How to cancel or reschedule a prison video call, the 48-hour notice rule, refunds for paid calls and what happens to your free call allowance.
Life happens and sometimes you need to cancel or change your video call with someone in prison, a secure hospital or a secure training centre. This guide explains how to properly cancel, the importance of giving notice and how to reschedule when plans change.
Cancel Purple Visits call or reschedule prison video call by providing proper advance notice to preserve your free call allocation and allow other families to book available time slots. Purple Visits cancellation policy typically requires 48 hours advance notice, with late cancellations or no-show appointments resulting in lost free calls, while cancellations with proper notice restore your free call allocation and may include refunds for paid calls depending on establishment-specific cancellation policies.
Standard policy at most establishments requires 48 hours advance notice for cancellations. Cancellations with proper notice don’t impact your free call allocation, while late cancellations (less than 48 hours) may result in losing your free call entitlement.
The 48-hour requirement exists because it allows the time slot to be offered to other families, gives establishment staff time to notify your contact, ensures efficient use of limited video call resources and maintains fairness for all families waiting for slots.
Check your establishment’s specific policies, as they may vary. Visit your contact’s establishment page for their exact cancellation requirements.
If you cancel with less than 48 hours notice, you may lose that free call from your monthly allocation. The call is considered “used” even though it didn’t happen. This applies whether it was a free call or paid call, though refund policies vary for paid calls.
For example, if you have 2 free calls per month and cancel Tuesday for a Thursday call (only 48 hours notice), you may lose 1 free call, leaving you with only 1 remaining this month. To avoid this, cancel as soon as you know you can’t make the call.
For other families, your cancelled slot becomes available for someone else to book. Another family gets the opportunity to connect with their loved one, reducing frustration for families waiting for available slots.
For your contact, they’re notified the call is cancelled so they’re not waiting for a call that won’t happen. This reduces disappointment and confusion and allows them to adjust their schedule.
For the establishment, proper cancellation enables efficient use of limited video call terminals, helps staff plan resources appropriately, maintains smooth operation of the system and reduces wasted staff time.
For you, it preserves your free call allocation (if cancelled with proper notice), maintains good standing on your account, gives you ability to rebook for a better time and demonstrates responsibility and respect.
If you simply don’t show up, your contact may wait for up to 10-15 minutes, the time slot is wasted as no one else can use it, your free call is lost, it may impact your future booking privileges, it creates frustration for your contact and wastes establishment staff resources.
Multiple no-shows may result in restrictions on booking future calls, priority given to families with better attendance records and potential account review. Always cancel if you can’t make it. Even short notice is better than not showing up at all.
Follow this step-by-step process: open the Purple Visits app, navigate to “Video Calls” select the call you want to cancel, tap “Cancel Video Call” or “Cancel Visit,” review the cancellation notice, confirm cancellation and receive confirmation (in-app and via email).
Timing matters, so check how much notice you’re giving before confirming.
After cancelling, you’ll receive immediate in-app confirmation, email confirmation to your registered email address, update to your bookings list (call removed) and be automatically refunded if applicable.
Your contact will be notified that the video call is cancelled and they won’t be expecting the call at the scheduled time. The time slot becomes available for other families to book, returns to the available slots pool and may be rebooked by another user.
You can still join, as calls remain open for about 10 minutes after start time. Join as quickly as you can, but remember your call still ends at the scheduled finish time. You lose the minutes you’re late by.
For example, if your call is scheduled 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM (30 minutes) and you join at 2:05 PM, the call ends at 2:30 PM, so you get only 25 minutes instead of 30.
Best practice is to set multiple alarms and aim to join between 5 and 10 minutes early.
At this point, you may be considered a no-show, your contact may have already given up waiting, the call opportunity is essentially lost, your free call may be marked as used and you will not be eligible for a refund.
What to do: still try to join anytime is better than no time at all however dont get frustrated if your contact has given up and has already left the Purple Visits area.
If an emergency prevents you from making your call, try to cancel immediately. Even a few hours notice is better than no notice. Use the app if possible and click the cancel button, the establishment will be notified.
Purple Visits doesn’t have a “reschedule” button that moves your call to a different time. To reschedule, you must cancel your existing booking and then book a new call at your preferred time. This is a two-step process: Step 1 is cancelling (following the process above) and Step 2 is requesting a new call (following the booking process).
To minimize impact, check availability first by looking at available time slots before cancelling, confirming a suitable alternative time exists and making sure the new time works for you.
Cancel with proper notice, minimum 48 hours if possible, to preserve your free call allocation and allow others to book the slot.
Book immediately after cancelling by booking your new preferred time right away, as popular slots fill up quickly. Don’t wait or you might lose good options.
