they are busy you can leave a message and they WILL call you back in the order your call was taken. This place sounds so much better. You do not have to pre-pay unless you go over what they allow. If you go over what they allow you need to cut back on your calls :p
I hope everyone is as happy as I am...and they say this is the most depressing day of the year....whoever said that NEVER had to deal with MCI!!!

I am glad that you found a better system. On my way through the BOP I used facility systems on about every level. My largest phone bills were over $1,000 per month, until I was finally restricted by the 300 minute per month rule of the BOP. I was never late with a phone payment, but I was cut off many times because I went over their allowance before I could make another payment. It's funny, on the outside I get free long distance on my cell phone, and 5 cents per minute long distance on my land line. Behind bars when you cour really use a break it ran over 30 cents a minute.

I called Global Tel and they don't know anything about the unit that I get calls from. I really couldn't hardly understand the young lady I spoke with but what she read off to me that they serve in AR sounded like jails and not ADC Units.

Maybe it will take time for them to get all the units. Too bad, I was REALLY hoping to get away from MCI.

Ok, maybe not completely depressing, but after reading your post crisnclay I got my hopes up and now I am down about it! ;-) (j/k)

i dont know why they told you that. I called them TWICE and both times they told me the same story. I asked them "ok, so now my calls DO NOT go through MCI, right?" and they said yes. They asked what unit he was at and I told them and they said yes they do carry the calls for that unit. By the way hes at the diagnostic unit. maybe they are adding a few at a time. Now you have me worried but we went throught the whole thing setting up my phone and everything. She said my calls are now billed through my local phone company

Now im really confused and PISSED! I called Global Tel back this morning and now they do not know what im talking about. She said they do not carry my calls and they do not know what im talking about a contract and them getting it for Arkansas. I told her I talked to Iesha last night and she set everything up for me and told me they took over our calls over the weekend so she checked with her supervisor and the supervisor had no idea what I was talking about. THIS IS CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!! I guess its another up and down ride with ADC :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:

Global Tel Link purchased Verizon's correctional services (which was MCI's correctional services). By the time I finished reading the article I was completely confused. It appears that MCI, Verizon, and GTL's family tree never splits.

I think my point is that GTL will probably be the provider in the future and after looking at their web site, it appears that what you were told will be true. They say they use billing partners (which is what most of us old-timers would expect). They also have prepay accounts which from what I read we should be careful of since once a phone number is set up for a prepay account it cannot be changed to a regular billing account (billing through your local provider).

Yes crisnclay, THIS IS CRAZY!!! How many times have I said that about ANYTHING to do with prison? We, as free worlders, expect a certain level of customer service and competence. However, when we deal with MCI or WHOEVER the phone company is or anyone from a prison we get just a SMALL taste of what our loved ones deal with daily.

How or why did you originally contact GTL? Did they contact you?

i contacted them. the reason i did was because i didnt want my phone blocked and the prison told my husband that globel tel would be taking over our calls but they didnt know when. So I decided to call and find out WHEN and WHAT I needed to do to ensure my calls were not interupted. The lady told me that they ALREADY had taken over our calls and set mine up to go through my local phone company. I have been doing this "prison" thing for some years and im sooooooooo glad its about over for us. I dont think I could do another year of this. Now, my phone will either be blocked by MCI or I will have to go 2 days without taking to my husband because we are only allowed 30 calls a month with MCI and since Globel Tel told me i no longer go through MCI I accepeted a call last night that I shouldnt have...now im short on calls for the rest of the month! :angry:

That might help explain why I received two calls yesterday during the day (when she KNOWS I won't be home). Maybe she wanted to see if anything had changed on her end yet after hearing of the transition to GTL.

Of course, it could also be a message that something went wrong. OR she could have just wanted to hear my voice on the voice mail message. (That's the one I am hoping for, not the bad one.)

I hate that you will be short on calls this month, but like you say, it will soon be over.

do you not talk to her every day? i hope you are right and she just wanted to hear your voice. my husband does the same thing. he also calls every hour after i get off work so he can hear my voice and it lets me know he is OK. when I answer the phone I say "i love you" instead of hello. He can hear me and it makes him feel better. I cant tell you how may strangers I have told I love over the past few years :rolleyes:

No, we don't talk every day. Only a few times a week, but then it is like 2 or three calls in a row. I know what you mean about answering that way. Luckily, my landline is just for this use. I didn't need a landline before since everyone knows to call my mobile. Needless to say, adding a landline and then dealing with MCI was a real shocker for me! GEEZ...just a LITTLE customer service would go a long way.

