FAQs

1. How do I create a Secure Payment Services account?

Once your account has been activated, you'll be able to add recipients and send funds securely online.

Visit www.secure-payment-services.com
Select Sign Up
Enter your details and select Register
Complete your profile information
Confirm your email address using the activation link sent to your inbox

Once your account is activated, you're ready to start sending funds.

2. Is it safe to send money online?

Yes. All payments are processed securely through our payment provider using industry-standard security measures designed to protect your personal and payment information.

3. What are the fees for sending funds?

To provide this service, a small processing and transfer fee is applied to each transaction.

Current fees are:
• Processing Fee: 1% + £0.65
• Transfer Fee: 2.5% of the total amount + £0.22

Example
To send £10.00, the total amount payable would be £11.24:

• £10.00 (Funds sent)
• £0.10 (1% Processing Fee)
• £0.65 (Fixed Processing Fee)
• £0.27 (2.5% Transfer Fee)
• £0.22 (Fixed Transfer Fee)
Total payable: £11.24

Any applicable fees will be clearly displayed before you complete your payment.

4. How do I cancel my account?

If you wish to cancel your account, please contact us from your registered email address requesting for your account to be cancelled.

5. How do I change my address?

To update your address details, please follow these steps:
• Sign in at www.secure-payment-services.com
• Select ‘My Profile & Settings’ from the menu
• Choose ‘Edit Address’
• Enter your address and press ‘Save Changes’.

6. How do I change my email address?

If you still have access to your old email address:
Send an email to uk@emates.com 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 an email from your new email to uk@emates.com 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.

7. 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: !, @, #, £, %, ^, &, *).

8. 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.

9. I have locked my account, what do I do?

The fastest way to unlock your account is to select the link 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.

10. 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 Secure Payment Services website to complete the sign in process.

If you don't receive the email, please check your junk or spam folder.

11. How do I change my phone number?

To update the phone number on your account, please follow these steps:

Sign in to www.secure-payment-services.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'.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. How do I make a payment using a Debit or Credit Card?

To send funds using a debit or credit card:

Sign in to your account at www.secure-payment-services.com
Select Money Transfer
Choose your recipient
Enter the amount you wish to send
Select Credit/Debit Card
Enter your payment details
Complete the payment process

If another screen appears, verify your bank information as requested.

15. Why do you charge a fee?

Secure Payment Services provides a secure and convenient way to send funds electronically to recipients within participating establishments.

The fees charged help cover the costs of processing payments, transferring funds, maintaining the platform, providing customer support and ensuring the service remains secure and reliable.

All applicable fees are clearly displayed before you complete your transaction.

16. 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 Secure Payment Services account.

17. I don't recognise a payment from Secure Payment Services, what is it for?

Payments made through Secure Payment Services are typically for funds sent to a recipient at a participating establishment.

If you do not recognise a transaction, please contact our Support Team and provide as much information as possible, including the transaction date and amount. We will be happy to investigate further.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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 www.secure-payment-services.com
Select ‘My Profile and Settings’,
Select ‘Multi-Factor Authentication’
Change the dropdown box tick ‘Disabled’ and press ‘Save Changes’.

21. I've received an email advising that my payment has been suspended, what should I do?

If your payment has been suspended, you can manage it directly through your Secure Payment Services account.

To view your suspended payment:

Sign in to your account at www.secure-payment-services.com
Select the Suspended Transfers tab
Locate the suspended payment

From here, you may be able to:

• Update the recipient's ID number
• Change the recipient's
• Select a future transfer date
• Request a refund

Once any required changes have been made, follow the on-screen instructions to resubmit or manage the payment.

22. How long does a refund take?

Once your refund has been approved and processed, please allow up to 10 business days for the funds to appear back in your account.

The exact time may vary depending on your bank or card provider's processing times.

If more than 10 business days have passed and you have not received your refund, please contact our Support Team and we will be happy to investigate further.

23. My recipient's isn't listed. What does this mean?

If an establishment does not appear on our Locations page, it means they are not currently using the Secure Payment Services.

To find out what payment options are available, we recommend contacting the establishment directly.

Unilink regularly works with establishments and government departments to expand access to Secure Payment Services. If you would like to see the service introduced at a particular establishment, you may wish to contact the establishment directly to express your interest.

You can also check our Locations page regularly or follow us on social media for service updates.

24. How does Secure Payment Services work?

Secure Payment Services allows you to send funds electronically to recipients at participating establishments.

Once your payment has been successfully processed, the funds are transferred to the establishment along with the information required to allocate the payment to the correct recipient.

Funds are then applied in accordance with the establishment's procedures and timescales.

25. How do I send funds to a recipient?

Sending funds is quick and easy.

Simply sign in to your account, add your recipient's details, enter the amount you would like to send, and complete the payment process online.

Funds can be sent securely from anywhere with an internet connection, including your home, workplace, or mobile device.

26. How does my money reach the recipient?

Once your payment has been successfully processed, the funds are transferred electronically to the establishment.

