Patent ID: 8457606

Claim:
A method in a mobile communications device for placing a telephone call, comprising: receiving a destination phone number to call; automatically determining what types of communications interfaces are available to connect to the destination phone number; automatically determining first and second call routing methods of the available call routing methods that should be used to place a call to the destination phone number, wherein the first call routing method utilizes a voice connection protocol and the second call routing method utilizes a data connection protocol; connecting to the destination phone number using a calling card calling method as the first call routing method, the calling card calling method including the steps of: connecting to a calling card platform using a data connection; sending to the calling card platform, using the data connection, a phone number of the mobile communications device that will connect to the calling card platform using the voice connection and at least one of an account number and a personal identification number (PIN) and the destination phone number; connecting to the calling card platform using a voice connection; and sending to the calling card platform, using the voice connection, the phone number of the mobile communications device that will connect to the calling card platform using the voice connection and at least one of the account number, the personal identification number (PIN) and the destination phone number not sent using the data connection; and automatically, when the call to the destination phone number fails using the first call routing method, placing the call and connecting to the destination phone number using the second call routing method.