How to stop prescreened credit and insurance offers

Go to optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-567-8688, and choose five years or permanently. The major credit bureaus run both, the FTC says.¹

Checked 29 October 2026 against the FTC and the credit bureaus.

Step by step

optoutprescreen.com says it only opens from US internet providers.² These steps come from the FTC and Experian.

Visit optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688).¹
Give your personal information.The FTC says you'll be asked for your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth, and that it may be used only to process your request.¹
Choose five years or permanently.^{1, 3}
For permanent, sign and mail the form.Experian says it mails you a Notice of Election to Opt-Out Permanently, which you must sign and return to activate it. The FTC calls it the Permanent Opt-Out Election form, which you get online.^{1, 3}

Expect offers to slow, not stop at onceRequests are processed within five days, but the FTC says it may take several weeks before offers stop, and Experian says several months before you see fewer.^{1, 3}

Which lists it covers

One request reaches four bureaus. LexisNexis keeps its own prescreen lists and takes its own opt-out.

Prescreen lists from	Where to opt out
Experian, Innovis, TransUnion and Equifax	optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-567-8688.³
LexisNexis Risk Solutions	Its own prescreen opt-out, which it says doesn't opt you out of the Equifax, TransUnion or Experian lists. Your request also reaches SageStream, LLC, now part of LexisNexis.^{4, 5}

What opting out does

It doesn't stop

Offers based on lists from other sources, or mail from local merchants, charities, religious groups, professional and alumni associations and companies you already do business with. Contact those directly.¹

It doesn't change your credit

Prescreening doesn't hurt your credit score, the FTC says.¹ Removing yourself from LexisNexis's lists doesn't affect your ability to get credit or insurance, LexisNexis says.⁴

Questions people ask

Is optoutprescreen.com legit?

Yes. The FTC names it and its phone number and says the major credit bureaus operate them.¹ Experian calls it the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry website for these requests.³ Type the address yourself rather than following a link.

Why might I keep getting the offers?

The FTC says prescreened offers can help you compare products, that only under limited circumstances would you be turned down, and that their terms may be better than those open to the general public.¹

Can I opt back in?

Yes, through the same website or 1-888-567-8688.¹

Can I opt out a child?

Credit bureaus don't keep files on minors, the FTC says, but if you suspect a child's identity was used for fraud, write to each bureau with the child's full name, address and date of birth, and copies of their birth certificate, their Social Security card and your own ID.¹

Sources 5

What To Know About Prescreened Offers for Credit and Insurance, Federal Trade Commission consumer advice, November 2023. consumer.ftc.gov refused our browser, so we read it through a fetch service and checked the wording against the Internet Archive copy of 20 October 2026. Read 29 October 2026.
OptOutPrescreen.com, Opt Out Services LLC. From outside the US it shows only a notice that the site is accessible through internet providers in the United States and its territories. Read 29 October 2026.
Privacy Policy: opting out of prescreened offers, Experian, undated. Read 29 October 2026.
Request an Opt-Out/Opt-In, LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Disclosure, undated. Read 29 October 2026.
Request an Opt-Out/Opt-In (online request form instructions), LexisNexis Risk Solutions, version OOInstr-6-26-25. Read 29 October 2026.

Every step comes from the FTC or the companies that run the lists. How we check