Opt Out of Credit Card Offers

[papschmitty]

I finally did this the other day. :

Credit card companies and insurers prescreen potential customers sending "preapproved" offers based on your credit score which they get from lists generated by the credit bureaus. To remove yourself from the marketing lists, go here. You're asked to provide your name, SSN, DOB, and phone number. Just completing this online will take you off the list for 5 years or mail the special form in to remove yourself permanently. Removing your name does not affect your credit score or your ability to get credit or insurance. It just stops you from getting all those annoying preapproval offers in the mail. Not only does this help reduce the temptation to take on more debt, but it can reduce your risk of identity theft since ID thieves often open accounts after stealing these offers from your mailbox or garbage. Beware though that this won't stop all your junk mail. You'll still get offers from creditors that you already have a realtionship with and from companies that didn't get your info from this credit prescreen.

HTH!

[quirkylayne]

AND it reduces trash!

[Kelly1216]

My dad told me that every company that preapproves you causes you credit score to go down b/c they're accessing your credit score, which every time your credit score is accessed takes off a certain number of points. Does anyone know if that's true? When my dh printed of his credit report, it did list a whole bunch of companies that had requested his score, does that mean they all lowered his score?

[oneKnight]

I'm glad I opted out last year. It really does help! I told my sister she needs to because we get her junk mail here now that she moved out

[MissAnnThrope]

Originally Posted by Kelly1216

My dad told me that every company that preapproves you causes you credit score to go down b/c they're accessing your credit score, which every time your credit score is accessed takes off a certain number of points. Does anyone know if that's true? When my dh printed of his credit report, it did list a whole bunch of companies that had requested his score, does that mean they all lowered his score?

The ones that lower your score are the ones you apply for. It should list them on the credit report under something saying if they affected your score. Normally the ones that you get in the mail do not affect, but the ones you apply for normally do. Even the ones that are "pre selected" do not affect your score normally.

[Kelly1216]

Thanks MissAnnThrope!

[maisiedotes]

I noticed on a recent credit card offer that it also has an opt-out number in the fine print. I was glad to see that- I just got a copy of my credit report and it said "too many inquiries". Hrmph.

[MommaCrystal]

We did this a while back, a year or two ago. Very worth it! I do believe it is only good for 5 years or something. Then you have to do it again.

[sunanthem]

cool! Thanks for posting this now I'll get less junk mail! woot!

[xmysticprincessx]

now if only we could do this for the lady who used to live here! (she was in her 90s and moved to a nursing home 4 years ago. she may not even be alive still!)

[LaffNowCryLater]

Thanks, I just did dh and I.

Junk mail like this is causes clutter in our kitchen. I set the CC offers aside to shred and then never come back to it!