How to Unblock a Call with Star Code

Caller ID technology allows people to see who’s calling them before they answer. However, you can use your phone service provider to block your phone number from being displayed on your outgoing calls.

That way, no one will be able to see your phone number when you call them. Although this might come in quite handy in some cases, there will be situations where you’ll want to unblock your phone number.  For example, when you’re calling someone who doesn’t answer blocked calls.

This article will show you how to unblock your phone number when you need to, without calling your phone service provider to disable this feature.

Unblocking Your Phone Number with a Star Code

If you want to get rid of this feature for good, you will have to call your phone service provider and ask them to disable it. By doing so, your phone number will be “visible” to anyone you call.

If you want to unblock your phone number for a specific call, you can do that with a star code. This doesn’t require you to disable the Blocked ID feature. Here’s what you can do.

1. Press the Star key (*) before you enter the phone number that you want to call. The Star Key is usually at the bottom of your phone’s dialer screen.
2. Enter the number 82 immediately after the Star. If you have a Caller ID Display, you should see *82.
3. Enter the phone number that you want to call. Just like in the previous step, the phone number should be entered immediately after *82 (no spaces or other special characters). Don’t forget to enter “1” followed by the area code, if it’s a long-distance call.
4. Press the dial button.

If you have done everything correctly, the person that you’re calling will be able to see your phone number. If you don’t include the *82 star code before your next call, your phone number will remain hidden.

There are many other codes that allow you to use different features while calling. All of them work on the same or similar principle.

The following section will show you some of the most useful star codes and how you can use them.

Star Codes and Calling Features

The star codes in the table above are available to all AT&T users. Although most other service providers have developed their star codes by this model, not all of them offer the same features. It could also happen that certain phone service providers offer some of the features under different star codes. But that’s usually not the case.

Area Codes

Since the USA is divided into regions, each has its own area code. When you’re calling someone from the same region, you can complete your call by entering their seven-digit number.

However, if you’re making a long-distance call, you will have to add number “1” followed by the area code that your calling and the phone number. This applies even if you’re calling Canada or the Caribbean.

[1 + area code + seven-digit phone number]

If you want to make a toll-free call, you should enter 1 800 before the seven-digit number and then dial. In some cases, you’ll have to use other codes instead of 800, such as 888, 877, 866, 844, or 844. The effect will be the same.

[1 + 800 (or other codes mentioned above) + seven-digit phone number]

If you’re calling someone abroad (other than Canada and the Caribbean), enter 011, followed by the country code and the city code. After those numbers, enter a local number and dial.

[011 + the country code you’re calling + the city code you’re calling + the local number]

Be Careful with Star Codes

Some star codes aren’t free to use. Although phone providers tend to play an automated message telling you that a certain feature costs money, it might be too late and you might still be charged the fee.

Therefore, get as much info on the star codes as you can.

Have you managed to unblock your call using the *82 star code? Are there any other star codes you are using? Tell us in the comments below.