I added credit to my account by mistake — I wanted it to send it to my recipient.
Please contact us from your registered email address and we’ll be happy to help you with your enquiry.
How do I change my address?
To update your address details, please follow these steps:
• Sign in at www.emailaprisoner.com
• Select ‘My Profile & Settings’ from the menu
• Choose ‘Edit Address’
• Enter your address and press ‘Save Changes’.
How do I change my email address?
If you still have access to your old email address:
Send us email from your old email. Include your current (old) email and the new email address you'd like to use.
If you no longer have access to your old email address:
Send us email from your new email with the following details:
• Full name
• Old email address
• New email address
• Account ID (if known)
• Residential address
• Your recipient’s details
We ask for this information to keep your account secure. If everything matches, we’ll update your email address.
I have forgotten my password, how do I change it?
If you are unsure of your password, please go to the Sign in page, click I forgot my password, enter your registered email address and click 'Reset password'.
The system will send a password reset link to your registered email address. Once you have created a new password, you will be able to log into your account.
Please ensure your password is at least 12 characters long and contains at least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, and one special character (for example: !, @, #, £, %, ^, &, *).
How do I change my password?
To change your password, please Sign in to your account, click ‘Change password’ at the top of the page and follow the prompts to change your password.
Please ensure your password is at least 12 characters long and contains at least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, and one special character (for example: !, @, #, £, %, ^, &, *).
I have locked my account, what do I do?
The fastest way to unlock your account is to select the link below to reset your password
An email will be sent to your registered email address containing a reset password link. Please click the reset password link to reset your password.
Please ensure your password is at least 12 characters long and contains at least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, and one special character (for example: !, @, #, £, %, ^, &, *).
How do I change my phone number?
To update the phone number on your account, please follow these steps:
- Sign in to www.emailaprisoner.com
- From the menu, select ‘My Profile and Settings’
- Select ‘Edit Contact Details’
- Delete the number, enter your new phone number and press 'Save Changes'.
How do I update my card details?
Card details are entered each time you make a payment.
When adding credit to your account, simply enter your new card details during the payment process. If any previous card information is displayed, delete it before entering the updated details.
Once your payment has been completed, your new card details will be used for that transaction.
Can I send legally privileged communications?
No. eMates must not be used for legally privileged communications.
Where available, legal communications should be sent using the approved channels provided by the establishment.
I'm having trouble completing my payment authentication. What should I do?
Banks use a range of security measures to verify online payments, including:
• One-time passcodes (OTP) sent by text message
• Banking app approvals
• Fingerprint recognition
• Facial recognition
If you're having difficulty completing the authentication process, please check that your contact details are up to date with your bank and that your banking app is installed and working correctly.
How do I make a payment using a Debit or Credit Card?
To purchase eMates credit with a credit or debit card, please follow these steps:
- Sign in to eMates
- Select ‘Add Credit’
- Enter the amount you want to add (e.g. type 10.00 for £10.00 credit)
- Select “Credit/Debit card’ from the payment method drop-down
- Check the cardholder’s name and address and select ‘Add credit to account’
- Enter your credit/debit card details and click ‘Make Payment’
If another screen appears, verify your bank information as requested.
Can I make a payment by sending a Bank Transfer?
To purchase eMates credit using the bank transfer option, please follow these steps:
- Please Sign in to eMates
- Select ‘Add Credit’
- Enter the amount you want to add (e.g. type 10.00 for £10.00 credit)
- Select ‘Overseas Payment’ from the payment method drop-down
- Select ‘Add credit to account’
- Write down your reference number and our banking information
- Log in to your Internet Banking and transfer the amount to the provided sort code and account details.
Please include the reference number when you are making your payment.
Once we receive the funds (may take 2-3 business days), we will apply the credit to your account and email you.
I made a payment via bank transfer, but the credit hasn't been applied. What should I do?
You will receive an email notification once the credit has been successfully applied to your account. Please note, it may take up to 3 business days for the payment to reach our bank account.
If more than 3 business days have passed since you made the transfer, email uk@emates.com with a screenshot or bank statement showing the payment, so we can investigate further.
How do I check my credit balance?
To check your credit balance and history, Sign in to your account, click on 'Credit History'.
How much does it cost to send a message?
Messages are charged at 42p per page. The first page includes up to 2,500 characters or 50 lines.
If your message is longer than 2,500 characters, additional pages will be charged at 37p per page.
How much does it cost to request a reply?
Requesting a reply costs 26p. This option is available at participating establishments.
What is the cost to attach a photo attachment to a message?
Photo attachments cost 32p each. You can attach up to 4 photos per message. This option is available at participating establishments.