Okay...I'm so confused with all of this phone stuff. My husband's calls have always come through and I talked to MCI when he got to the Diagnostic unit last month and they said my phone is fine, no blocks or anything. I have not gotten my first bill yet (which I'm very afraid of). What is the deal with the limits?? Now do I need to contact another company to make sure I still get his calls like I should?? Will his calls appear on my regular phone bill?? This is so CRAZY!! You know what completely irritates me??? He is less than 10 miles away from me and he has to call collect at $6.60 per call...I don't know if I can take a year of this.....

I understand what you are saying. my husband is less than ten miles from me and hes at the diagnostic unit also. dont do anything with you calls. if youre worried call MCI

Your calls from MCI will be billed seperately on a MCI bill not your local bill.Well that is the way it is for me.My plan is like Crisnclay,I get up to 30 calls a month.When I started I had to pay in advance like $260.00, they credited that to the next month and then after that I get a bill monthly for how ever many calls I've used.I am just waiting I guess to see what happens....I really don't want to miss any calls but then I don't want to mess up anything either.Hopefully we will know something soon.Kitty

My guy calls in every day too, and I say "Love You". I have said it to many strangers also. lol
Yesterday MCI had my line blocked because I needed to pay my bill so I did. Then right at noon my guy called and it was through Global Tel. He called to check in a couple of times and it was Global Tel.

Now I am worried because he hasn't called today. I called MCI and the guy I spoke to said he knows nothing about Global Tel?? So, I guess I'll call the number on this post and see what I can find out from Global Tel.

Why does it have to be so complicated?

Kim48,

Please post what you find out as we are all curious about the rate decrease and I wonder if it will be tied to a change in service providers.

Thanks for the information!

--cessna

Well, I had a frustrating day. I didn't get the usual call from my guy, and so I called MCI. They didn't know anything about Global Tel. So I called Global Tel after a busy signal many times, and this woman I spoke to, didn't know anything about anything. It took me three tries to get it across which prison I was talking about, and she said it wasn't on her list!! I then asked her how was it that he called me yesterday through Global Tel? She didn't know. I asked if there was any way I could find out what was going on, and she said no. So finally she said wait until the 17th of March and see what happens, after I told her that was the day they will officially change over. So, I have no answers at all. Don't know what to do but wait til the 17th.

Might I add, in my opinion, the only reason we receive such shabby treatment is because these are inmate calls. With my regular phone company I never have any problem getting answers.

Hello Kim48,

March 17? Did you mean Feb. 17? If not, have you heard something about March 17?

It would be great if they really ARE going to make it happen on March 17, if that is their new date for the cutover then I have a feeling come April 17 we will be wondering when it will happen.

--cessna

My mistake, maybe it was Feb.14. But I have continued to receive my calls through MCI until yesterday.

Hello Kim48,

Easy mistake to make. We have all been EAGERLY awaiting the rate decrease. Pods called the MCI employee at ADC and they knew NOTHING about anything regarding rates or service providers.

But Larry Norris says the prices will go down.

I will leave it at that..take it for what it is worth. ;-)

--cessna

Finally I got my call this afternoon, so I guess all is ok. It was through Global Net again. So, why couldn't the Global Net employee tell me when the change went through? She seemed to know nothing. Anyway, now we know Jefferson County jail/correctional facility has that provider now.

I was confused too so I called the lady over the phones where my husband is and she told me that my calls are now billed on my regular phone bill, they no longer are billed through MCI. I called the number that I was told to call when my husband called and they had no idea what was going on, thats why I called the phone lady at the unit. I have checked MCIs site to see if they are still "logging" my calls and they are NOT!!! So I will see when my regular phone bill comes in

I'm confused too...I just checked MCI's site and all of my recent calls are on their "recent activity" even last nights. What unit are you receiving calls from that are from Global Tel?