A record of the transaction is also provided to the establishment, allowing them to allocate the funds to the recipient in accordance with their procedures.

27. Why wasn't my payment successful?

If your payment was unsuccessful, please check the following:

• The name and address on your account match the details held by your bank.
• You have entered the cardholder's full name exactly as it appears on the card.
• Your card number, expiry date, and security code (CVV/CVC) have been entered correctly.
• If your card has an issue number, ensure it has been entered correctly.
• Any security checks requested by your bank, such as a one-time passcode (OTP), banking app approval, fingerprint recognition, or facial recognition, have been completed successfully.

If your payment still cannot be processed, please contact your bank directly, as they will be able to advise why the transaction was declined.

If your bank confirms there are no issues and you are still experiencing difficulties, please contact our Support Team and we will be happy to investigate further.

28. How long does it take for funds to arrive?

Payments are processed and transferred to the establishment on the same day they are received.

In most cases, funds are available to the recipient within 1–2 business days, although processing times may vary depending on the establishment's internal procedures.

29. How do I update my recipient’s details?

If your recipient has moved establishments or their details have changed, you can update them within your account:

Sign in to your account
Select My Recipients
Click Edit next to the recipient's name
Update the details as required
Select Save Changes

Please note that Secure Payment Services does not have access to prisoner location information. It is your responsibility to keep your recipient's details up to date.

30. How do I add a recipient?

To add a new recipient:

Sign in to your account
Select My Recipients
Click Add Recipient
Enter the recipient's name, ID number and establishment
Select Add Recipient to save the details

Once added, the recipient will be available to select when making a payment.

31. I am not sure where my recipient is located, how can I find out?

Unilink does not have access to information about an individual's location or establishment status.

If you are trying to locate someone in custody, you can use the UK Government's Prisoner Location Service: www.gov.uk/find-prisoner

32. I don’t know my recipient’s ID number, how can I get it?

You may be able to obtain the ID number from previous correspondence, deposit receipts, a legal representative, or directly from the recipient.

If you are unsure, you can use the UK Government's Prisoner Location Service: www.gov.uk/find-prisoner

33. How do I update my recipients details?

To update the location of your recipient within your Secure Payment Services account please follow the below steps:

Sign in to Secure Payment Services
Select ‘My Recipients’
Select ‘Edit’, click on the word edit (not the drop-down arrow)
Make the applicable changes and select ‘Save Changes’

34. Can I send funds now for my recipient to receive at a later date?

Yes. When making a payment, you can choose a future transfer date using the Transfer Date calendar on the payment page.

You can schedule payments up to 32 days in advance, allowing you to plan future transfers for your recipient.

Once the selected transfer date is reached, the funds will be processed and sent to the establishment in the usual way.

35. I'm experiencing website issues, seeing an unexpected error, or the "Pay Now" button keeps loading, what should I do?

This is often caused by stored cookies or cached data in your browser, which can sometimes prevent the website from working correctly.

To resolve the issue, we recommend:

• Clearing your browser's cookies and cache
• Closing and reopening your browser
• Trying a different browser, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox
• Trying a different device

For help clearing your cookies, please refer to the guide: How to Delete Cookies

If the problem continues, please contact us for further assistance.

36. I'm having trouble signing in, what should I do?

We recommend:

• Trying a different browser
• Clearing your browser's cookies and cache
• Closing and reopening your browser
• Trying a different device

If you have forgotten your password, use the Forgot Password option on the sign in page to reset it.

If you are still unable to access your account, please contact us for assistance.

37. Which web browsers are supported?

Secure Payment Services works best with the latest versions of:

• Google Chrome
• Microsoft Edge
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari

If you are using an older browser, some features may not work correctly. We recommend keeping your browser up to date.

38. Why am I not receiving emails from Secure Payment Services?

If you are not receiving emails from us, please:

• Check your junk or spam folder
• Add our email address to your safe sender list
• Check that your registered email address is correct
• Ensure your mailbox is not full

If you are still unable to receive emails, please contact us.

39. Why am I not receiving my multi-factor authentication (MFA) code?

If you have not received your MFA code:

• Check your junk or spam folder
• Wait a few minutes and try again
• Ensure you are checking the correct email account
• Delete any older MFA emails and use the most recent code

If the issue continues, please contact us.

40. The website is slow or not loading correctly, what should I do?

If the website is loading slowly or displaying incorrectly, try:

• Refreshing the page
• Clearing your browser cache and cookies
• Closing and reopening your browser
• Trying a different browser or device
• Checking your internet connection

41. Why does the website keep signing me out?

For security reasons, your session may automatically expire after a period of inactivity.

If you are repeatedly being signed out, try:

• Clearing your browser cookies and cache
• Ensuring your browser is up to date
• Disabling browser extensions that may interfere with websites

42. Can I use Secure Payment Services on my mobile phone or tablet?

Yes. Secure Payment Services is compatible with most modern smartphones and tablets and can be accessed through your device's web browser.