I have a foreign phone number and I can't enter it. It seems like it's required to file

You can't enter an international phone number in the Mailing Address & Phone number section of the Personal Interview. The IRS will not call an international phone number.

You can enter the phone number of a relative or friend in the U.S,, or a "dummy number" (800-555-1212). This will allow you to complete your return, and the IRS will identify your entry as a placeholder number - if they have questions, they will mail them to you.

Thanks for this tip.  THIS was the tip that finally worked!  [phone number removed]

Other tweaks I made, in case these other things might have had something to do with it: 

1. I made sure the Intuit account name was my husband's name since that is the 'married filing jointly' name we use on the returns. 

2. I made sure that his Intuit account included his middle initial and his JR suffix since that is also on his return.  

Thanks!