It is very annoying to receive dozens of credit card offers per month, especially when you are not in the market for credit cards.  Even if you are credit card shopping, those ‘pre-approved’ and ‘pre-screened’ offers with the high rates and fees might not be what you are interested in.

So how do you stop being a credit card offer magnet?

There are three main ways to stop credit card offers and essentially it means getting your name taken off the list at the credit reporting agencies.  Starting from the most time consuming to the least time consuming, the three options are listed as follows.

Contact Each Credit Bureau Directly

A lot of you many not know this, but there are actually four credit bureaus operating in the market.  In order to stop receiving credit card offers, you can write to each of the four credit reporting companies individually and request  your name be removed from their mailing lists.

The details to write to are as follows:

Equifax
Equifax Options
PO BOX 790123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Innovis Data Solutions

Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 1358
Columbus, OH 43216-1358
1-800-540-2505

Innovis is different from the other credit bureaus in that they pass your information to other companies who compile mailing lists for credit card offers.

There was no specific information regarding opting out of lists on the Innovis website so your best option is to call the above number to get the contact details for the relevant department that deals with name removals.

TransUnion
TransUnion LLC's Name Removal Option
PO Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328

Experian
Consumer "OPT-OUT"
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521

Use The Opt-Out Website  

All four consumer credit reporting agencies created the Opt Out Prescreen Website in a joint venture to make it easier for you to opt out of credit card offers. 

By completing the opt-out form, your request is sent to all four credit reporting companies at once.

There are three options available to you on this website and they are:

• Use the website to electronically opt-out or stop credit card offers for five years.
• Permanently opt out from receiving firm offers.  You can download the form from the website, but you must return it by post.
• Opt-in to receive firm offers if you previously completed an opt-out request.

Be sure to have your name, address, social security number and date of birth to hand. The website states than the date of birth and social security number are not mandatory, but providing all the requested information would better assist in the successful completion of your request.

Opt-Out By Phone

If you choose to opt out by phone you need to have the same personal information as listed above.  The telephone number to call is 1–888-567-8688.

Although it is not against the law for Consumer Credit Reporting Companies to include your name on lists used by creditors make firm offers of credit that you have not requested (Firm Offers) it is your right to opt out.

With the information in this article, you can choose the best option for you and exercise your opt-out right.