Prescreened Offers of Credit and Insurance

Mail Call: Bills, a letter from your Aunt Mary, a circular from a local 

department store, your monthly bank 

statement, and an offer for a new credit 

card that says you’ve been “prescreened” or 

“prequalified.”

A “prescreened” offer of credit? 

What’s that?

Many companies that solicit 

new credit card accounts 

and insurance policies use 

prescreening to identify potential 

customers for the products 

they offer. Prescreened offers — 

sometimes called “preapproved” 

offers — are based on 

information in your credit report 

that indicates you meet criteria 

set by the offeror. Usually, prescreened 

solicitations come via mail, but you also may 

get them in a phone call or in an email.

How does prescreening work?

Prescreening works in one of two ways:

n a creditor or insurer establishes criteria, 

like a minimum credit score, and asks a 

consumer reporting company for a list 

of people in the company’s database who 

meet the criteria; or 

n a creditor or insurer provides a list of 

potential customers to a consumer 

reporting company and asks the 

company to identify people on the list 

who meet certain criteria. 

Can prescreening hurt 

my credit report or credit 

score?

No. There will be “inquiries” 

on your credit report 

showing which companies 

obtained your information 

for prescreening, but those 

inquiries will not have 

a negative effect on your credit report or 

credit score.

Can I reduce the number of unsolicited 

credit and insurance offers I get?

If you decide that you don’t want to receive 

prescreened offers of credit and insurance, 

you have two choices: You can opt out of 

receiving them for five years or opt out of 

receiving them permanently. 

March 2011

FTC Facts

For Consumers Federal Trade Commission

For The Consumer

www.ftc.gov 1-877-ftc-help
To opt out for five years: Call toll-free 

1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or 

visit www.optoutprescreen.com. The phone 

number and website are operated by the 

major consumer reporting companies.

To opt out permanently: You may begin 

the permanent Opt-Out process online at 

www.optoutprescreeen.com. To complete 

your request, you must return the signed 

Permanent Opt-Out Election form, which 

will be provided after you initiate your 

online request. 

When you call or visit the website, you’ll 

be asked to provide certain personal 

information, including your home telephone 

number, name, Social Security number, and 

date of birth. The information you provide 

is confidential and will be 

used only to process your 

request to opt out.

If you don’t have access 

to the Internet, you may 

send a written request to 

permanently opt out to 

each of the major consumer 

reporting companies. Make 

sure your request includes 

your home telephone number, name, Social 

Security number, and date of birth. 

Experian 

Opt Out

P.O. Box 919

Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion

Name Removal Option 

P.O. Box 505 

Woodlyn, PA 19094 

Equifax, Inc.

Options

P.O. Box 740123

Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Innovis Consumer Assistance

P.O. Box 495

Pittsburgh, PA 15230-0495

Why would someone opt out — or not?

Some people prefer not to receive these kinds 

of offers in the mail, especially if they are 

not in the market for a new credit card or 

insurance policy. They may 

prefer to opt out to limit 

access to their credit report 

information for credit and 

insurance solicitations, or 

to reduce some mailbox 

“clutter.” However, some 

companies send offers 

that are not based on 

prescreening, and your 

federal opt-out right will 

not stop those kinds of solicitations.

As you consider opting out, you should 

know that prescreened offers can provide 

many benefits, especially if you are in 

the market for a credit card or insurance. 

Prescreened offers can help you learn about 

Prescreened offers are 

based on information 

in your credit report 

that indicates you meet 

criteria set by the offeror.

2 FTC Facts For Consumers
what’s available, compare costs, and find 

the best product for your needs. Because 

you are pre-selected to receive the offer, you 

can be turned down only under limited 

circumstances. The terms of prescreened 

offers also may be more favorable than those 

that are available to the general public. 

In fact, some credit card or insurance 

products may be available only through 

prescreened offers. 

Does opting out hurt my credit score?

Removing your name from prescreened lists 

has no effect on your ability 

to apply for or obtain credit 

or insurance. 

If I decide to opt out, 

how long will it be 

before I stop getting 

prescreened offers?

Requests to opt out are 

processed within five days, 

but it may take up to 

60 days before you stop 

receiving prescreened offers.

What if I opt out and then change my 

mind?

You can use the same toll-free telephone 

number or website to opt back in.

Will calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT or 

visiting www.optoutprescreen.com 

stop all unsolicited offers of credit and 

insurance?

Calling the opt-out line or visiting the 

website will stop the prescreened solicitations 

that are based on lists from the major 

consumer reporting companies. You may 

continue to get solicitations for credit 

and insurance based on lists from other 

sources. For example, opting out won’t end 

solicitations from local merchants, religious 

and charitable associations, professional and 

alumni associations, and companies with 

which you already conduct business. To stop 

mail from groups like these — as well as 

mail addressed to “occupant” or “resident” 

— you must contact each 

source directly.

What other opt-out 

programs should I know 

about?

The federal government’s 

National Do Not Call 

Registry is a free, easy way 

to reduce the telemarketing 

calls you get at home. 

To register your phone number or to 

get information about the registry, visit 

www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 

from the phone number you want to register. 

You will get fewer telemarketing calls 

within 31 days of registering your number. 

Telephone numbers on the registry will only 

be removed when they are disconnected and 

reassigned, or when you choose to remove a 

number from the registry.

Removing your name 

from prescreened lists has 

no effect on your ability 

to apply for or obtain 

credit or insurance.

FTC Facts For Consumers 3
The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) 

Mail Preference Service (MPS) lets you opt 

out of receiving unsolicited commercial 

mail from many national companies for five 

years. When you register with this service, 

your name will be put on a “delete” file and 

made available to direct-mail marketers 

and organizations. This will reduce most 

of your unsolicited mail. However, your 

registration will not stop mailings from 

organizations that do not use the DMA’s 

Mail Preference Service. To register with 

DMA’s Mail Preference Service, go to 

www.dmachoice.org, or mail your request 

with a $1 processing fee to:

DMAchoice

Direct Marketing Association

P.O. Box 643

Carmel, NY 10512

The DMA also has an Email Preference 

Service (eMPS) to help you reduce 

unsolicited commercial emails. To opt out of 

receiving unsolicited commercial email from 

DMA members, visit www.dmachoice.org. 

Registration is free and good for six years. 

The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, 

deceptive and unfair business practices in the 

marketplace and to provide information to 

help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. 

To file a complaint or get free information 

on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call tollfree, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); 

TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Watch a video, How 

to File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn 

more. The FTC enters consumer complaints 

into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a 

secure online database and investigative tool 

used by hundreds of civil and criminal law 

enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Federal Trade Commission

Bureau of Consumer Protection

Division of Consumer and Business Education

For The Consumer Federal Trade Commission

www.ftc.gov 1-877-ftc-help

4 FTC Facts For Consumers