Modernize Bail Collections.
Zero Cost. Zero Complexity.
8A Payments gives your facility in-person, card-present bail payment capability — with no software to install, no IT project to manage, and no fees to your agency. Detainees pay at the booking desk using their own card.
Cash-only bail doesn't just inconvenience families. It costs you.
Every hour a detainee stays in your facility because their family can't access cash is an hour of bed cost, staff time, and administrative burden your county absorbs. And it happens thousands of times a year.
The reasons other digital payment options haven't worked are real: wrong merchant classification, chargeback exposure, compliance gaps, integration complexity. We built 8A Payments to solve every one of them.
Your government entity is the merchant of record. Not us.
Most payment processors become the merchant — which means they carry the accounts, the compliance liability, and the control. Our model is different: your government agency holds the merchant account through our PayFac infrastructure, giving you the structural protections that no private intermediary can offer.
- No private vendor standing between you and your payments
- MCC 9399 (Government Services) — not a retail or cash-advance code
- Structural compliance with CJIS and PCI DSS requirements
- Chargebacks managed and self-insured by 8A — not passed to your agency
- Zero cost to your facility: the 8% service fee is paid by the detainee at checkout
- Powered by Worldpay — enterprise-grade processing infrastructure
Live in days. No IT department required.
Jail Direct is our flagship deployment model — and the fastest path from zero to live. We deploy a dedicated card reader to your booking desk. No jail software is touched. No IT project required.
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1
Onboarding
8A Payments provisions a secure, dedicated payment portal for your facility. Your merchant account is set up to allow the transfer of funds directly into your account. This typically takes less than a week.
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2
Application Access
Typically charges fall under a bail schedule (or bail is set), the bail amount + fees are calculated, and your booking staff presents the card reader to the detainee at the time of booking.
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3
Payment
The detainee presents their credit or debit card, which is presented in person at the booking desk. The 8% service fee is disclosed on-screen and collected as a single combined charge. Bail transactions are capped at $10,000, exclusive of the 8% service fee.
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4
Processing
Payment is processed through Worldpay infrastructure. The full bail amount is remitted to your agency.
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5
Reconciliation
Transaction records are available through your secure dashboard for reconciliation and reporting.
Already using a JMS or biometric ID system?
If your facility works with a jail management system, biometric identification platform, or other corrections technology, 8A Payments integrates directly into that workflow. Your staff sees a unified experience. Detainees pay through a familiar interface at the booking desk. The data flows where it needs to go.
Ask us about active technology partner integrations — we're building the ecosystem that connects bail payment directly to facility operations.
The value is concrete. So is the compliance.
| Benefit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Zero cost to your agency | 8% service fee is collected from the detainee, not the jail |
| No IT project | Jail Direct requires no integration — just a link |
| No chargeback liability | 8A self-insures; your agency is not exposed |
| Full CJIS compliance | Data handling meets federal criminal justice standards |
| PCI DSS certified | Payment processing meets the highest industry standard |
| Powered by Worldpay | Enterprise infrastructure — not a startup stack |
| $10,000 transaction maximum | Covers virtually all bail amounts in scope |
| Standard credit card processing | Not classified as cash advance — lower fees, broader access |
Designed for county jails, municipal lockups, and detention facilities across cash-bail states.
8A Payments is purpose-built for facilities in states where cash bail is active. We are currently operational and expanding. If your jurisdiction sets bail in cash terms, we can serve you.
Priority states include Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, and others with high cash-bail activity. Contact us to confirm coverage in your jurisdiction.
Ready to see it in action?
Schedule a 20-minute demo. We'll walk you through the Jail Direct portal, explain the model, and answer every compliance question your team has.
Schedule a Demo Contact Us