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Q: I am looking for the phone number to call so that I can get off the credit-card application junk mail list.
A: You want to call Opt-Out at Prescreening at 888-567-8688, or go to OptOutPrescreen.com.
Now, before you pick up the phone to dial, let me tell you what this is all about and what you can expect.
Federal law allows the credit reporting agencies like Experian, TransUnion, Equifax and Innovis to sell data about you to the banks and credit unions for marketing purposes. Apparently you (like millions of others) have been hearing from these companies with offers for preapproved credit cards.
You'll be happy to know that the law states that these credit bureaus must give you the opportunity to "opt out" from having your information available on the open market. Providing the phone number above is the result of the credit bureaus complying with that law. One call will get your request to all four bureaus.
The phone call will be completely automated and you will respond using your phone's keypad. It takes less than four minutes.
You will be required to give your personal information via this automated call, including your telephone number, name, address and Social Security number. Don't worry about this. The credit bureaus already have all of your information. You won't be giving them anything new, only helping them identify you.
You will have the opportunity to opt out for a two-year period, or permanently. And if for some reason you ever want to "opt in" in the future, you can do that too by using this phone number.
In about a week you will receive a follow-up letter in the mail confirming your request to opt out with a request that you sign and return.
It will take a few months for the effect of opting out to make a difference in the mail you receive. Be diligent and patient. Eventually the offers will go away.
Excerpted from Can I Pay My Credit Card Bill with a Credit Card? And Other Financial Questions We're Too Embarrassed to Ask! (DPL Press, Inc., 2009)
