How To Opt Out Of Credit Card Offers By Mail

Do I Have To Provide My Social Security Number To Opt Out

No, you do not have to provide them with your Social Security number in order to opt out. However, on optoutprescreen.com they do mention that your social does help them ensure that theyre able to process your request correctly. So its up to you how much information you would like to provide .

Reach out to me over on Instagram , on Twitter , or over on and let me know, how much junk mail are you receiving? Are you getting a lot of credit card offers in the mail? I know I was getting a ton. Are you bothered by it? Do you hate it? Do you not even notice it and you just shred it or throw it in the trash? I want to know how this issue affects you, because it was something that bothered me so much.

Pros: Opt Out Of Credit Card Offers

There are a number of benefits that come from opting out of credit card offers:

• Less junk mail.Most unsolicited credit and insurance offers go straight into the trash or fill up your inbox. Opting out will keep your trash can and trash folder empty.
• Fewer Phone Calls. No one likes to answer the phone 10 times a day. Opting out will help cut back on the number of unsolicited phone calls offers for new credit lines.
• Identity Protection.Throwing junk mail into the garbage may provide identity thieves exactly what they need to fill out a credit card offer in your name. Opting out can secure your mail and your identity stays safe and secure.
• Less access to your credit information.Although determining if you fit a creditors criteria does not have a direct effect on your credit, you may prefer to keep your financial information private. Opting out will keep creditors and insurers from accessing your credit file.

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How Credit Card Companies Find You

Many credit card offers are sent based on a credit bureau prescreening. The credit card issuer sends a request to the credit bureaus asking for a list of consumers who meet specific criteria, and then sends out credit card offers based on that list. If you’re one of the potential borrowers that meet the criteria, you would likely receive a credit card offer. The mailing process is perfectly legal, so complaining to a government agency won’t fix your problem.

How To Opt Out Of Getting The Phone Book

Visit yellowpagesoptout.com to tell phone companies to stop delivering a phone book to your house every year.

However, there’s a caveat: this might not work at all. Phone book industry groups have sued cities that tried to establish official opt-out systems, and created their own system instead. But lots of people report getting phone books delivered even after they’ve put their names on the opt-out list, and there are no penalties for companies that do so.

Read more: The infuriating reason you still get a phone book delivered every year.

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Opting Out For Minor Children

Even though the credit bureaus dont keep credit files on minor children, if you suspect an identity thief used your childs information for fraud, you can submit an Opt-Out Request for them. You must send a written request to each of the credit bureaus. Your letter must include your childs full name, address, and date of birth. Include a copy of their birth certificate, a copy of their Social Security card, a copy of your drivers license or other government-issued proof of identity.

Visit IdentityTheft.gov to report identity theft against your minor child and to get a personalized recovery plan.

Why Would Someone Opt Out Or Not

Why opt out? Maybe youre not looking for a new credit card or insurance policy, you want to limit access to your credit report information, or you want less clutter in your email or mailbox. Keep in mind that if a companys offer isnt based on prescreening, opting out wont stop their mailings.

But there also might be reasons you do want these offers, especially if youre in the market for a credit card or insurance:

• These offers can help you learn about what’s available, compare costs, and find the best product for your needs.
• Since you were pre-selected to get the offer, you can be turned down only under limited circumstances.
• The terms of prescreened offers may be more favorable than those available to the general public. In fact, some credit card or insurance products may be available only through prescreened offers.

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How To Stop Credit Card Offers From Coming In The Mail

You check your mailbox, and you see its filled with letters. And you think there has to be something interesting. But then, you start checking each letter one after the other. After the whole checking process 19 out of the 24 letters in your mail were sent in by credit card companies trying to force their offers down your throat. If that sounds familiar, then youd agree that its always frustrating.

And it could be very disappointingespecially when you have been looking forward to a more important letter that you still cannot find in the pile. Sometimes the stack of letters could be so high that your trash bin gets filled up quickly. And youd start thinking of a way to stop those pesky credit card offers.

