Call forwarding: every code, every carrier, one page
Call forwarding sends calls made to one phone number to a different number, so you can answer them wherever you actually are. On most US mobile and landline carriers you turn it on by dialing a short code, usually star 72 followed by the destination number, and turn it off again with star 73. AT&T and T-Mobile use the GSM style instead: star 21 star, then the number, then the pound key. iPhones on GSM carriers also have a toggle in Settings, and Android phones manage it inside the Phone app, where you can forward all calls or only the ones you miss. This page has the exact codes for every major US carrier, step-by-step instructions for iPhone and Android, how conditional forwarding works, and how to switch everything off. It also covers the option most businesses have never heard of: forwarding to a number that answers itself, so the call gets handled instead of just relocated.
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Forwarding codes for every major US carrier
Dial the activation code with your destination number where shown, wait for the confirmation tone or message, and test from another phone. These are the same codes our own product walks business owners through when they forward their lines.
| Carrier | Forward calls | Turn off | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | *21* [number] # | ##21# | May take up to 30 seconds to activate |
| Verizon | *72 [number] | *73 | Call must connect to activate (wait for the beeps) |
| T-Mobile | **21* [number] # | ##21# | The double asterisk (**) at the start is required |
| US Cellular | *72 [number] | *720 | Similar to Verizon codes |
| Xfinity / Comcast | *72 [number] | *73 | Lift the receiver, dial *72, wait for the dial tone, then enter the number |
| Spectrum | *72 [number] | *73 | The stutter dial tone confirms forwarding is active |
| Vonage | *72 [number] | *73 | Can also be configured in the Vonage dashboard |
| Other landline | *72 [number] | *73 | *72 is the standard code for most US landlines |
Forwarding moves your calls. It does not answer them.
Every code on this page changes which phone rings. None of them changes whether anyone picks up. If the reason you are here is missed business calls, the fix is the destination, not the code: forward your line, or just the calls you miss, to a number that answers itself. The AI picks up in your business name, answers questions about your hours and prices, books the appointment, and texts you a summary. Your number, your greeting, no hold music.
Call forwarding questions
- What is the code to forward calls to another number?
- On most US carriers, including Verizon and the majority of landlines, you dial star 72 followed by the ten-digit destination number, then press call and wait for the confirmation tone. AT&T and T-Mobile use the GSM format instead: star 21 star, the destination number, then the pound key, with T-Mobile requiring a double star at the start. Dialing star 73 (or the pound-key variants on GSM carriers) turns forwarding off again.
- How do I turn off call forwarding?
- Dial the deactivation code for your carrier and wait for the confirmation tone. On Verizon and most landlines that is star 73. On AT&T it is pound pound 21 pound, and on T-Mobile the same code switches it off. On an iPhone with a GSM carrier you can also go to Settings, then Phone, then Call Forwarding and switch the toggle off. If calls still forward after that, restart the phone and try the code once more, because a queued carrier update sometimes needs the second attempt.
- What is conditional call forwarding?
- Conditional call forwarding only redirects a call in specific situations: when your line is busy, when you do not answer within a set number of rings, or when your phone is off or unreachable. Unconditional forwarding redirects everything immediately without ringing your phone at all. Businesses often use the conditional kind so their team answers when free and the overflow goes somewhere useful instead of voicemail.
- Does call forwarding cost anything?
- The feature itself is included on most modern US mobile and landline plans, though forwarded minutes can count against plan allowances, and forwarding to international numbers is usually blocked or billed separately. The honest cost of forwarding is operational rather than financial: the destination has to actually answer, because forwarding to a line nobody picks up simply moves the missed call somewhere new.
- Can I forward my business calls to my cell phone?
- Yes, and it is one of the most common setups for small businesses: dial the forwarding code on the business line with your cell number as the destination, and every call to the business number rings your pocket. The tradeoff is that your cell now takes every call, at dinner, mid-job, and after hours. Many owners instead forward the business line to an AI answering service that books the job and only hands off to their cell when the caller asks for a person.
- Can I forward calls to a number that answers automatically?
- Yes. Instead of forwarding to another phone a human must pick up, you can forward to an AI answering service. The forwarding codes are identical, only the destination changes: OrderToAI gives your business a number that answers every call in your name, books appointments, answers questions about your hours and prices, and texts callers links they ask for, with a free trial to hear it first.
What the forwarded calls reach
It is not a menu tree and it is not voicemail. It is a real conversation that ends with a booking, an order, or a message in your hand.
Answers every call
Day, night, weekends, holidays. It picks up on the first ring in your business name, and never puts anyone on hold.
Books the job
It checks your real availability and writes the appointment straight into your calendar while the caller is still on the phone.
Texts what they asked for
Your menu, booking page, delivery link, or a quote. The caller gets it on their phone before they hang up.
Wins back quiet customers
It calls the customers you already have when they are overdue, and books them back in. That is the part nobody else does.
Do not take our word for it. Call it.
Hear the AI answer a real call, in a real business, right now. No signup, no card, nothing to install. Most people decide within about thirty seconds of hearing it talk.
Set up in about five minutes. Cancel any time.
- Front Desk
- $99.99/mo
- Talk time
- $0.49/min
- Included
- Your own number, nights and weekends at the same rate, no per-call fees, no contract. Full pricing