Mine are from the Diagnostic Unit. From my understanding, they are doing each unit at a time and will not be done for 3 to 4 weeks. Until they get all of the phones on the new system our calls are messed up. We are getting cut off because as they work on them they have to shut the whole system "computers" down. Our calls are now 3.12 for the first min and .12 for every min after that. My calls will not be blocked unless I go over 35$ a day or 200$ a month. If I ever go over the limit they will contact me and make me set up a pre pay account

Hey crisnclay,

Thanks for the information! That is going to be a great relief when it happens at the other units. $4.92 is the base price, right? Taxes will be added on top of that, so the $200 should not be divided by $4.92 to figure how many calls we can receive before being forced to a prepay account...that may have sounded like a statement but it was really a question. Am I right?

And is it your understanding that it will be billed to your regular landline phone bill?

Once again, thanks for the information!

--cessna

you got everything right except the base price. it is 3.12 and then .12 for the next 14 mins

Ok...I guess it was too late last night for me to multiply .12 x 14. When I said 'base price' I should have said total price for a 15 minute call would be $4.80. (Don't even ask where the $4.92 came from!)

Once again...thanks for the information!

Just wanted to share information with us all, it is wonderful to see that some units are getting the reduced rate. Bottom-line the $3.12 connection fee is not necessary. ADC security can be maintained without using the most expensive form of calling. It is only maintained for the commission that the Department is getting from the phone calls. Although we are getting some relief, this issue must be fair and just for all citizens. State agencies should not be allowed to make a profit off of a select few of its citizens simply because their family or friends are in prison.
I just don't want us to accept any crumbs thrown our way, we have every right to expect the whole cake... OK I'm finished....

The Prison telephone rates remain the same. It was
reported several months ago that the new contract
would reduce the rates for in-state calls from $6.60
plus tax to $4.80 or so. We have not been given any
rate amount for the out of state calls.
The only information that CURE has been given is,"the
prison unit telephones are being changed over and it
may take until July for this to be finished".

In the meantime, Representative Ernest Brown has filed
a "Shell Bill", which he is working on, now. It is HB
2758 TO REQUIRE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COST CONTROLS ON
INMATE TELEPHONE CALLS BY THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTION.

Please contact Representative Brown to thank him for
taking this issue up and express your concerns or
ideas about the prison telephone costs. The
Legislative Session does not have much time left, so
please do this as soon as possible.
Representative Earnest Brown (D)
P. O. Box 6116, Pine Bluff, 71611
Business Phone : 870-534-6332
Fax : 870-534-8481
E-mail : browne@arkleg.state.ar.us

House message number: 501-682-6211

Good point! Yeah, we have all been eagerly awaiting the GIFT from ADC of a $3.12 connection fee....when in fact, they are still profiteering from a 'select few' citizens.

VERY GOOD POINT...As usual, thank you for your insight Pods!

http://epaper.arkansasonline.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToMail&Type=text/html&Path=ArDemocrat/2007/03/18&ID=Ar02003&Locale=At $4.80 per 15-minute collect call, the new rates will be 27 percent cheaper than current charges. Originally, the Board of Corrections approved the contract without changing the $6.60 per 15-minute collect rates, among the highest in the country. Protests by prison advocates and the threat of legislative action prompted the Correction Department to lower the rates and accept a smaller commission from the calls.

Now, the state will receive about 45 percent of about $4 million in revenue. Previously, its share was 51 percent.

Some prison advocates, while welcoming lower rates, said more remains to be done. Equipping the system with debit capability that would allow inmates to dial certain prearranged numbers with a code would eliminate the need for the $3 connection fee charged to each call, they say.

Tucker is now on Globel-Tel, the intro. message has changed. If you press 5 you will reject the call,,,, it is now 0 to connect.

(a small bit of telephone humor... when the telephone "connect number" changed the guys were seeing just how many times they would get disconnected before their family or friend would realize that the connect number had changed... a little laughter makes all of our days brighter)

That is good information to have since I rarely even listen to the message until the lady says the name of the unit. At which time I press "5".

I look forward to the day that I will hear a different message!

I hope you hear the new message soon too! It was nice to hear "happy laughter" last night when my husband called. You could tell there was a lot of excitement about the lowered rates and of course,,, just a change... whatever the change from the same-ole, same-ole of the prison system.

