You do not have to include a plus sign (+) in a phone number in the call sequence.
If the phone can make a plus symbol, you can include it. If not, replace it with your country’s exit code.
Ignore the plus sign (and sometimes the country code) for calls within the same country.
What the plus sign (+) means
The plus sign (+) stands for the international exit code from where you are.
Each country has a way of dialing to the international switchboard, and the dialing sequence is not the same in every country.
Is the dialing the plus sign necessary?
No.
It is a shortcut to avoid dialing the exit code to the international switchboard.
Replace it with the exit code of the country you place your call. There is no need to dial it for domestic calls.
Should I dial the plus sign or the exit code?
The benefit of dialing the plus sign (especially for traveling) is that it allows a person to save a phone number that can be dialed from wherever they have a cellular connection.
For example, a caller in Sweden would call the Louvre Museum in Paris, France as:
| 00 | 33 | 1 | 40 20 53 17 |
| exit code from Sweden | country code for France | geographic code for Paris | local phone number |
The same user standing in Paris would dial the same number as:
| 40 20 53 17 |
| local phone number |
Saving the phone number as “+33 1 40 20 53 17” would allow the person to save the phone number in their address book and call it from wherever they are located without having the alter the number.
The challenge with dialing the plus sign is that it selects the default carrier and the rate they set, without any chance to select an alternate carrier or rate.
How to dial the plus sign
… on a smartphone
Most smartphones have a simple way to dial a plus sign to include in the call sequence.
For example, iPhones can dial a ‘+’ by pressing and holding the ‘0’ key on the keypad until the plus sign appears. Android phones, Windows phones, and Blackberries may have a slightly different process.
All smartphones can still dial a phone number by using the normal exit code sequence from the country where the caller is currently located.
… on a keypad mobile phone
Some keypad mobile phones have the ability to include text in a phone number (for example, letters for calling named phone numbers).
Users without this function can just use the traditional sequence of the exit code to call the destination number.
… on a VoIP phone
Most VoIP phones should be able to include a plus in the call sequence.
As each VoIP service operates its own software, the specific way of entering the plus sign varies with each service.
Calls can also be made using the exit code from the location that phone number attached to the VoIP service is based out of.
… on a landline phone
Most landline phones do not have a way to include a plus sign in the dialing sequence.
Instead, simply dial the exit code for the location you are calling from