TCPA Opt Out Examples: 8 Scenarios for AI Agents

Starting November 25, 2026, a STOP reply no longer has to mean stop everything. Under the FCC's new TCPA order, FCC 26-67, an opt out from an informational call or text can be limited to that one category of message. An opt out from anything that contains marketing still ends all of your marketing calls and texts.

That split is easy to describe and hard to run. Your AI agent has to read each reply, work out which message it answered, and apply the right scope on every channel before the next call or text goes out. Below are eight TCPA opt out examples your voice, SMS and RCS agents will meet in the first week, with the response we recommend for each one.

How do you decide what a STOP covers?

Every example below runs through the same two questions. Ask them in this order.

1. 01Did the message the customer answered contain any marketing? Even one promotional line counts. If yes, the opt out revokes consent for all of your advertising and telemarketing calls and texts.
2. 02If not, did the customer clearly point at one informational category? Payment reminders, fraud alerts and appointment reminders are typical categories. If yes, you may limit the opt out to that category. If no, or if you aren't sure, treat it as a request to stop everything consent based.

The narrow option is a choice, not a requirement. The rule lets you limit an informational opt out to its category. It never forces you to keep sending the rest, so going broad is always allowed.

8 TCPA opt out examples for AI agents

1. STOP to a clean payment reminder

The message: “Hi Dana, your $84 payment is due Friday. Reply C to confirm.”

The reply: STOP

The right response: the reminder had no advertising in it, so this is an informational opt out. You may stop payment reminders only and keep sending the fraud alerts and appointment reminders Dana consented to. Record the payment reminder opt out on her contact so every agent sees it.

2. STOP to the same reminder with one upsell line

The message: the same reminder, plus “Ask about our premium plan!”

The reply: STOP

The right response: the message now contains advertising, so the STOP revokes consent for every marketing call and text you send Dana. We also recommend stopping payment reminders, since that is the message she answered.

3. “Take me off your list”

The message: any outbound text or call.

The reply: “Take me off your list.”

The right response: the customer named no category, so go broad. Stop all consent based calls and texts to that contact. Guessing the narrowest scope is how you end up messaging someone who wanted out of everything.

4. “Quit calling me about my bill”

The message: an informational billing reminder call.

The reply: “Quit calling me about my bill.”

The right response: the customer named the subject. If the call carried no marketing, you can limit the opt out to billing reminders and keep other categories running. Save the exact words so the scope you chose is easy to explain later.

5. An angry reply with no keyword

The message: an appointment reminder text.

The reply: “Leave me alone!!!” or something less printable.

The right response: there is no standard keyword here, but the intent is obvious. Treat it as an opt out, and because it names no category, apply the broadest scope. Keyword filters miss replies like this. Your AI agent should catch an opt out in any wording, including angry or profane ones.

6. STOP by text, then a voice call is queued

The message: a payment reminder text on Monday. Your voice agent has a payment reminder call scheduled for Wednesday.

The reply: STOP, by text.

The right response: cancel the Wednesday call. The amended rule talks about a category of informational calls and texts and doesn't split it by channel, so the conservative reading is that a payment reminder opt out that arrives by text also covers payment reminder calls and RCS messages.

7. An opt out through a method you didn't designate

The message: you designated reply STOP as your exclusive opt out method and disclose it in every text.

The reply: an email to your support team asking you to stop texting.

The right response: honor it anyway. From November 25 you may designate one or more exclusive opt out methods, as long as you disclose them clearly on every call or text. Callers who designate nothing must still honor any reasonable means. Honoring a stray request costs you one contact and removes an argument. Confirm your policy with counsel.

8. You want to confirm the opt out

The message: any text.

The reply: STOP.

The right response: a confirmation text is optional. If you send one, it can only confirm the opt out, with no offers or promotions, and one sent within five minutes is presumed to fall within the customer's prior consent. Something like “You won't get more payment reminders from us.” is enough.

TCPA opt out cheat sheet

The same eight scenarios on one screen. Save it for your prompt reviews.

What should an AI agent log for every opt out?

The FCC added no new recordkeeping duty in this order. If an opt out is ever disputed, you'll still want these five things on file for each one:

• The exact words the customer used, and the channel
• The date and time it arrived
• Which message it answered, and how that message was classified
• The scope your agent applied
• When suppression took effect on each channel

Speed matters too. The rule allows a reasonable time, up to 10 business days, to honor an opt out. A good AI platform suppresses before the next message goes out.

What could change after November 25?

How Plura handles opt outs across channels

Plura keeps one record per contact that tracks consent by category, and every AI voice, SMS and RCS agent checks it before a flow starts. Tag an opt out once and journeys skip that contact for that category, while the categories they still want keep running. See how it works on our compliance page.

This article is general information, not legal advice. TCPA obligations depend on your messages, consent records and use case. Confirm your setup with your own counsel.