Pre-Screened Credit Offers

You walk outside to check your mail and find a letter from a random credit company. The letter tells you that you’ve been approved for credit from this company. Questions race through your mind and you wonder how they approved you to redeem credit from them. This type of letter is called a pre-screened credit offer.

What Is a Pre-Screened Credit Offer?

A “pre-screened” credit offer is where a company hoping to offer you their services has pre-approved you through a credit reporting agency. Companies do this by providing a credit reporting agency with a criteria list. The credit reporting agency will then make a list with names of the people who qualify for the companies’ services and give the list back to the companies.

Facts about Pre-Screened Credit Offers

There are a few frequently asked questions that have to do with pre-screened credit offers. Rather than having more questions pop up, here are some facts about pre-screened credit offers that people often ask about:

• Prescreening for credit offers will have no negative or positive effect on your credit report. There will be no inquiry saved to your report about any of these offers.
• Most times, pre-screened offers will be sent to you through the mail. Occasionally companies will offer you their services through e-mail, but with the amount of spam mail received nowadays, companies stay away from this.
• Pre-screened offers of credit will usually come from credit card companies and insurance companies. Other local services such as items sent to “current resident” are not considered pre-screened offers.
• You have the option to either temporarily or permanently stop receiving pre-screened credit offers.

To Stop Pre-Screened Credit Offers

Even though prescreening will not affect your credit report, some people prefer not to receive these pre-screened offers. If you would no longer like to receive pre-screened credit offers, you can do something called “opt-out”. This can be done both temporarily and permanently.

“Opting Out” of Pre-Screened Credit Offers

If you decide you would not like to be sent pre-screened credit offers, you can choose to either 1) opt-out temporarily, which will last for five years, or 2) opt-out permanently.

• To Opt-Out Permanently
  • To permanently stop receiving pre-screened credit offers, you must print, fill out, and sign the Permanent Opt-Out Election form from the opt-out website. You will need to provide personal information used only as a security measure while “opting you out” of pre-screened credit offers.
  • To opt-out permanently, visit www.optoutprescreen.com
  • If you don’t have access to the internet, you will need to write each credit reporting agency and request to be permanently removed from their prescreening lists.

• To Opt-Out for Five Years
  • To temporarily opt-out from pre-screened credit offers, you must contact the credit reporting agencies by phone or through their website. This option is only good for five years.

Toll free opt-out phone number: 1-888-567-8688

https://www.optoutprescreen.com

To Opt-In 

If you opt-out from receiving pre-screened credit offers, you do have the option to “opt-in” if you decide you’d like to receive offers again. There should be no charge for opting in or out of receiving pre-screened offers of credit.