Yeah, Osceola's phone system changed yesterday or today. I'm not really sure. I also heard they were doing it alphabetically. Anyway I was so shocked when it was not MCI, I'm glad I was actually paying attention. I'm glad about the change and the lower rates. It is about time. I do believe everyone is excited on this one. Does anyone know if they can call cell phones now with this new Global Tel. I know with MCI they couldn't. I don't know if it is just where my man is at or not, but he does not get phone cards. All they can do is call collect, and my cell would not accept through MCI. Holla at me if anyone knows. Thanks everyone and good luck to everyone else with the phone system. Things are looking up at least some what.

HAHA! Well, it appears that Varner has changed over. And no, my loved one is not at Varner. My land line phone number (which I got ONLY for collect calls from prison) must be on someone's phone list from way back and he tried it today...I guess. :) I hope he wasn't too awfully disappointed to hear a man's voice on the voice mail greeting!

But anyway...the message sounds different, but it sounds like the same voice. Is that what y'all have noticed?

The beginning of the message sounds like a different voice, but the end of the message sounds like that same old guy who keeps ending our call.
I've only had one call since it came in, but I'll know better this weekend.
Sure hope yours comes around soon.

HEY HEY HEY!!!! Grimes/McPherson has been switched over to Global Tel Link!

Has anyone been able to get through to GTL's customer service at 877-650-4249? I have been trying since last Friday. I keep getting a message that their call volume is extremely high and they can't take a call...please call back later.

If anyone here knows the answer to my question then I won't have to keep trying to get through to them. The monthly limit is $200. Is the limit figured on the cost of the call...or on the cost of the call plus taxes?

I want to figure out how many calls per month I can get and with MCI it was figured on the cost of the call PLUS tax.

If you know, I would appreciate it, if not then I will post when I find out from GTL.

Thanks,
--cessna

I haven't gotten through either, they put me on hold.. told me I was 3rd. in line.. then told me to leave my number for a call back (that didn't happen). I sure hope this is not the beginning of MCI-type customer service.
I'm so confused, do you have to do the pre-pay? At one point I was told they would bill my telephone carrier?
At first I liked that "British-sounding lady", but she's about to get on my last nerve now.

I take it back, they have now called me back from Globel-Tel. The lady said that the cost is $4.80 per call (in-state). She said to subtract $4.80 each call from the $200.00... the tax does not minus from the $200.00.
I asked her all different ways the same question and she continued to say the call is $4.80... tax will simply be part of my overall telephone bill.
Now mine is coming through SBC, so I don't know what affect it would have on pre-pays? if any?

HOT DOG!!!! Wow, you got through. Same phone number? No, I am not pre-pay and I want to avoid it. That was why I was trying to figure out how they figured the $200. Apparently if you go pre-pay with them you cannot go back to billing it on your phone bill and I would MUCH rather have it on my phone bill.

With MCI I was 'direct pay' and they added the tax to the cost (subtracted it from the limit).

Thank you pods!

--cessna

HELP...Okay so what's going on with the phones?? My hubby calls every night and it's 9:30 and I haven't gotten a call. I'm worried to death. He's at Wrightsville. If the phones have been changed do you have to do something different to accept the calls??

Jimmy you don't have to do anything different to get calls. Probably the unit is getting the phone equipment installed. When the phones were changed over @ my husbands unit I did not hear from him for almost a week. (because of the equipment problems)
This is probably what is going on @ Wrightsville.

Jimmy, I know this is easier to say than do but dont worry. While they are switching the phones over they dont always work. The longest I have gone was 24 hours without hearing from my husband. When ever they are adding a unit the rest of the units go down. ALL of the phones (not just Arkansas) are on the same "computer program" and when we go down so does New York, Florida and a couple of other states. You know Globel-Tel wants their money so they are working really fast to fix all of the problems. From what I hear Wrighstville is a pretty safe place to be so I wouldnt worry to much. If you havent heard from him by today you can call the unit and ask to speak to the person over the phones at that unit and ask if they are down. I have done that a few times and they always seem to be nice to me and understand my worry. Hope this helps

HE CALLED!! Thank you for your words of encouragement...I knew I was probably stressing out over nothing, but I could only imagine the worst. Wrightsville is now on Global-Tel. Like everyone else said, the guys voice on the recording is the same, but the message is different. I don't even remember what he said, I just knew I needed to press 0!!:)

I will sleep better tonight....

