How to get rid of credit card junk mail

If you are like me, you receive about five credit card solicitations in the mail every week.  There is the Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World Master Card, the Discover More Card, and the Capital One Platinum Prestige Card, just to name a few.  I do open them, though, only to make it easier for the paper to go through my overworked shredder.  I get especially annoyed when they put a dummy card in the envelope to get me extra excited. One time, I didn’t catch the fake card and almost ruined a good shredder.  

Direct mail accounts for over $50 billion in U.S. spending, and credit card companies represent a good portion of that figure.  Despite a decline in direct mail volume growth in 2008 by 21.8%, the industry still relies heavily on its direct mail campaigns.  I have noticed a slight drop in solicitations over the past year probably due to lower profits and higher postage costs, but in my opinion, one solicitation is still too many.  If I need a credit card, I’d much rather search for a card online where there is a plethora of offers and resources.     

Apparently, I am a great prospective customer for some of these credit card companies, which I am sure purchased my information from one of the major credit bureaus.  Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion all sell consumer information or lists to banks, insurance providers, and other companies for a nice profit.  They are permitted to do so as outlined in the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA).  However, there is still a way to avoid their smothering overtures: the same Act gives consumers the ability to “Opt-Out”.   

The web site that allows you to opt-out is OptOutPrescreen.com.  In order to stop the solicitations, you will have to provide your name, address, social security number, and date of birth. After going through the simple online interface, you will notice a decrease in your junk mail in a few weeks.  Unfortunately, all of your junk mail from credit card solicitors won’t disappear; it isn’t absolute.  However, it will get rid of most of it.  Regardless, it’s a good start, and you just might save a forest or two in the process.  

Comments

[Kevin D. Johnson]

Chandler, you bring up a good point, but it's not realistic. Having studied computer science and the Fair Credit Report Act, I'll give you a few points to think about.

The site is secure via SSH. While it isn't bulletproof, it is extremely secure--more secure than your trash can or mailbox for that matter. Also, the Fair Credit Report Act subjects the bureaus to tremendous liability if the information is mishandled. Finally, the bureaus already have your information. You are just notifying them not to use it for direct mail solicitations.

The bottom line is, you are more likely to be a victim of identify theft by not opting out.

[Chandler Hill]

Kevin, Do you believe that getting a few less pieces of junk in the mail box is worth entering your Social Security Number and Date of Birth online and have it stored in yet another database? Do you know what data security requirements this company is required to follow? Are they held to PCI requirements? I somehow doubt it. Social Security Number and Date of Birth are the keys to the kingdom--all that is necessary for identity theft. Personally, tossing a few envelopes in the trash is a better option that increasing the chance that my data can be hacked.