How Do I Program a Calling Card Into the iPhone?

By Shanika Chapman

i cellphone image by Jaimie Duplass from Fotolia.com

If you have friends or relatives that live outside the country, it may be cheaper to use calling cards in conjunction with your iPhone to save money on international calls. It is a common misconception that calling cards can only be used with a land-line. In fact, programming calling cards into iPhone is easy, and once saved in your iPhone, is much more convenient that using a calling card from a land-line.

Document the Process

To program your iPhone to use your calling card, you will first need to try using the calling card. This will give you the opportunity to determine the length of the pause prior to PIN entry, and any automated menu navigation that is necessary. Write down the steps taken and amount of time for each, as the process will be duplicated throughout the course of this guide.

Programming the Phone

Program the actions you have observed into your iPhone's contacts list. First select “Phone” from the iPhone's main menu. Ensure that “Contacts” is selected at the bottom of the screen, then tap the “+” in the upper right-hand corner to begin the process of adding a new contact entry into the iPhone. Tap “Add New Phone” and now enter the calling card's phone number, then press the “+#” button on the lower left-hand side of the keypad. Once the “+#” button has been pressed, you will see a “pause” button on the bottom middle of the keypad. Use the “pause” button after the phone number and in any other places where a pause during dialing might be needed. Mixing the actual button presses documented earlier and pauses, you should be ready to dial by selecting the contact and dialing. Be sure to test this a few times to ensure that the pause lengths used are correct. Also, note that each pause is about one second.

Additional Information

If you are going to program your calling card information into your iPhone, it will save a lot of work if you ensure that you are using a calling card that can be reloaded. That way, you won't have to program a new calling card into your iPhone every time you run out of minutes. Also, to keep the calling card information you have programmed into your iPhone private, activate “Passcode Lock” and ensure that “Auto-Lock” is active. To find these settings, navigate to “Settings,” then select “General.” This will ensure that if you ever lose your phone, the calling card information will still be secure. This will also prevent the phone from being used.

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