You can stop most credit card offers by contacting the credit reporting agencies directly

Credit card companies buy lists of people from the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. These agencies sell your information to lenders who use it to decide who to mail offers to. To stop receiving offers, you do not contact the card companies. You contact the agencies themselves and tell them to stop selling your name.

There are two ways to opt out: the quick temporary route and the permanent one. The temporary route lasts five years. The permanent route lasts until you ask them to start selling your information again. Both are free, and both work through the same system.

The official channel for opting out is the National Consumer Assistance Plan, which the three agencies run together. You can opt out online, by phone, or by mail. Most people choose online because it takes about five minutes and you get confirmation immediately.

Key Takeaways

  • Credit card offers come from lists the three credit reporting agencies sell to lenders, so you opt out by contacting the agencies, not the card companies.
  • You can choose a five-year opt-out (temporary) or a permanent opt-out that lasts until you reverse it yourself.
  • The official opt-out system is run by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion together through the National Consumer Assistance Plan.
  • Opting out stops prescreened offers — the ones based on your credit report — but not offers from companies you have done business with or those based on other data.

How to opt out online in five minutes

Go to optoutprescreen.com. This is the official website run by the three agencies. You will see two buttons: one for a five-year opt-out and one for permanent. Choose the one you want.

You will enter your name, address, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. The site will ask you to confirm your choice. After you submit, you will see a confirmation page. Print or screenshot it — you do not need to keep it, but it proves you opted out if a card company later claims you did not.

The five-year opt-out takes effect within about one week. The permanent opt-out takes the same time. After that, you should see a sharp drop in credit card offers arriving in your mailbox.

Opting out by phone or mail if you prefer not to use the website

You can call the National Consumer Assistance Plan at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). A representative will walk you through the same questions the website asks. You can choose five years or permanent. The call takes about ten minutes.

If you want to opt out by mail, print the Permanent Opt-Out Election Form from optoutprescreen.com, fill it out, and mail it to the address listed on the form. Mail takes longer — usually two to four weeks — but the result is the same.

All three methods (online, phone, mail) go through the same system. Whichever you choose, you are telling all three agencies at once to stop selling your name to lenders for prescreened offers.

What opting out does and does not stop

Prescreened offers are the ones opting out stops. These are offers based on information in your credit report — your payment history, credit score range, and account types. When you opt out, lenders can no longer buy your name from the agencies for these offers. This is the bulk of credit card mail you receive.

Opting out does not stop offers from companies you have already done business with. If you have a checking account at a bank, that bank can still mail you credit card offers because they already know you. If you have made a purchase from a retailer, that retailer can still send you a card offer. These are not prescreened offers — they come from the company's own customer list.

Opting out also does not stop online offers, ads on social media, or offers based on your browsing history. Those come from data brokers and ad networks, not from the credit reporting agencies. Stopping those requires different steps with different companies.

Opting out of offers from companies you already know

If a card company you have a relationship with keeps mailing you offers, you can call their customer service number and ask to be removed from their marketing list. Most companies have an option to do this. You may need to provide your account number or the last four digits of your Social Security number to confirm your identity.

Some companies let you opt out of marketing mail through their website or app. Log in to your account and look for a "preferences," "communication settings," or "marketing" section. You should find an option to turn off promotional mail.

If you want to opt out of mail from all companies — not just card companies — you can register with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service. This tells direct mailers across many industries to remove your name from their lists. It takes effect within about 30 days and lasts three years. You can register at dmachoice.thedma.org.

Opting out of online credit card offers and ads

Online offers and ads come from different sources than mail offers. Opting out of prescreened mail does not stop them. To reduce online offers, you can take a few steps, though none will stop them completely.

First, adjust your privacy settings on social media platforms. Facebook, Instagram, and others let you limit the ads you see based on your interests and data. Go to your ad preferences and turn off targeting based on financial interests or credit-related categories.

Second, visit the Digital Advertising Alliance's opt-out tool at optout.aboutads.info. This lets you tell ad networks to stop using your browsing history to show you targeted ads. It does not stop all ads — you will still see ads based on the website you are visiting — but it reduces ads based on your profile.

Third, you can opt out of data sales by contacting data brokers directly. Major brokers include Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion (which also sell data for online targeting, not just mail). You can also search "data broker opt-out" to find others. Each one has its own opt-out process, and it can take weeks.

What happens after you opt out

After you opt out of prescreened offers, you should notice fewer credit card offers in your mailbox within two to four weeks. The reduction is usually dramatic — from multiple offers per week to a few per month or none at all.

You may still get offers from companies you do business with, from retailers you have shopped at, or from lenders who use other data sources. These are normal and expected. Opting out only stops prescreened offers based on your credit report.

If you chose the five-year opt-out, you will need to opt out again after five years if you want to keep the offers stopped. If you chose permanent, you do not need to do anything unless you change your mind and want to receive offers again. To reverse a permanent opt-out, go back to optoutprescreen.com and select "opt in."

Frequently Asked Questions

Will opting out hurt my credit score?

No. Opting out does not affect your credit score at all. Your score is based on your payment history, credit utilization, length of credit history, credit mix, and new credit inquiries. Whether lenders can mail you offers has no impact on any of these factors.

If I opt out, can I still get a credit card if I need one?

Yes. Opting out only stops prescreened offers — the unsolicited ones. You can still apply for any card you want by going directly to the card company's website or calling them. You can also still receive offers from companies you have a relationship with.

Do I have to opt out with all three agencies separately?

No. When you use optoutprescreen.com, the phone line, or the mail form, you are opting out with all three agencies at once. You do not need to contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion individually for prescreened offers.

Why do I still get offers after opting out?

Opting out stops prescreened offers based on your credit report, but not offers from companies you already do business with, retailers you have shopped at, or offers based on other data sources. If the offers are from companies you know, you can call them directly to opt out of their marketing mail.

Can I opt out temporarily and then opt back in?

Yes. If you chose the five-year opt-out, it expires automatically after five years and you will start receiving prescreened offers again. If you chose permanent and change your mind, you can go back to optoutprescreen.com and select "opt in" to start receiving offers again.