Information Needed ASAP:
Did anyone get any information about the new phone system from the ADC? The Dept. is saying that brochures and information about the new phone system was passed out to families @ visitation and given to the Inmates, who were expected to pass along to their family/friends.

I didnt get anything at visit, in the mail or through my husband.

Nothing through the mail or from my girl.

--cessna

I haven't gotten anything, but I'm going to see him tomorrow. I'll see if there is anything at visitation. I don't know about anyone else, but the connection we've had on every single call has been terrible. There's some type of delay and I miss half of what he says. We spend 1/2 our time talking repeating ourselves. Maybe they will work the kinks out soon.

The phones have been changed but no info from Brickeys ......I did see them after visit getting papers but I thought I heard the CO say visitation forms but I could have misunderstood.

While at visit yesterday at Brickeys we all got a pamplet on our tables, Advance Pay,GTL inmate family prepay,in which it states, family members and friends of inmates are now given the option of setting up prepay calling accounts using Visa or Mastercard (including debit & check cards).Calls that may otherwise be blocked are now completed through GTL's AdvancePay Program.
How does it work?
AdvancePAy allows inmates to call your telephone number without the restrictions of standard billing.When an inmate attemps to dial a blocked number,AdvancePay will provide an option to the called party to set up a prepay account.After the prepaid account is established, collect calls to the number may be placed up to the prepaid amount in the account.After the amount of money is used,the system will prompt the user to add funds to their acccount.
Benefits:
Customers can rest assured that collect call charges will not reach an excessive amount.
When funds on a prepaid are low,an automated system will contact customers with the option to add more money to the account.
All transactions occur in real time.When an inmate places a call to a number set up as prepay,funds are deducted from the account as soon as the call is completed.
To establish an AdvancePay account, a payment of either $25 or $50 must be made via credit card.
After the account is established,addtional payments may be made by money order,check,credit card,Western Union,or Money Gram transfers.

The system is completely autotmatic.Account setup and addtional transactions can be completed via an automatic operator.
Customers may also contact AdvancePay service dept. to make a prepayment.
Toll Free 1-866-230-7761
Fax # 251-473-2802
Hours of operation
Mon-Fri 6 A.M. to 10 P.M.CST
Sat. & Sun. 8A.M. to 7 P.M. CST
Mailing address:
AdvancePay Service Dept.
Dept.1722
Denver, Colorado 80291-1722
Website: www.GTL.net
How to AVOID disconnection !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1-DON'T attempt 3 way calls
2-DON'T Try to transfer the call
3-DON'T out the inmate on hold
4_DON'T use or answer "call Waiting"
5-DON'T use a cell phone
6)DON'T use a cordless phone
7)DON'T press numbers on the touch tone pad during the call (inmate phone or called phone)
8)DON'T stop the conversation for any length of time,even short pauses may result in disconnection
ONCE A NUMBER HAS BEEN BLOCKED, ONLY THE PERSON THE NUMBER IS LISTED WITH MAY UNBLOCK THE NUMBER BY CALLING 1-866-230-7761
Notice all AdvancePay payments are subject to applicable taxes & fees.Specifications are subject to change without notice.This publication may be copied and distributed to inmates, families & friends.
This is basically what the pamphet says except I did not do the Frequently ask quesions...If you have one and ask I will look to see if it is on here and post the answer:)
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE IN THE CHANGE OVER !!! :) Kitty

It was called to my attention.....that there is a website you can visit to see the brochure...http://www.globaltellink.com/pdf/GT_AdvPay_1-31.pdf

Well, I did it. I VOLUNTARILY (no really!) set up a prepay account. I was one that did NOT want to do prepay. But....and this is a little embarassing, but the $200 limit per 30 day period is just not enough for us these days.

Oh well....I am sure it will be fine. At least it was MUCH easier than setting up an account with MCI.

