You can stop most credit card offers by contacting the credit card industry's central opt-out service or by asking individual companies directly

Credit card companies buy your name from data brokers and mailing list companies, then send offers hoping you'll apply. You don't have to accept these offers — you can stop them. There are two main routes: Opt Out Prescreen, which handles offers from most major card issuers at once, and contacting individual companies yourself. The first route is faster and covers more ground. The second gives you control over which companies you hear from.

Stopping offers won't hurt your credit score. It also won't prevent you from opening a card if you decide you want one — you'll just have to search for it yourself instead of waiting for it to arrive.

Key Takeaways

  • Opt Out Prescreen is a free service run by the major credit reporting agencies that stops prescreened offers from most card issuers for five years or permanently.
  • You can opt out online at optoutprescreen.com, by phone at 1-888-567-8688, or by mail using a form you request from the same service.
  • Opting out through Opt Out Prescreen does not stop offers from smaller card issuers, banks, or companies you've done business with before.
  • You can also call or write individual card companies directly and ask to be removed from their marketing lists, though this takes more time.
  • Online offers come from different sources than mail offers, so you may need to adjust privacy settings on your email and social media accounts separately.

What Opt Out Prescreen is and how it works

Opt Out Prescreen is a service created by Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis — the four major credit reporting agencies. When a credit card company wants to send you an offer, they usually ask these agencies for a list of people who meet their criteria (certain income level, credit score range, and so on). Opt Out Prescreen lets you tell these agencies not to sell your name to card companies for this purpose.

The service covers prescreened offers — meaning offers based on your credit report — from most large card issuers. It does not cover offers from smaller banks, credit unions, or companies you've already done business with. Those companies may send you offers anyway because they already have your information.

You can opt out for five years or permanently. The five-year option is useful if you think you might want to shop for cards again later. The permanent option stops offers indefinitely, though you can always change your mind and opt back in.

How to opt out online or by phone

The fastest way to opt out is online at optoutprescreen.com. The site is run by the credit reporting agencies themselves. You'll enter your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number. The process takes a few minutes. You'll choose whether to opt out for five years or permanently, then submit. You should receive confirmation by email if you provide one.

If you prefer to use the phone, call 1-888-567-8688. A representative will walk you through the same questions. This route takes about ten minutes. You'll get a confirmation number at the end of the call.

Both methods are free and secure. The site uses encryption, and the phone line is operated by the credit reporting agencies themselves, not a third party.

How to opt out by mail

If you don't want to provide your Social Security number online or by phone, you can opt out by mail. Call 1-888-567-8688 and ask them to mail you an Opt Out Prescreen form. Fill it out, sign it, and mail it back to the address they provide. This route takes longer — usually two to four weeks from the time you mail the form — but it's an option if you prefer paper.

You can also download and print the form directly from optoutprescreen.com if you want to skip the phone call. The form includes instructions for where to mail it.

Opting out of offers from individual companies

Opt Out Prescreen stops prescreened offers from major card issuers, but not from every company. If you keep getting offers from a specific bank or card company after opting out through Prescreen, you can contact them directly.

Look for a customer service number on the offer itself, or search the company's website for "opt out" or "marketing preferences." Tell them you want to be removed from their marketing list. Some companies will do this over the phone in a minute or two. Others may ask you to submit a written request or confirm your request in writing.

Keep a record of when you called and who you spoke to, in case the offers continue. If they do, call back and reference your previous request.

Stopping online and email offers

Opt Out Prescreen and calling companies directly handle mail offers. Online offers — the ones you see on websites, in email, or on social media — come from different sources and require different steps.

For email offers, look for an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Click it and follow the instructions. This removes you from that company's email list. If you don't see an unsubscribe link, the email may be spam; you can report it to your email provider.

For social media ads, most platforms let you hide ads from specific advertisers or adjust your ad preferences. On Facebook and Instagram, click the three dots on an ad, select "Hide ad," and choose why. This tells the platform you don't want to see ads from that advertiser. On Google, go to your ad settings and remove card companies from your interests.

These steps don't stop the companies from advertising — they just stop those ads from showing up in your feed. If you want to go further, you can adjust your privacy settings to limit how much data these platforms collect about you in the first place.

What happens after you opt out

After you opt out through Opt Out Prescreen, prescreened offers from major card issuers should drop significantly within a few weeks. You may still get offers from smaller banks, credit unions, or companies you've done business with, because they don't rely on prescreening.

Your credit score will not change. Opting out is not a credit event — it doesn't show up on your credit report and doesn't affect your creditworthiness.

If you change your mind and want to receive prescreened offers again, you can opt back in at optoutprescreen.com or by calling 1-888-567-8688. You can also opt out again at any time.

Why companies send these offers and why opting out matters

Credit card companies send prescreened offers because they're a cheap way to find customers. They pay the credit reporting agencies for lists of people who fit their target profile, then mail thousands of offers hoping a small percentage will apply. For them, it's a numbers game.

For you, the benefit of opting out is less clutter in your mailbox and inbox. There's also a small security benefit: fewer offers in the mail means fewer documents with your personal information sitting in your mailbox where someone could steal them. If you're rebuilding credit or trying to avoid the temptation to open new accounts, opting out removes one source of that temptation.

The tradeoff is that you lose the convenience of seeing what's available without searching. If you decide later that you want to shop for a new card, you'll have to look for offers yourself rather than waiting for them to arrive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will opting out hurt my credit score?

No. Opting out is not a credit event and does not appear on your credit report. Your score will not change. The only thing that changes is that you'll receive fewer offers.

Can I opt out of offers from just one company?

Yes. You can call or write a specific card company and ask to be removed from their marketing list. This is slower than using Opt Out Prescreen, but it works if you want to keep hearing from some companies and not others.

What if I opt out and still get offers?

Opt Out Prescreen covers prescreened offers from major issuers, but not all companies use prescreening. If offers continue, they may be from smaller banks or companies you've done business with. You can contact those companies directly to opt out, or simply discard the offers.

Do I need to opt out of online offers separately?

Yes. Opting out of mail offers through Opt Out Prescreen does not stop online ads or emails. You'll need to unsubscribe from emails, adjust your social media ad preferences, and manage your privacy settings on websites separately.

Can I opt back in if I change my mind?

Yes. You can opt back in at optoutprescreen.com or by calling 1-888-567-8688. You can also opt out again at any time if you change your mind again.