Why do you charge a fee?
Messages sent through eMates are not delivered using the standard email services you may use at home. To provide a secure and reliable messaging service between the public and people in custody, Unilink (the provider of eMates) incurs a range of operational, technology, security, and support costs.
As an independent company, Unilink does not receive government funding for this service. The fees charged help cover the costs of maintaining the platform, processing messages, providing customer support, and ensuring the service remains secure and available to users.
I don’t want to receive email confirmations, how do I switch this off?
If you would like to turn off the confirmation emails for your eMates account, please follow the below steps:
- Please go to eMates and Sign in to your account
- From the menu, select ‘My Profile and Settings’
- Select ‘Edit Preferences’
- Un-tick the box ‘Send confirmation Emails’
- Select ‘Save Changes’.
I want to receive email confirmations, how do I switch this on?
If you would like to turn on the confirmation emails for your eMates account, please follow the below steps:
- Please go to eMates and Sign in to your account
- From the menu, select ‘My Profile and Settings’
- Select ‘Edit Preferences’
- Tick the box ‘Send confirmation Emails’
- Select ‘Save Changes’.
All my old messages have disappeared. How do I get them back?
We’re sorry to hear that your previous messages are no longer visible.
Messages are automatically removed from your account after 13 months. If you believe messages are missing or need further assistance, please contact us and we will be happy to look into this for you.
Why does Unilink ask for my full name and residential address?
Unilink requests your full name and residential address to help identify you as the user of the eMates account.
I don't recognise a payment from eMates. What is it for?
Payments made to eMates are typically for account credit, messages, reply requests, or photo attachments. If you do not recognise a payment, please contact us and we'll be happy to investigate for you.
I've forgotten the email address I used to register. What should I do?
If you're unable to remember the email address associated with your account, you will need to create a new account.
Before doing so, we recommend searching your email accounts for any messages from uk@emates.com, as these may help identify the email address you originally used to register.
If you're still unable to locate the email address associated with your account, you can create a new account using a different email address.
What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security to your account.
When you Sign in, we'll send a verification code to your registered email address. Enter the code on the eMates website to complete the sign-in process.
If you don't receive the email, please check your junk or spam folder.
I am having trouble entering the multi-factor authentication code, what do I do?
Delete any previous codes you have received and try again to ensure that you are using the most recent code.
If you cannot see the code in your Inbox, please check your junk and spam folders.
How do I remove multi-factor authentication from my account?
If you would like to turn multi-factor authentication (the email) off, please follow the below steps:
- Sign in to eMates
- Select ‘My Profile and Settings’,
- Select ‘Multi-Factor Authentication’
- Change the dropdown box tick ‘Disabled’ and press ‘Save Changes’.
Can I request a refund?
We recommend only purchasing the amount of credit you expect to use.
If you have purchased credit within the last 24 months and would like to request a refund, please contact our Support Team.
We'll review your request and advise you of the options available in line with our Terms and Conditions and your consumer rights.
How do I cancel my eMates account?
You can now cancel your eMates account directly through the website.
Simply follow these steps:
- Select My Profile and Settings.
- Click Cancel Account.
- Select Continue.
- Tick the confirmation box to confirm you wish to close your account.
- Click Cancel my account.
If you have any unused credit on your account, you will be asked what you would like to do with your remaining balance before completing the cancellation.
What happens to my unused credit when I cancel my account?
If you have unused credit remaining on your account, you will be given three options when cancelling:
- Request a refund – Ask for your remaining eligible credit to be refunded.
- Donate to charity – Choose to donate your remaining credit to charity.
- No refund or donation – Close your account without requesting a refund or making a donation.
Simply select your preferred option and follow the instructions to complete your cancellation.
Will I still be able to read my previous messages after cancelling my account?
No. Once your account has been closed, you will no longer be able to sign in or access your previous messages and replies.
We recommend reviewing any correspondence you wish to keep before cancelling your account.
Will cancelling my account delete my messages and personal information?
Closing your account does not mean that all your messages and personal information will be deleted immediately.
Certain information may be retained in accordance with our data retention requirements, legal obligations and Privacy Policy.
Please refer to our Privacy Policy
Can I reopen my account after cancelling it?
Once your account has been cancelled, you will no longer be able to sign in.
If you wish to use eMates again in the future, please sign up using an alternative email address.
Can I get a refund of my promotional credit when cancelling my account?
Promotional credit is provided free of charge and is not eligible for a refund.
If you have purchased credit remaining on your account, you can request a refund as part of the cancellation process. Our Support Team will review your request and refund any eligible purchased credit in accordance with our refund policy.
Please note: Promotional credit cannot be refunded.