--cessna

I am so torn right now! I got a home phone so my Fiancee would be able to call....since he couldn't call my cell phone. And the first time he tried to call I was told about some Correctional Billing Service. WTF! I was totally hurt to have him this close and not have a warning about it. Why don't they let the inmates know so we can better prepare and be ready when we get the first call. Come to find out that my phone service doesn't except collect calls from correctional Facilities. Well I will be giving them a piece of my mind tomorrow but they did give me several numbers to call. I called one number and it took me 30 minutes to finally talk to a human. Then after talking to him for about 5 minutes he asked me what correctional facility was the inmate in and he looked the facility up and said " Well Grimes Correctional Facilty isn't on our list, we don't provide service to this Unit." Why the hell wasn't that his first question? It was a waste of my time and it just hurt me even more. I can't have my fiancee thinking I'm blocking his calls. Next I tried the other number I had and I had to leave a message so they could call back and I am still waiting. There is no way I can sleep tonight. What is my baby thinking right now? I am in tears and this system needs alot of working on. Why are they monitoring our time and calls. They are monitoring it because they know that there system is expensive and they are saying that if you are broke then you can't talk to you loved ones. I think that there should be someway inmates should be able to purchase phone cards. But anyway I just needed to let off some steam. Everyone have a good night.

It's ok, RANT all you want. You are among friends here...friends that know EXACTLY what you are going through.

I assume the number you called and they said they would call you back was Global Tel Link, is that right? If so, they really WILL call back within 2 hours.

You should be able to set up a prepaid account with GTL. I think you have to start it with at least $50 on a credit or debit card. Check the link in Miss Kitty's post above, it will give you more information.

For out of state calls, the charges are supposed to be: $3.95 connection charge plus $0.45 per minute. (Information courtesy of CURE.)

Let us know how it works out for you, ok?

--cessna

Oh, and to put your mind at ease a bit, your fiance probably understands what is going on. All of the inmates there have had to put up with it and I am sure they shared their experiences about the phone service with him.

He will be VERY glad that you went to the trouble of getting a phone and then setting up the account so y'all can talk.

--cessna

I'm originally from Arkansas, so I check this forum time to time. I have a nephew in prison in WV, and they also use Global Tel Link.

I just wanted to let those of you know, who are going to use pre-pay, it is cheaper to add money to your prepay account by using Western Union. When I was paying thru Global Tel they charged a 19 % fee on each deposit. If you pay thru Western Union (there is a direct link on the Global Tel webpage), the fee is only $4 per deposit, and you can deposit up to $100.

Again, this is how it worked for WV, and in case it's the same in AR, thought it would help some of you save a little money on the fees.

Does anyone know if GTL has a website where you can check you balance and recent activity?? I've looked and I can't find anything. Any ideas???

I'm originally from Arkansas, so I check this forum time to time. I have a nephew in prison in WV, and they also use Global Tel Link.

I just wanted to let those of you know, who are going to use pre-pay, it is cheaper to add money to your prepay account by using Western Union. When I was paying thru Global Tel they charged a 19 % fee on each deposit. If you pay thru Western Union (there is a direct link on the Global Tel webpage), the fee is only $4 per deposit, and you can deposit up to $100.

Again, this is how it worked for WV, and in case it's the same in AR, thought it would help some of you save a little money on the fees.
MY HUSBAND IS ALSO A INMATE IN Wva i prepay GTL through western union quick payment it is 9.95 service fee each time. HELP ME

JimmysBabyGirl -- There is no such website. MCI had that, but not GTL. You can call and request a balance. Just don't select the prepay option when you call. Talk to a person.

--cessna

I'm not sure why your charges are higher, unless it is a separate charge from your bank or card company. I just deposited again today, first by going to the Global Tel website, clicking on the Western Union box, and it tells you right on the page, a $4.00 charge.

I don't think the Global tel website is the same as Global tel*link. They look different to me. That may be why the charges are so different. Are they even affiliated? I am looking for the western union box at global tel*link. I have yet to find it but still looking.


EDITED: Ok finally found it. It was at GTL.net. Why so many URLs I don't know!!!! Grrrrrrr

Ok it is exactly what ynotps said. I deposited 100 dollars into my account using western union and my debit card. It cost 4 dollars and the whole 100 dollars was credited to the account. This bypassed GTL's almost 10 dollar fee for each 50 I was depositing and it bypassed the limit of 25 or 50 dollar choices I was getting thru the automated prepay. I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you thank you for the info. GTL would NOT tell me how to deposit with the lowest amount of fees. Of course depositing by mail is probably cheaper but with Western Union it is guaranteed to hit your account within 4 hours. Mine actually showed up within 2 hours.