Confirm with participants if you have additional participants, ensuring they’re available at the new time, updating everyone about the change and setting new reminders.
If your preferred alternative times aren’t available, you have several options.
Option 1 is to book what’s available. Take the best available slot as it’s better than missing your call entirely. You can always check back for cancellations.
Option 2 is to keep your original booking if you’re not certain about rescheduling. Only cancel if you’re sure you can’t make it, as last-minute attendance is better than no-show.
Option 3 is to wait and monitor by checking daily for cancellations, as popular times sometimes open up. Set reminders to check the app regularly.
Option 4 is to be flexible by considering less popular time slots like early morning or weekday afternoons. Weekend evenings fill up fastest, while midweek mid-day often has better availability.
Cancellation with 48+ hours notice means your free call is restored to your monthly allocation, there’s no impact on your account and you can use that free call for a different booking.
Cancellation with less than 48 hours notice means your free call is lost (marked as used), it reduces your remaining free calls for the month and it can’t be recovered.
No-show (didn’t cancel) means your free call is lost, it may impact future booking privileges and it’s the worst possible outcome.
If you paid for a call at La Moye or Isle of Man, refund policies vary. With proper notice (48+ hours), a full refund is automatically issued, returning to your original payment method with processing time of 3-5 business days.
For late cancellation, you may not receive a refund (check establishment policy), payment is considered non-refundable and policies vary by facility.
Check your establishment’s specific refund policy on their page in our Establishments directory.
Yes! You don’t need to cancel if your plans change but you can still make the call. You can take your call from a different location like a friend’s house or hotel, using mobile data instead of your home WiFi or anywhere with adequate internet connection.
Requirements include a compatible device (same as always), strong internet (minimum 2 Mbps), WiFi strongly recommended though 4G/5G works, quiet private space with good lighting and all your additional participants if applicable.
This means don’t cancel just because you’re not at home. Travel doesn’t prevent video calls, you have flexibility to call from wherever you are, just ensure you have good internet and ensure that nobody else comes into the call if they have not been approved to attened the call with you by the establishment.
Learn more in our Preparing for Your Video Call guide.
Video call terminals and time slots are limited resources shared by many families. Each establishment has only a few video call terminals, many families want to connect with loved ones, popular time slots are in high demand and your cancelled slot can help another family.
Your community impact matters because when you cancel properly, others can book that slot. When you no-show, that opportunity is wasted. Your actions affect other families and we’re all in this together.
Take responsibility by booking calls you can realistically make, cancelling as early as possible if plans change, not booking “just in case” slots you might not use and respecting the system and other users.
Your cooperation helps keep the system fair for all families, maintain trust with establishments, ensure Purple Visits remains available and create a positive experience for everyone.
Be the user you’d want others to be through reliable attendance, proper cancellation notice, being respectful of others’ needs and staying grateful for the opportunity to connect.
Before booking, check your calendar thoroughly, confirm with additional participants, consider typical conflicts (work, school, appointments), allow buffer time before and after and think about travel time if needed.
Set reminders including multiple alarms on your phone, calendar events with notifications, email reminders (from confirmation), telling others to remind you and setting reminders for day before and day of.
Prepare in advance by testing your setup the day before, charging device fully, ensuring you have internet access, arranging childcare if needed and planning your location.
Book times you’re confident about by not booking too far in advance if your schedule is uncertain, choosing times when you’re typically free, avoiding booking during busy work periods and considering your typical weekly routine.
Have a backup plan by knowing where else you could take the call if needed, having mobile data available as backup, identifying alternative locations with good WiFi and ensuring device is portable if needed.
No, you must cancel your existing booking and create a new one. There’s no direct reschedule function.
You’ll likely lose your free call allocation as this is less than 48 hours notice. The call is considered used.
This applies at La Moye and Isle of Man, the only establishments where families pay for calls. With 48+ hours notice, yes. Late cancellations usually aren’t refunded. Check your establishment’s policy.
You’ll be notified and your free call will be restored (not counted against you).
Yes, but frequent cancellations may be reviewed. Establish a pattern of reliability.
Cancel as soon as you can and contact support afterward to explain. They may help restore your free call in genuine emergencies.
For questions about cancellation, check our Frequently Asked Questions, Requesting a Video Call, or Contact Support.
For establishment-specific policies, visit the Establishments Directory, check your facility’s specific cancellation policy or contact establishment directly if unsure.
Remember that cancelling properly with advance notice protects your free call allocation, helps other families connect and maintains a fair system for everyone. Life happens and we understand. Just communicate as early as possible and everyone benefits.