Payphone hits are assassination missions given by Franklin and were introduced to Grand Theft Auto Online as part of The Contract update. There are eight payphone hits to complete, and each one has several variants for the conditions that need to be met to receive the assassination bonus. Of the eight payphone hits available, six of them can be completed solo, but two of them require two or more players to accept the mission.
Payphone hits will need to be unlocked by owning an Agency and completing missions for Franklin. There are four Agency locations in GTA Online to choose from, but they all have the same missions. A registered CEO will be able to access their computer to see available missions from Franklin. To unlock payphone hits, security contracts need to be completed. As soon as three security contracts are completed in GTA Online, Franklin will call the player to state that he has an opportunity for some big-ticket contracts, but he can't give too much information on his cellphone.
Once the conditions are met, Franklin will call on a random payphone as players are passing by. While driving, the payphone icon will flash and appear on the player's GTA Online map nearby. The eight missions available for payphone hits will be given randomly, so there's no set order to complete them in. The payphone hits can also be completed multiple times, so if the assassination bonus is missed initially, there will be other opportunities to try again. Payphone hits are a good way to make money if the assassination bonus can be collected for each one.
For the Popstar assassination, Franklin will explain that there's a spoiled kid trying to get famous while wreaking havoc for fun without consequence. The kid is also buying his way into fame by becoming a Popstar despite his bad reputation. Franklin in GTA Online goes on to explain that his client is trying to earn money by betting against the record label supporting the new Popstar. When the mission starts, the Popstar will be driving around in a sports car.
There are three possible assassination bonus criteria for the Popstar payphone hit. The Popstar will need to be killed by chasing him in a police car until he crashes, shooting him with a drive-by weapon while in a Vagos lowrider, or by destroying his vehicle with a truck cab. Each of the variants involves a different vehicle that must be used for the CEO to obtain an additional $70,000, or $30,000 for associates.
The Cofounder payphone hit in GTA Online involves taking out one of the founding members of a failing phone company. The company, bitterSweet, went under when iFruit became popular, so one of the founders took the loss hard and started doing things that damaged their reputation further. The other founder of the company wants to relaunch and attempt to save bitterSweet, but he can't do anything until the Cofounder is taken out. The Cofounder assassination mission always starts with the target at a motel.
As soon as the Cofounder's motel is approached, a timer will appear on the screen. The timer is to indicate how much longer the target will be inside the motel room. The first assassination bonus requirement is to take the target's car in GTA Online, bring it to Los Santos Customs, have an ignition bomb installed, and deliver it back to the motel before the timer expires. The other two possible assassination bonus requirements are to blow up the engine with a scoped rifle while the target is in the vehicle or set the vehicle on fire with the target in it. Each of the variants is fairly easy to complete provided the right equipment is readily available.
During the phone call for the CEO payphone hit, Franklin explains that the target is a vicious and cruel businessman that treats his workers terribly. The CEO is completely corrupt, but he plans to put on a show for the cameras and work amongst his employees. Franklin's client in GTA Online wants the CEO taken out while he's vulnerable and out in the open. There are plenty of opportunities for a workplace accident to occur while the CEO is working in the poor conditions he subjects his employees to.
To get the assassination bonus for the CEO payphone hit, he will need to be taken out using a scoped rifle. The variants include dropping a shipping container on the CEO, taking him out with a gas tank, or killing the driver of the bulldozer so it runs him over. The environmental hazards are in place at the construction site, so only the scoped rifle is needed before arriving. If a scoped rifle isn't owned, there will be one near the construction site marked by a white bag symbol on the map in GTA Online.
The Judge is a corrupt woman who accepts bribes to change the sentences of high-profile court cases. She has no problem throwing innocent people in jail, and she's easy for criminals to sway. The Judge is supposed to throw a fraud case involving Lombank, but Franklin's client stands to lose a lot of money if the defendant is freed. The Judge can be found at the Golf Club, but she has two bodyguards with her.
The assassination bonus requirement can be to run the Judge over with a golf cart or use a remote bomb at the third or sixth hole to kill her depending on which golf course the assassination takes place at. The last variant is to kill the Judge using a golf club. Each of the assassination bonus requirements is fairly easy and the equipment needed to complete them will be at or near the golf course. The remote bombs will be at the white bag symbol on the map.
There are four targets for the Trolls payphone hit mission in GTA Online. The group of internet trolls is trying to steer the direction of the stock market using their vast influence. The targeted stocks include some that Franklin and his associates are making money on, so the assassination request is to prevent them from losing money. Franklin needs as many of the ringleaders as possible taken out for this payphone hit.
As with the other payphone hits in GTA Online, there are a few possible assassination bonus requirements. The targets need to all be run over with a car, killed with a headshot, or assassinated within seven minutes. The hardest one to complete is the time stipulation because the targets are spread out across the map. Having a crew for the Trolls payphone hit will make it easier to complete the assassination bonus, though it isn't required.
Assassinating the Tech Entrepreneur occurs because he has created a new phone update that lets him sell everyone's private information to anyone willing to pay for it. One of the Tech Entrepreneur's investors decided to ask Franklin in GTA Online to take him out so he can bet against the company's stock and make money. Franklin finds out that the Tech Entrepreneur is intoxicated at a charity event and waiting for a cab that he makes sure doesn't show.
To complete the assassination bonus, the target will need to be taken out through one of three possible methods. The first is to kill the Tech Entrepreneur by picking him up in a taxi and finishing him with a gas station explosion. Other possible optional objectives include picking him up in a taxi and submerging the car or driving the taxi to the car crusher and using it with the target still in the vehicle. Every assassination bonus for the Tech Entrepreneur involves picking the target up in a cab first.
Hitmen have been hired to kill a man who plans to tell the truth about a company whose car batteries are poisoning the Earth. Franklin in GTA Online needs the Hitmen taken out so the truth can be revealed, and so his client that bet against the company can make a lot of money. There are eight Hitmen that need to be killed to complete this payphone hit mission.
In order to complete the Hitmen payphone contract, at least two players will need to join the mission. The Hitmen need to be killed in a drive-by using a micro-SMG or using throwable explosives before they reach the client's home. The last variation stipulates that all of the targets need to be taken out after arriving at their destination. Taking out the Hitmen at the client's house is the easiest way to complete the mission, but with more players, the other variants are fairly simple as well.
Los Santos is plagued with a group of shady Drug Dealers selling to everyone in the city, and they need to be dealt with. Franklin explains that all of Los Santos in GTA Online wants the Drug Dealers gone and that he's going to make it seem like Merryweather did it to increase their stock price. Franklin's client bought Merryweather stock at an extremely low price, and good publicity will help her make a profit.
Similar to the Hitmen, the Drug Dealers payphone hit requires at least two players to complete. The targets need to be taken out at the same time with explosives, killed with suppressed pistols, or assassinated using scoped rifles. Since there will be at least two players, setting up the explosives or lining up the shots quickly will make it easy to earn the assassination bonus for this payphone hit in Grant Theft Auto Online.
