How do I send money to Altcourse?
How to send money, canteen days, what it can be used for, and typical delays.
Community
How often is canteen?
Not enough reports yet
One family reported every day. A few more and this prison gets its own figure.
1 report · 1mo ago
Know another family at Altcourse? Send them this.
Send on WhatsAppWhat the prison says
Official
Sending money to someone in prison
- Use the official GOV.UK send-money service. It is free and the fastest route.
- You can no longer send money by bank transfer, cheque, postal order, or cash in the post.
- Money goes onto the prisoner’s account and can be used for canteen, phone credit and other approved spends.
- You need their name, date of birth and prisoner number.
Source: HMPPS / GOV.UK · Last checked: September 2026
Open GOV.UKWhat families reported
Community
“They can order canteen anyday has to be done by the Sunday to receive it on the Tuesday( my man was on remand enhanced so might play a part in it)”
Canteen · every 1 days · 1mo ago
What to do next
prisoncheck
What this actually means
There is one official way to send money. Anything else is slower, riskier, or no longer accepted.
Phone credit, canteen and vapes come out of the same pot. If they are not calling, it is often money — not silence.
New arrivals can take a few days to appear on the send-money service. If the name is not found, wait and retry before assuming the number is wrong.
Send money the official wayQuestions families ask
- Use the official GOV.UK send-money service. You need their name, date of birth, and prisoner number. Bank transfer, cheque, and cash in the post are no longer accepted.
- Yes. Phone credit, canteen, and other approved spends come from the same account. One family has reported this at HMP Altcourse (every day). Not enough reports yet for a typical wait. 1 family report. Last report 10 September 2026.