How to opt out of prescreened credit card offers

To opt out of prescreened credit offers, use the official OptOutPrescreen.com service or call 1-888-567-8688. You can request a five-year opt-out online or by phone; a permanent opt-out requires completing and returning the signed election form. This reduces offers based on lists supplied by the major credit bureaus, but it does not stop every advertisement or prevent you from applying for credit. Prescreening itself does not hurt your credit score. Choose this process to manage unwanted offers, not as a credit-repair technique or a replacement for identity-theft protection.

Check what kind of offer is in your mailbox

A lender can use credit-bureau information to identify people who meet selected criteria. That is prescreening. A company can also send marketing based on customer relationships or another mailing list. The envelopes may look similar, but an opt-out from bureau-based prescreening does not necessarily affect the second category.

Look for the offer’s prescreening notice and opt-out information. Save one example if you want to compare what arrives after your request. You do not need to apply for the advertised card to stop receiving offers. For help interpreting the invitation itself, see credit card prequalification versus preapproval.

Choose five years or permanent opt-out

The FTC identifies the official opt-out website and telephone number. Both options start through the same service, but the permanent process includes a signed form. Starting that process and completing it are different steps.

“Permanent” describes the election rather than an irreversible decision: the FTC says you can opt back in through the same service. Do not select a permanent option merely because a third-party website presents it as a stronger way to improve your credit. Neither choice is a scoring strategy.

Use a verified route before entering personal information

Navigate from the FTC’s link to OptOutPrescreen.com, or use the official phone number above. Avoid entering identity information into a sponsored look-alike page simply because it says “stop credit card mail.” Check the address before completing the form.

The official process may request identifying information, including your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number. The FTC explains that this information is used to process the request. A request for identity details should still prompt you to verify the destination; the fact that an official service needs data does not make every similar form trustworthy.

If a page tries to sell a credit-monitoring subscription, bundles unrelated services, or promises a score increase, pause and return to the verified route. You do not need to purchase a monitoring product to use this opt-out process.

Is OptOutPrescreen legitimate, and do I have to provide my SSN?

The FTC identifies OptOutPrescreen.com and 1-888-567-8688 as the routes operated by the major credit bureaus. Navigate there directly before entering identity information.

The official opt-out form says your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number and date of birth are optional. Providing them can help the service match your credit file. If you leave them out, it will attempt to process the request using the other information you supply; successful matching is not guaranteed.

Keep the confirmation and check whether you selected the five-year option or still need to sign and mail the permanent-election form. An optional identity field and an unfinished permanent opt-out are separate issues.

Complete the opt-out in six steps

1. Decide whether you want five years or permanent removal from prescreening lists.
2. Open the official service using a verified link or call the listed number.
3. Enter the requested information accurately and complete the current instructions.
4. Save the confirmation and date in a private folder.
5. For permanent opt-out, sign and return the required election form; keep a copy.
6. Set a review reminder and separate later bureau-based offers from unrelated advertising.

A useful private record has five fields: name used, address used, election chosen, online or phone completion date, and mailed-form date if applicable. Avoid putting sensitive identity details in an ordinary calendar reminder. A reminder such as “review prescreen opt-out status” is enough.

Allow for offers already in the pipeline

The CFPB says companies implement the request within five business days, while offers prepared from earlier lists can continue arriving afterward. The FTC likewise explains that it can take several weeks for mail to diminish. A letter arriving next week does not by itself prove that your request failed.

Illustrative example: you complete the five-year opt-out on a Monday, and a preselected card offer arrives the following Thursday. Save its date and compare later mail rather than submitting repeated requests immediately. If offers continue well beyond the processing period, verify that the request was completed and whether the mail actually came from bureau-based prescreening.

For a permanent election, also check the missing-step possibility: was the signed form returned, or did you only begin the request online? Your confirmation record should make that distinction clear.

Understand what opting out does not do

Opting out does not erase inquiries or change payment history. Read our soft and hard inquiry comparison if you are concerned about the prescreening entries on your report. A soft prescreening inquiry is different from a hard inquiry connected with an application.

It also does not close an existing credit card, cancel a pending application, freeze your credit file, or stop all customer communications. Bills and legally required account notices are not the same as prescreened marketing. Keep monitoring your real accounts even if advertising becomes less frequent.

If your concern is someone opening accounts in your name, consider the protections explained in our three-bureau credit freeze guide. If your concern is inaccurate information, request the full credit reports and investigate the specific entry. Those tasks address different risks from mailbox clutter.

When offers keep arriving

Sort the mail into three groups: clear prescreened offers, marketing from companies you already use, and unrelated advertising. Contact the sender about its own marketing preferences when the offer is outside the bureau-list process. This is more targeted than paying for a service that claims to stop every kind of mail.

TransUnion also provides prescreen opt-out guidance. Use official support if you need to clarify the election, and keep the date of any follow-up. Your practical finish line is a documented preference and less relevant marketing—not a promised credit-score change.

Does opting out stop credit card calls, texts, and emails?

Do not treat a prescreen opt-out as a universal marketing unsubscribe. The FTC distinguishes bureau-based offers from other marketing lists and phone opt-out programs. Match the action to the communication you actually receive.

• A mailed prescreened offer: check the prescreening notice and your OptOutPrescreen election.
• Marketing from an existing provider: review that company’s marketing preferences through its official account channel.
• Unwanted sales calls: review the separate National Do Not Call Registry; it is not the prescreening service.
• A suspicious text or email: do not enter identity details through its link merely to unsubscribe from alleged credit offers.

For a simple follow-up record, save the sender, delivery channel, date, and the notice explaining how it obtained your information, if provided. This helps distinguish an unfinished permanent opt-out form from advertising the prescreening election never covered.

Explore related guides on credit reports and disputes.

Sources

FTC: National Do Not Call Registry

• FTC: prescreened credit and insurance offers
• CFPB: stopping prescreened credit card mail
• TransUnion: prescreen opt-out

Updated October 6, 2026. Product terms and submission procedures can change; confirm the current instructions with the relevant organization.

Claire Bennett is the site’s editorial name, as explained on our author page.

Educational information only, not individualized financial or legal advice. Examples are illustrative; results depend on your circumstances.

Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash. Illustrative photograph; not a customer story or testimonial.