Tired of Pre-Approved Credit Card Junk Mail?
Ξ March 31st, 2009 | → | ∇ Credit help |
If you are like me, you receive loads of junk mail every week. Much of it is “pre-approved” credit card applications. It’s a waste of time and paper.
Here’s the problem: the credit card companies have access to your name and address through the major credit bureaus. If you have decent credit, they are going to send applications to you. They want you to fill it out, send it in, and go buy a bunch of stuff that you can’t afford.
Not only is all this junk mail annoying, but it also puts you at greater risk for identity theft–someone could steal an application from your trash, fill it out, and spend money with a credit card in your name (this is why I recommend you shred all credit card applications that come to you in the mail). Trust me–they don’t pay any attention to the details of the application.
Did you know you can stop all those pre-approved credit cards from coming to your mailbox?
The pre-approved credit cards come as a result of prescreen marketing though the credit bureaus. You can tell the bureaus you want to opt out of there list. Visit https://www.optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). You can opt out for five years through this process.
You can opt out permanently by following up with a written (snail mail) letter.
Visit the Federal Trade Commission article for more details.
Taking these steps will NOT disqualify you from applying for a credit card. It just keeps them from sending unsolicited applications to you.