How-to
Stopping junk mail and prescreened credit offers
Opt out of prescreened credit and insurance offers, then cut down catalogs and other promotional mail, for yourself and anyone in your care.
Satisfy+ Editorial · Updated September 29, 2026 · 2 min read · 25 min to do
This is general education, not individual financial, investment or tax advice.
At a glance
- Credit and insurance offers
- OptOutPrescreen.com or 1-888-567-8688
- How long
- Five years, or permanently
- Catalogs and other mail
- DMAchoice.org
- DMAchoice cost
- $6 online for 10 years, as of 2022
Two kinds of mail fill much of the box. One is prescreened offers of credit and insurance, such as preapproved credit card applications. The other is promotional mail from marketers, such as catalogs and magazine offers. Each has its own opt-out, and both take a few minutes online.
What you need
- Your name and address as they appear on your mail
- Your Social Security number and date of birth, which are optional but can help
- A card for the DMAchoice fee, or a check if you register by mail
Steps
- 1
Opt out of prescreened offers
Go to OptOutPrescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). The credit bureaus ask for your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. The last two are optional, but giving them can help the request go through, and the information is used only to process it.
10 min
- 2
Pick five years or permanent
A five-year opt-out ends on its own. For a permanent one, sign and return the Permanent Opt-Out Election form that comes after you start.
1 min
- 3
Choose your catalogs and mail
At DMAchoice.org, pick which catalogs, magazine offers and other mail you want to keep getting. It stops most promotional mail, but not all of it.
10 min
- 4
Pay the DMAchoice fee
In 2022, online registration cost a $6 processing fee and lasted 10 years. To register by mail, send your signed name and address with a $7 check or money order payable to the Association of National Advertisers, to DMAchoice, Consumer Preferences, P.O. Box 900, Cos Cob, CT 06807.
2 min
- 5
Add anyone in your care, or who has died
DMAchoice also keeps a Deceased Do Not Contact List and a Do Not Contact for Caretakers List for dependents in your care. A name added to either stays on the opt-out lists permanently.
2 min
Cut down the junk mail coming to the house
- Turn off prescreened offers at OptOutPrescreen.com
- Renew the five-year prescreen opt-out
- Choose which catalogs and offers you get at DMAchoice
When the mail keeps coming
DMAchoice stops most promotional mail but not all of it. If you picked the five-year opt-out, renew it when it ends, online at OptOutPrescreen.com or by phone at 1-888-567-8688.
FAQ
Do I have to give my Social Security number to opt out?
No. It's optional, along with your date of birth, though giving them can help the request go through.
How long does an opt-out last?
The prescreen opt-out lasts five years unless you return the permanent form. A DMAchoice registration made online in 2022 lasted 10 years.
Can I stop marketing mail for someone who has died?
Yes. DMAchoice keeps a Deceased Do Not Contact List, and a name added to it stays on the opt-out lists permanently.
Sources
Checked October 19, 2026
- Federal Trade Commission. How to stop junk mail (2022)
- Credit
- Under $100
