Opt Out of Prescreened Credit Offers: 5-Year and Permanent Choices

Published by the Modern Lending Solutions editorial team. Last reviewed: October 30, 2026.

Short answer: a credit reporting company may give a lender or insurer your name and address for a firm offer of credit or insurance you did not ask for, unless you opt out. You can opt out for five years by phone or online, or for good by mailing a signed form. The CFPB names the number 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) and the site www.optoutprescreen.com. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

Why you get these offers

The CFPB says lenders and insurers “can ask the credit reporting companies for a list of names and addresses of individuals who meet certain criteria, such as a minimum credit score”, and the credit reporting companies “provide these lists based on their credit files” (CFPB, page last modified September 13, 2023, read October 30, 2026; this page may be out of date).

The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows this for a credit or insurance transaction you did not start only if you authorized it, or if “the transaction consists of a firm offer of credit or insurance”, the company has set up the opt-out system, you have not opted out, and, if the report shows you are under 21, you consented (15 U.S.C. 1681b(c)(1), official U.S. Code text, read October 30, 2026). For such a list, the company may give out only your name and address, an identifier that is not unique to you and is used only to verify who you are, and information that does not show your history with a particular creditor (1681b(c)(2)).

Your right to opt out

You may elect to have your name and address excluded from these lists (15 U.S.C. 1681b(e)(1)). The law gives two ways to do it (1681b(e)(2)):

How you opt out	How long it lasts	Law
Through the notification system the companies run, which must include a toll-free number	Five years, starting 5 business days after you notify	1681b(e)(2)(A), (e)(4)(B)(i)
By mailing a signed notice of election form issued for this purpose	Until you tell the company through the system that you want back in	1681b(e)(2)(B), (e)(4)(B)(ii)

When you opt out through the system, the company must tell you that the choice lasts only five years unless you send the signed form, and must send you the form, if you ask for it at that time, within 5 business days (1681b(e)(3)). Your choice also covers each affiliate of the company (1681b(e)(4)(D)), and the companies that keep files nationwide must run the system jointly (1681b(e)(6)). You can end the choice at any time through the system (1681b(e)(4)(C)).

The CFPB gives the details: you “can opt out for five years by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or by visiting www.optoutprescreen.com”, and “To opt out permanently, you must download and mail a signed Permanent Opt-Out Election form, available by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or by visiting www.optoutprescreen.com” (CFPB). Use only that number and site, or the ones printed in the notice on an offer; do not give personal details to anyone who calls or writes to you offering to opt you out.

The opt-out notice on every prescreened offer

Each written prescreened offer must say, in a clear and conspicuous statement, that information in your credit report was used, that you got the offer because you met the lender’s criteria, that the credit may not be extended if you no longer meet them or do not give any required collateral, that you have a right to stop your file from being used for offers you did not ask for, and how to use that right, with the address and toll-free number of the notification system (15 U.S.C. 1681m(d)(1) and (2), official U.S. Code text). The lender must keep its selection criteria on file for 3 years from the offer (1681m(d)(3)).

Regulation V sets the format in two parts (12 CFR 1022.54(c), eCFR, text up to date as of October 28, 2026, read October 30, 2026):

A short notice on the front of the first page: it gives your right to opt out and the toll-free number, points to the long notice, and contains nothing else. On paper it must be larger than the main text and no smaller than 12 point (1022.54(c)(1)).
A long notice with the information required by 1681m(d), under a capitalized, underlined heading that identifies it as the prescreen and opt-out notice; on paper it is no smaller than 8 point (1022.54(c)(2)).

So to find the number, look for the boxed short notice on the first page of the offer.

What opting out does not change

Your credit score: the CFPB lists “prescreening inquiries by prospective lenders” among soft inquiries and says these “will not affect your credit scores” (CFPB). The sources cited here do not say that opting out raises or lowers a score.
Credit you apply for: the opt-out right covers transactions “not initiated by the consumer” (1681b(e)(1)). When you apply for a loan yourself, it does not apply. To block new credit in your name, a credit freeze is a different tool: see credit freeze and loan applications.
Every offer: the CFPB says that “card issuers can still solicit and send you offers if they’ve done business with you before or if they get your name from other sources” (CFPB).

When the opt-out takes effect, only for the math

This example is only for the math, and the date is an example date. If you call on Monday, November 2, 2026, the choice takes effect 5 business days later, on Monday, November 9, 2026 (1681b(e)(4)(A)), and a phone or online opt-out lasts five years from then, to about November 9, 2031. A holiday in between may move the dates. The CFPB also notes that for a period of time you may still see offers, because your name may already have been sent to companies that have not yet mailed them (CFPB, page last modified February 2, 2024, read October 30, 2026; this page may be out of date).

If an offer is a check you can cash

The CFPB says a live check “is a preapproved or ‘prescreened’ loan offer that you did not apply for”, and if you cash or deposit it “you are bound by its loan terms” (CFPB, page last modified May 15, 2024, read October 30, 2026). The mailing should come with the fees, the APR, the payment schedule, the loan agreement, a privacy notice and an opt-out notice. Read the terms and compare them before you cash it; see APR vs interest rate. If an offer asks for a fee up front, see advance fee loan scams.

Questions to ask

Is the number on this offer the same as the one the CFPB names, 1-888-567-8688?
Do I want the five-year opt-out, or the permanent one with the signed form?
Did I ever give this sender permission to contact me, or do I already have an account with them?
If I opt out, how will I compare loan offers when I need one? See does applying for a personal loan hurt your credit.

For other notices tied to your credit report, see the risk-based pricing notice. To check what is on your reports, see check your credit report before a loan. If you are looking for credit with a thin or damaged file, see bad credit loans without a cosigner.

Checklist

Find the short opt-out notice on the first page of an offer.
Opt out for five years by phone or online, using the number or site the CFPB names.
For a permanent opt-out, ask for the signed form and mail it.
Write down the date you opted out.
Expect some offers for a while, and from companies you already deal with.
Read any live check offer before you cash it.

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Sources

Disclosure: Modern Lending Solutions is not a lender, loan broker or agent for any lender or loan broker, and does not make credit decisions. Any compensation we receive is paid by participating lenders, only for advertising services. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice.

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