How to Stop Credit Card Offer Junk Mail
Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:52PM EST
See Comments (180)
You have already been approved!
If there's a credit crunch going on, no one has told the card issuers at Chase, Bank of America, and every other lender on the planet. Credit card offers continue to roll in to the Null casa at a record clip, complete with courtesy checks, zero-interest balance transfers, and unbelievable introductory rates that I can't afford to miss.
Only I have plenty of credit cards (including two from one bank that keeps sending junk mail), and if I need a new one, I can track down an application myself.
But preapproved credit card offers aren't just junk mail, they are also major financial risks: Identity thieves and credit scammers love to get their mitts on these things, fill them out for you, and start running up the bills. These offers have to be shredded regularly in order to protect yourself... but wouldn't it be better simply not to receive them at all?
Good news: OptOutPrescreen.com is an official service letting you stop credit card offers cold. Much like AnnualCreditReport.com and DoNotCall.gov, this website is officially sanctioned to help eliminate these offers. Opting out is a simple matter. You can opt out for five years (by filling out the web form) or permanently (if you mail in a paper form), but all it takes is a simple name, address, date of birth, and SSN (the latter two are optional, but recommended for reasons explained on the site) to get the job done, whichever method you choose. What better way do you have to spend the next 60 seconds?
The catch is that it can take weeks for the offers to stop, but eventually they should trickle to a halt. Happy unsubscribing!
UPDATE: If you're uncomfortable with the web form, you can opt-out via telephone by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT instead.
RELATED: GreenDimes Helps Eliminate Junk Mail
MORE: The debate over OptOutPrescreen's legitimacy continues here...
ALSO: For those who advocate sending back business reply envelopes filled with trash in protest, this doesn't really work.
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Comments on How to Stop Credit Card Offer Junk Mail
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Join in the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.
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167 Posted by acjones2001 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:45PM EDT Report Abuse
I signed up for this service years ago (after finding it on a government site and hearing about it on CNN). Believe me, it cut my credit card "pre-approved" offers by almost 100%. I chose to do it because I have some friends who had their mail stolen while they were at work. Those who stole the mail, used some of the preapprovied offers and ruined my friends' credit. I wanted to prevent the offers from being mailed to begin with. Plus, it's reduced the amount of companies checking out my credit. Look at the fine print in your credit cards next time.
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168 Posted by hilly080 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:19PM EDT Report Abuse
You can opt out by calling the toll-free number 1-888-567-8688, which is the contact for all three credit report companies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion AND they will remove you from the list.
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169 Posted by clinetta@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:27PM EDT Report Abuse
Big corporations are always talking green this and hybrid that for clean air... here's a suggestion QUIT SENDING JUNK MAIL, we could save a lot of trees, have less landfills and the air will smell a lot cleaner. I am sick and tired that we consumers are always the ones that have to tighten the purse strings and now they want us to give our vital information to an opt-out company that we know sell our information anyway. It is a vicious foolish circle, give me a break!
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170 Posted by smokeyjoe77868 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:30PM EDT Report Abuse
I have another way. Write refused on the pre-approved application, put that along with every piece of paper including the envelope it arrived in into the postage-paid envelope (the one included in the mailing for return purposes) seal the postage-paid envelope and toss it back in the mail. Each of these envelopes costs the bank or credit card company a minimum of 51 cents. Sweet revenge and you do not have to include your SS number.
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171 Posted by mamez57@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:04PM EDT Report Abuse
I have my own method of dealing with this type of junk mail. I use a black majic marker and black out all the info that they ask for and return it using the envelope provided. They only pay for that postage when the envelope is used. This method works very well and very fast.
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172 Posted by tobydaug on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:14PM EDT Report Abuse
Great idea, never thought of sending the crap back to them. Know anyone wanting a used paper shreader????
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173 Posted by dotmail@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:47PM EDT Report Abuse
Daily we are warned not to give out personal info such as our ssn. What makes this any different? I hope those companies will continue sending and we all "return to sender" until the post office gets sick of it.
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174 Posted by safetyharbor1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:59PM EDT Report Abuse
This is pure garbage. I applied, & I'm getting more junk mail. They do have a Caveat though. They tell you not everyone (junk mailers) is on their list & you may continue to get junk mail. They were right. A complete waste of time. Old Redneck
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175 Posted by innovativemedsoln on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:24PM EDT Report Abuse
Ok, five of my family members choose opt out in August 07. We continue to receive pre-approved credit card offers every week (average 6-7). My son has 2 credit cards, Wells Fargo and Bank of America. We were victims of mail theft in July 07, we found out because the ring of 3 were apprehended. After contacted Bank of America explaning the situation & how others could be victims of potential identity theft, they continue to send offers. (Today, with three checks & available credit of 14,000). I am disappointed with the pre-screen out out service, after more than 7 months, one would think that would be adequate time.
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176 Posted by randy54156 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:29PM EDT Report Abuse
WHY would I have to add my name to an OPT-OUT site, when I did'nt sign up to receive their mailings to begin with? From whom did these people get my name from to begin with? And does'nt anyone have a Privacy Policy prohibiting them from selling my name?
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177 Posted by leowyatt410 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse
i hate when you get in the mail your pre-approved for a creditcard, i cut them up and file them in file 13
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178 Posted by e_georgerob on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:57PM EDT Report Abuse
I dont know about the experience of those other persons ahead of me but I started to get offers for credit cards long before I was officially 'on the books' here in the states....this lleads me to question the validity of the idea that the SS number plays such a vital role in the issuing of these credit card offers......
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179 Posted by jimlawson77 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:35PM EDT Report Abuse
Yea, sure, just send my infomation flying all over internet world....no.......
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180 Posted by mustangtjh2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:30PM EDT Report Abuse
You should never give your SSN if you did not initiate the contact. This is absolutely a secure service and they do have your social anyway. But I did it the easy way, I use MyJunkTree.com and they helped me stop the offers in general and the ones from my own bank. I also use their site to get my free annual credit report every 4 months. They stopped most of my junk mail, catalogs, coupons and even those lousy phone books. Check em out.
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166 Posted by rojas1970 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse
I love the fact people don't want to do this and yet they expose thier email all over the web by posting to this article. Now your gonna have junk in your email box.