Fortunately you have a number of options for eliminating the wasted time and paper from your life. Here are six tips for stopping credit card offers from choking up your mailbox:

Benefits Of Eliminating Credit Card Mailings

Not only does eliminating mailings from credit card companies reduce the amount of mail you receive and the amount of wasted paper coming into your home, but it can also prevent identity theft. For example, if you don’t shred the credit card offers and applications before throwing them away, a thief could steal the application from the trash, mail it in, and intercept the card. It could be months, or even years, before you discover the violation, especially if you don’t regularly monitor your credit report.

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Enter Your Personal Information

So the credit bureaus know exactly who to stop sending the offers to, you will need to provide the following information on the next page:

• Name
• Social Security Number
• Date of Birth

This is the information credit card companies require you to submit when you apply for a new credit card, loan, or bank account. This is the only time you will have to submit your personal details during the opt-out process.

As long as you dont choose to permanently stop receiving credit card offers, you are finished after this step. Otherwise, you need to proceed to Step #4 once your personal information has been entered.

How To Opt Out Of Firm Credit Offers

The FCRA also provides consumers with the right to opt out of these offers. You can opt out of prescreened lists by calling or submitting the request online at OptOutPrescreen.com. You’ll need to share some personal information, such as your name, Social Security number and date of birth to submit your request.

You can opt out of prescreened offers for five years using the phone or online option. If you want to request a permanent opt-out, you’ll need to fill out and mail in a form, which you can find online or request over the phone at OptOutPrescreen.com.

The OptOutPrescreen line and website are run by Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Innovisfour major consumer credit bureausand you only need to submit the request once to be removed from all four bureaus’ prescreening lists.

Experian encourages consumers to make informed decisions about credit and insurance offers. Firm offers can provide opportunities to take advantage of offers that might not be available to the general public, and can provide more product choices for better comparison shopping.

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How To Opt Out Of Group Texts

If you have an iPhone, you can opt out of group texts by going to the group thread, clicking “details,” scrolling down, and either hitting “leave this conversation” or just “do not disturb” .

If you use Android, it’s a bit trickier, but you can download an app called GroupXit that will silence certain message threads.

Opting Out Of Prescreened Credit Card Offers

So as I mentioned, this site was created as a result of the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970. It is the only site authorized by all four credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion, Experian and the little known Innovis. On optoutprescreen.com, there are two options that you can take. When requesting to have our name removed from these lists that are sent out for prequalified offers.

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How To Opt Out Of Other Direct Marketing Offers

Keep in mind, however, that opting out of prescreened credit offers won’t keep you off other mailing lists. Companies can buy or rent lists of potential customers from other companies, including marketing companies that specialize in list-building, and target their existing or past customers with new offers.

You can opt out of some of these offers if you:

• Visit DMAchoice.org to create an account with the Direct Marketing Association and decide which mail you want to receive from DMA members. There’s a $2 processing fee, which will cover you for 10 years.
• Visit the DMA website and update your email preferences to reduce email marketing.
• Request to be taken off non-DMA mailing and marketing lists, such as those run by Epsilon, RetailMeNot and Valpak.

How Long Does It Take Before I Stop Getting Prescreened Offers

Once you opt out by phone or online, your request will be processed in five days or less. At that point, your name will be removed from the credit bureaus’ firm offer consumer list.

You may continue to receive some credit card offers for several weeks because some credit card issuers may already have begun the prescreening process for your credit offer before your request was processed. You may also continue to receive credit mail from credit card companies you’ve worked with before.

Lastly, opting out of credit card offers will only stop mail from issuers that use the lists compiled by the major credit bureaus. It won’t prevent credit issuers from accessing your information from other sources.

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How To Stop Credit Card Preapproval Letters

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Preapproval credit offers that arrive in the mail are like weeds in your backyard: One or two are no big deal, but too many can quickly become overwhelming.

If you want to put a stop to the flow of offers coming through your mailbox, you can let the credit bureaus know that youre not interested by visiting OptOutPrescreen.com or calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT.

The phone number and website are operated by the , which gather credit information and compile credit reports and then provide that information to other companies. If you opt out, you’ll stop receiving preapproval offers for credit and insurance for five years you can make the change permanent by signing a form and mailing it in.

