Those credit card offers keep showing up because card companies get lists of names from the credit bureaus. You can take your name off those lists for free with one request.
How to opt out of credit card offers in the mail
To opt out, go to OptOutPrescreen.com or call 888-5-OPT-OUT (888-567-8688). It's the free option run by the major credit bureaus.
The website and phone line go to the same place, and one request covers every card company that buys names from those bureaus.
The official method: OptOutPrescreen.com
OptOutPrescreen.com describes itself as the credit reporting industry's official site for opt-out requests. It's tied to Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis, so one form reaches all four.
- Go to OptOutPrescreen.com and choose whether to opt out for five years or permanently.
- Enter your information. The form asks for your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth.
- Submit your request. Write down the date and set a reminder, so you'll know when the five-year opt-out runs out.
Type the address yourself. Lookalike sites exist, so don’t click an opt-out link in an email or text. Type optoutprescreen.com into your browser, and check the address bar before you enter your Social Security number.
Opting out by phone: 888-5-OPT-OUT
The major credit bureaus run the opt-out hotline 888-567-8688 along with the website. You'll be asked for the same details you'd enter online.
Opting out permanently vs. temporarily
Whichever you pick, give it a little time. Requests are typically processed within five days, but it can take several weeks before the offers stop. Mailers already printed with your name may still show up.
What opting out won't stop. The FTC says opting out won’t stop offers from companies you already do business with, local stores, charities, and groups you belong to. It also won’t stop every unsolicited credit or insurance offer.
How to stop other junk mail and sales calls
OptOutPrescreen.com only covers prescreened credit and insurance offers. Catalogs, magazine offers, and other marketing mail require other steps.
Contact individual companies directly
To stop mail from companies you already do business with, like your bank, your card company, or a store where you have a loyalty account, you can ask them yourself.
- Call the customer service number on the mailer or your statement and ask to be removed from the marketing mailing list.
- Log in to your account and check the privacy or communication settings for a marketing mail option.
- Look for an opt-out notice in the mailer itself, often in small print.
Write down who you contacted and when. If the mail keeps coming, you'll know who to follow up with.
DMAchoice.org
DMAchoice.org is a mail preference service run by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). The ANA estimates it cuts “prospect” mail, meaning companies you’ve never bought from or groups you’ve never donated to, by about 80%.
You have two ways to opt out:
- Online for an $8 processing fee with a credit card or PayPal
- By mail for a $9 processing fee with a check or money order
DMAchoice offers separate opt-outs for a person who has died and for caregivers registering on behalf of someone they care for. It also offers a separate Email Preference Service to cut down unsolicited marketing email.
National Do Not Call Registry
For phone calls, register at DoNotCall.gov or call 888-382-1222 from the phone you want to add. It’s free and your registration never expires.
Sales calls can take more than a month to stop. Registering won’t affect scam calls, political calls, charities, or debt collectors.
Why you get preapproved credit card offers
You get these offers because a card company asked a credit bureau for a list of people who meet its requirements, and your name was on it. The process is called prescreening, whereby the company asks a bureau like Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, or Innovis for people whose credit reports match a specific set of criteria, like a minimum credit score.
Preapproved doesn't mean approved. You still have to apply, and the creditor or lender typically reviews your full application and credit history before saying yes.
Read more >> What is a soft credit inquiry?
Keep offers out of the wrong hands. Prescreened offers show your name, your address, and that you qualify for credit. Shred anything you don’t want. USPS Informed Delivery is free and emails you images of letter-size mail before it arrives, so you’ll notice if something goes missing.
Does opting out affect your credit score?
No. Opting out doesn't help or hurt your credit score. It doesn’t appear in your credit files, so scoring models can't factor it in.
The only change you might notice is on your credit report itself. Each time a bureau includes you on a prescreened list, a soft inquiry shows up, naming the company that got your information. Opting out means fewer of those.
Soft inquiries don't affect your score either, and lenders don't see them. Only hard inquiries, which come from credit you actually apply for, can affect your score.
If you do see a hard inquiry you don't recognize, dispute it for free with the bureau that lists it, and report suspected identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov. If it’s an error, Kikoff’s AI Credit Disputes tool can help you generate a personalized dispute letter in a few taps.
Does it affect your ability to get credit later?
No, opting out also won't stop you from getting credit later. You can apply for any card whenever you want, and you can opt back in on the same site or phone number. If you're working on your credit in the meantime, what builds it is paying on time, every month, on accounts that report to the bureaus.
Read more >> The Importance of On-Time Payments in Building Credit
Opting out vs. a credit freeze
Opting out stops companies from getting your name for offers. A credit freeze blocks new credit accounts in your name.
You can do both. If you place a freeze, lift it at the bureau your lender uses before you apply for credit.
Bottom line
OptOutPrescreen.com is the free, official way to stop prescreened credit card offers, and opting out won't affect your credit score. DMAchoice.org and a quick call to companies you already use can cut down most of the rest.
Those opt-outs control who gets your name from credit bureaus and advertisers. They don't reach data brokers, which collect and resell details like your address and phone number on their own. Kikoff's Privacy Protection removes your personal information from data brokers and third-party data resellers, then monitors the web for new exposures. It's included with the Kikoff Ultimate plan at $35 a month.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
