A “WMACTL” charge on your credit card statement is a billing descriptor for WiMacTel, Inc., a telecommunications company that handles operator-assisted calls, payphone call processing, and inmate calling services in the United States and Canada. The charge almost always traces back to a collect call accepted on your card, a credit or debit card call placed from a payphone, or a directory assistance request. It is not, by itself, a sign of fraud, but the rates are high enough that the amount often looks wrong even when the call was real.
What WiMacTel Actually Bills For
WiMacTel operates payphones, provides operator services (collect calls, third-party calls, credit card calls), runs inmate communication systems, and offers directory assistance.1WiMacTel. WiMacTel Home2Public Utility Commission of Ohio. WiMacTel Inc PUCO Tariff No 13Kentucky Public Service Commission. WiMacTel Inc Kentucky Tariff No 1 The parent company rebranded to Viiz Communications in 2016, but the WiMacTel name still appears on billing descriptors and in state utility filings.4PR Newswire. WiMacTel Announces Corporate Name Change to Viiz Communications
If you cannot connect the charge to anything you did, think about these possibilities first:
- You, or someone with access to your card number, accepted a collect call and agreed to be billed.
- You placed a call from a payphone and swiped a credit or debit card to pay for it.
- You dialed directory assistance from a payphone.
- You received a call from someone in a correctional facility through WiMacTel’s Connect-Me service and the account was funded with your card.5WiMacTel. WiMacTel FAQ
- The charge you are seeing is a temporary pre-authorization hold that the company says is supposed to be released by your bank automatically.6Better Business Bureau. WiMacTel BBB Complaints
Why the Amount Looks So Steep
WiMacTel’s rates for credit and debit card calls are high. In a December 2024 response to a Better Business Bureau complaint, a company representative gave the rate for credit or debit card calls as $1.49 per minute, plus taxes, an operator surcharge, and telecommunications fees.6Better Business Bureau. WiMacTel BBB Complaints A payphone surcharge of up to $0.60 per call applies on top of per-minute rates. That is enough to push a short call over $10. A CBC News investigation in Canada documented consumers billed as much as $14.77 for a call under one minute.7CBC News. Saskatoon Payphone Fees
Billing increments matter too. WiMacTel’s Nebraska tariff bills most calls in six-second increments after an initial minimum period, but calls placed through the “*89” access code are billed in three-minute increments with a three-minute minimum, so a brief call still generates a three-minute charge.8Nebraska Public Service Commission. WiMacTel Inc Nebraska Tariff No 3 WiMacTel’s position is that callers are offered an automated price quote before the call connects and that bypassing the prompt is consent to the rate.
How to Dispute a WMACTL Charge on Your Card
Start with your card issuer. Under federal law, a written billing error notice sent to the card company within 60 calendar days of the statement preserves your dispute rights. The card company has 30 days to acknowledge receipt and must then either remove the charge or explain in writing why it stands.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill Call the number on the back of your card first to flag the charge, then follow up in writing so the statutory clock is on your side.
You can also contact WiMacTel directly to ask for a refund. Per the company’s tariff filings, a refund can be issued as a credit back to the card, a company check, or a “refund balance card.” Watch for the balance card option: it carries a $2.50 monthly service fee that begins after 60 days, which will eat into any unclaimed balance.8Nebraska Public Service Commission. WiMacTel Inc Nebraska Tariff No 3 Ask for the credit back to the card.
Before you hand over information on the phone, note that consumers have reported being asked for card digits or a billing phone number to look up a transaction, which can feel like a second round of risk.6Better Business Bureau. WiMacTel BBB Complaints Share only what the dispute actually requires, and keep the formal dispute with your card issuer running in parallel so you are not relying on the merchant alone.
If you believe the charge is genuinely fraudulent rather than an unexpected but real transaction, treat it as card fraud with your issuer: ask for the card to be replaced and the account monitored, not just for the single charge to be reversed.
If the Charge Is on a Phone Bill Instead
A WMACTL line item on a landline or wireless phone bill is handled differently. If you did not authorize it, that is “cramming,” the practice of placing unauthorized third-party charges on a phone bill. FCC rules require phone companies to describe billed services clearly, identify the service provider for each charge, and display a toll-free number for billing disputes.10Federal Communications Commission. Understanding Your Telephone Bill Wireline carriers also have to offer third-party billing blocks. Call your phone company, ask for the charge to be removed, and ask them to add a third-party billing block to stop future ones.
If the phone company or WiMacTel refuses to remove the charge, you can escalate by filing a complaint with the FCC, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state attorney general or public utilities commission.11North Carolina Department of Justice. Extra Charges and Cramming
When the Charge May Be Legitimate
Not every WMACTL charge is an error. A few patterns are worth checking against before you file a dispute:
- Someone used your card at a payphone, whether with your permission or not. If with permission, the charge is valid even if the amount surprises you.
- You accepted a collect call and agreed to the terms. Rate quotes are offered through automated prompts, and bypassing them is treated as acceptance.
- You funded a Connect-Me or Connect-Me Collect account to receive calls from someone in a correctional facility. Prepaid accounts also carry a $2.00 monthly local number maintenance fee, and inactive accounts are marked dormant after 60 days with closure 30 days after that.5WiMacTel. WiMacTel FAQ
- The amount you see is a pre-authorization hold, not a settled charge, and will drop off when your bank releases it.
If none of those fit and you did not use any WiMacTel service, dispute the charge with your card issuer in writing within the 60-day window and ask for a replacement card. That protects both the specific charge and the account going forward.