But is that really a step you want to take? Here are the pros and cons of opting out.

Downsides Of Opting Out

Before deciding to opt out of offers, consider these reasons to continue receiving them:

• You might want access to easy credit. A key advantage of preapproved credit card offers is that you don’t have to wonder whether you qualify. The issuer has already reviewed your credit and has deemed you worthy.

• You could miss out on special deals. Preapproved credit card offers sometimes come with more generous terms than the offers available to the general public. There might be a bigger sign-up bonus, for example, or a waived annual fee, or a longer 0% intro APR period. If an issuer is sending you a preapproved offer, it wants your business and may be willing to serve up a pretty sweet deal to get it.

• You’ll be limiting your options. A preapproved offer might introduce you to a company or product that you werent previously aware of it could turn out to be a good fit for you.

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Why Am I Getting Credit Card Offers In The Mail

Essentially, people get pre-approved credit offers in the mail and via email because of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The FCRA allows consumer credit reporting agencies to add your name to lists given to credit card companies and insurance agencies. Thus, credit bureaus, including Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, maintain lists of consumers based on information in their credit reports, as well as their credit score ranges and geographic areas.

If youre getting mailed credit offers, your information is likely on one of those lists. Ultimately, the lists end up in the hands of credit card companies, who then mail you preapproved offers of credit based on what they think you will qualify for.

When you opt out, credit bureaus must remove your name from these lists. But dont be surprised if you still get some offers after opting out your name could have been given to credit card companies before you opted out, and not all card issuers get their lists from consumer credit reporting agencies.

How Do I Opt Out Of Pre

Equifax Information Services LLC maintains your credit file and provides information to certain customers, including credit card companies and lenders, so that they may offer pre-approved offers to consumers as permitted by the FCRA. If you prefer not to receive such offers, visit www.optoutprescreen.com or call 5-OPT-OUT .

You may also send your request in writing to:

Equifax Information Services LLC

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National Do Not Call Registry

You know those annoying calls from Heather at account services? The National Do Not Call Registry helps you prevent such unsolicited intrusions from telemarketers.

Where to go: The FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry provides one-stop shopping for telemarketer opt-outs.

How it works: Once you get to the Registry you’re given two options: 1) to register or 2) to check to see if you’re registered. The straightforward form allows you to provide up to three lines, I registered my cell, my home landline, and my office line in just seconds.

What youll need: You have to provide a valid e-mail address to receive confirmation e-mailsone for each phone number you registerthose confirmations arrived in my inbox almost instantly. When I clicked on the link in each e-mail, I was done.

How long it took: 1 minute, 30 seconds .

There Are Many Ways To Opt Out Of Pre

As a consumer, you can take steps to be removed from unsolicited insurance and credit card offers. The companies sending out these offers utilize marketing lists from the credit bureaus to identify credit-worthy people who might be interested in their offer.

Since these marketing lists come from the credit bureaus, the first step is to tell them not to include your name on the list. You can do this directly by mailing the credit bureau or using OptOutPreScreen to do it automatically.

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The Problem With Random Credit Cardoffers In The Mail

I dont want them. If I really wanted a credit card, I would go online, and I would go apply for one. I dont need them to send me random offers in the mail that I didnt ask for.

Its wasteful. Its a lot of just paper thats just showing up, that Im just going to shred and throw in the trash, or at least try to recycle in some way. I dont know how much paper theyre wasting, but my guess would be way too much.

And lastly, its just not a safepractice. Identity theft is a real thing, and I really dont want just randomcredit card offers sitting in my mailbox waiting for somebody to take.

Prescreened Offers Based On Your Credit

You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that the prescreened offers you receive are legitimately based on your credit profile. So if the terms look good and you need a new credit card or loan, this could be a good thing.

Alternatively, you might not appreciate that your personal financial information is being used to make other people money, especially when it comes from you taking out new lines of credit.

Both pros and cons come along with these types of prescreened offers, so keep reading and think about which ones hold a higher priority for you in your life.

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