Consumers can stop most prescreened credit card and insurance offers by opting out through the credit bureaus’ joint program, by phone at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or online at OptOutPrescreen.com. A phone or online request lasts five years; mailing the signed Permanent Opt-Out Election form makes it permanent.
Prescreening is authorized by FCRA § 604(c), 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(c), which lets bureaus sell lists of consumers who meet a lender’s criteria without consent. In exchange, § 615(d) requires every prescreened offer to disclose the opt-out right and the toll-free number.
This article covers the prescreen opt-out only. It does not stop marketing from companies the consumer already does business with, or mail compiled from sources other than credit bureau lists, which require separate steps.
Key takeaways
- Prescreened offers come from soft inquiries, which never lower a credit score.
- Opting out by phone or online lasts five years; the mailed signed form makes it permanent.
- One request covers the nationwide bureaus, including Innovis, through the jointly operated system.
- Opting out does not hurt credit scores or approval odds on applications the consumer starts.
- Fewer credit offers in the mailbox means less raw material for mail-theft identity fraud.
Why does a consumer receive prescreened offers?
Lenders buy lists from the bureaus of consumers whose files meet preset criteria, such as a score range or a clean recent history, and mail those consumers "firm offers" of credit or insurance. The consumer never applied; the bureau sold the eligibility data.
The criteria can be broad or narrow. A card issuer might request every consumer in a state with a score above a threshold and no recent delinquency; an auto lender might target consumers whose loans are near payoff. The bureau screens its database and sells the matching names and addresses.
The offers are a major bureau revenue line, which is why the system is opt-out rather than opt-in. Congress balanced the arrangement by mandating the opt-out machinery in the FCRA, and the current framework dates to the 1996 amendments that formalized the five-year and permanent elections.
Are prescreened offers the result of a hard inquiry?
No. Prescreening generates a soft inquiry, sometimes shown on the consumer’s own disclosure as a promotional inquiry. Soft inquiries are invisible to lenders and never affect a score under any FICO or VantageScore model.
Is prescreening legal under the FCRA?
Yes. Section 1681b(c) creates a specific permissible purpose for transactions the consumer did not initiate, limited to firm offers of credit or insurance. The bureau may release only limited list data, not the full report.
A firm offer is a real, if conditional, commitment. The lender may still verify income or run a full report when the consumer responds, and may withdraw the offer if the file no longer meets the original criteria.
This is why a "preapproved" mailer sometimes ends in a denial. The prescreen match happened weeks earlier against a snapshot of the file; the actual application is underwritten against the file as it stands on the day the consumer responds.
How does a consumer opt out of prescreened offers?
One request reaches Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis through the system the four bureaus operate jointly, as described by the FTC’s consumer guidance.
- Call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688), an automated line, for the five-year opt-out.
- Or complete the request at OptOutPrescreen.com, the official site, for the same five-year term.
- For a permanent opt-out, start online, then print, sign, and mail the Permanent Opt-Out Election form.
- Expect requests to process within about five business days; offers already in the pipeline can arrive for several more weeks.
What is the difference between the five-year and permanent opt-out?
Duration is the only difference; both remove the consumer from prescreen lists at all four nationwide bureaus. The permanent option requires a signature on paper because it is irrevocable without a new opt-in request.
| Option | Duration | How to request |
|---|---|---|
| Phone opt-out | 5 years | Call 1-888-567-8688 |
| Online opt-out | 5 years | OptOutPrescreen.com |
| Permanent opt-out | Permanent | Sign and mail the election form |
| Credit freeze | Until lifted | Placed at each bureau; frozen files are excluded from prescreen lists |
Does opting out affect a credit score or future applications?
No. Opting out is not recorded as a scoring event, does not appear to lenders, and has no effect on any application the consumer submits. Approval odds on consumer-initiated applications are calculated the same way either way.
A denial on a consumer-initiated application works the same after opting out as before: the inquiry counts, the denial does not.
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Lock in your spotDoes opting out reduce identity theft risk?
It removes one specific attack surface: preapproved offers stolen from mailboxes or trash and returned by a fraudster with a changed address. The FTC recommends the opt-out as part of basic identity-theft hygiene.
The attack works because a stolen offer arrives with the consumer’s name, address, and an invitation code attached. A fraudster who responds and redirects the card to a new address gets an account the victim discovers only when the bill or the collection notice surfaces.
A credit freeze remains the stronger control, because it blocks new-account openings outright rather than only reducing mail volume, and freezing also removes the file from prescreen lists.
What marketing does the prescreen opt-out not stop?
The opt-out only removes the consumer from bureau-sold prescreen lists. Several other channels continue unaffected.
- Offers from banks and card issuers the consumer already has accounts with.
- Marketing mail compiled from purchase histories, warranty cards, and other non-bureau data brokers.
- Email and phone marketing, which are governed by separate regimes such as the Do Not Call registry.
- Insurance or credit offers addressed generically to "resident" rather than to the named consumer.
General advertising mail has its own opt-out register, DMAchoice, operated by the advertising industry rather than the bureaus. Consumers pursuing a quiet mailbox typically need both registrations, since the two systems draw from entirely separate lists.
Can a consumer opt back in?
Yes. The same phone number and website process opt-in requests, restoring the consumer to prescreen lists. Some consumers opt back in temporarily before rate shopping to see competitive card and loan offers.
What are the tradeoffs of opting out?
Opting out reduces mailbox clutter and mail-theft exposure. The cost is losing visibility into offers a consumer might not otherwise see, since prescreened terms are sometimes better than the publicly advertised versions of the same products.
Consumers who want the quiet mailbox and the market visibility can combine a permanent opt-out with deliberate rate shopping through prequalification tools, which use soft inquiries and are initiated by the consumer.
Frequently asked questions about prescreened credit offers
Do prescreened offers hurt a credit score?
No. The bureau releases the name through a soft promotional inquiry that no scoring model counts. Only an application the consumer submits in response would generate a hard inquiry.
Is OptOutPrescreen.com legitimate?
Yes. It is the official opt-out website jointly operated by Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion, and it is the site referenced in FTC and CFPB consumer guidance and in the notices printed on the offers themselves.
How long does it take for the offers to stop?
Requests are processed within about five business days, but campaigns already in progress use older lists, so mail can continue for several weeks before tapering off.
Does a credit freeze stop prescreened offers?
Yes. A frozen file cannot be included in prescreen lists, so a freeze at all three bureaus suppresses the offers as a side effect while also blocking new-account fraud.
Why do offers keep arriving after opting out?
The likeliest causes: the mail predates the opt-out, the sender is an existing creditor, or the list came from a non-bureau data broker. Offers based on bureau prescreen lists must stop once the request processes.
Last reviewed: June 2026
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. The Fair Credit Reporting Act and related regulations are complex, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Consumers with specific questions about their credit reports or rights under federal law should consult a licensed attorney or contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau directly.
