Star codes for forwarding a traditional landline (POTS)

If you still have a traditional analog business line — the kind that rings a physical phone plugged into a copper wall jack — most U.S. telephone carriers support a standard set of star codes for call forwarding. Here's how to use them.

Heads up before you start

•Call forwarding is usually a paid feature on POTS lines. AT&T, Verizon, Spectrum, CenturyLink, Lumen, and Frontier typically charge $4–$10/month for Call Forwarding as a line feature. If the star codes below return an error message, call your carrier and ask them to add Call Forwarding to the line.

•You pay for the forwarded call. When a call comes into your landline and gets forwarded to 365 Agents, your landline carrier bills you for the outbound call from your line to the 365 Agents number (a standard U.S. long-distance rate on most plans, or included on unlimited plans).

•Some carriers call this "Remote Call Forwarding" for toll-free or trunk lines. Different product, same idea — check with your carrier if you have a 1-800 number.

Step-by-step — turn on Call Forward Always

Pick up the phone on the line you want to forward, then:

•Dial *72 (or 72# on a rotary phone — yes, those still exist in some setups).

•Listen for a short tone or voice prompt.

•Dial the 365 Agents number we assigned you. Include 1 + area code (e.g., 14155551234) for most carriers.

•The call will ring at the 365 Agents number. Let it ring through — wait for the AI agent to answer or for the call to connect briefly, then hang up. That confirmation tells your carrier to save the forwarding setting.

•Some carriers return a second confirmation tone after a few seconds. If you hear that, hang up and you're done.

•Test by calling the line from another phone. It should ring the AI agent.

Step-by-step — turn off Call Forward Always

•Pick up the phone on the landline.

•Dial *73.

•Listen for the confirmation tone.

•Hang up. Forwarding is now off.

Other useful POTS star codes

•Call Forward Busy — forwards only when your landline is on another call: *90 to set (then dial destination), *91 to cancel

•Call Forward No Answer — forwards only when nobody picks up: *92 to set (then dial destination), *93 to cancel

•Selective Call Forwarding — forwards calls only from specific phone numbers: dial *63 and follow the prompts

Carrier-specific notes

•AT&T — *72 and *73 are standard. On some lines, use 72# and 73# instead.

•Verizon — *72 and *73 are standard. Some lines support *71 for "Remote Access to Call Forwarding" from any phone.

•Spectrum / Charter — *72 and *73 work for residential and business lines.

•CenturyLink / Lumen — *72 and *73. Some older exchanges use 72# instead.

•Frontier — *72 and *73, with *90/*92 for conditional forwarding.

•Windstream — *72 and *73.

•Cable PBX / hosted voice bundled with cable internet — usually *72 and *73, but check with your provider.

If the star codes don't work

•The line may not have Call Forwarding enabled as a paid feature. Call your carrier and ask them to add it.

•You may be on a newer VoIP or fiber service that doesn't use POTS star codes — in that case, your provider has a web portal where you can set forwarding. Ask them for instructions.

•Some ATAs (analog telephone adapters) intercept star codes and don't pass them to the carrier. Check your ATA's configuration.

Your forwarding destination

Your forwarding destination is the 365 Agents number we assigned you during setup. You'll find it in your dashboard under Numbers. Enter it as 1 + area code + 7-digit number (e.g., 14155551234) when setting up star-code forwarding on a landline.