Opt-out guide

How to opt out of TransUnion and remove your name

TransUnion publishes its own prescreen opt-out page, but the request itself goes to the same joint system the other three bureaus use. The more useful thing to understand at TransUnion is the ladder: opting out of offers, freezing your file and disputing an error are three different requests solving three different problems.

TransUnion's opt-out requests are processed on OptOutPrescreen, jointly run by all four credit bureaus's system, so one request can cover more than one site. Check both afterwards rather than assuming.

Wondering whether TransUnion is even legitimate first? Read our honest TransUnion check for what it is, what regulators have said about it, and what it exposes.

What TransUnion exposes

• Credit account and payment history
• Name, address history and date of birth
• Prescreen eligibility lists sold to lenders and insurers
• Marketing audience data

Step-by-step removal

1. 1

   Decide which problem you are solving

   Junk offers means the prescreen opt-out. Fear of fraud means a freeze. A wrong entry on your report means a dispute. They are not substitutes for each other.

2. 2

   Submit the prescreen opt-out

   Use optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. TransUnion's own prescreen page routes here, and the request covers all four bureaus at once.

3. 3

   Provide the matching details

   You will be asked for name, address, Social Security number and date of birth so the request can be matched to the right file. The FTC states this information may be used only to process the opt-out.

4. 4

   Choose five years or permanent

   Online or phone gives five years. Permanent requires returning the signed Permanent Opt-Out Election form.

5. 5

   Add a freeze if fraud is the worry

   A security freeze at TransUnion is free to place and free to lift, and by law must be actioned quickly. That is the request that stops credit being opened in your name.

Open TransUnion's opt-out page

Good to know

• This is a marketing opt-out, not a security freeze. It does not stop new accounts being opened in your name, and it does nothing to the contents of your credit report. A freeze is a separate, free request made to each bureau.
• TransUnion's site blocks automated access, so the steps here are built from the FTC's guidance on the joint opt-out that TransUnion's own page directs consumers to.
• Opting out will not stop offers that were not built from bureau lists, which is why some mail continues regardless.
• A freeze does not damage your credit score and does not stop you using existing accounts.