Opting out of pre-approval offers
If you’re tired of getting credit card & other pre-approved offers in the mail (whether it’s because you’re tired of all that paper waste, or because you want to reduce your risk of identity theft) you can choose to opt out.
The FTC publishes a web page called prescreened offers of credit and insurance that explains some of the details behind these types of offers. Basically though, you can choose to opt out for either 5 years or permanently by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or going to OptOutPrescreen.com. That will stop offers by companies who use the credit reporting agencies to screen. (And you can always opt back in later if you change your mind.)
Personally though, I like the extra time each day that I don’t have to spend shredding those offers.
October 28th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Thanks for this pointer! I throw out tons of this stuff every day that clogs my mailbox. It’s a PITA to shred all those offers that are partially filled in with my name and address.
November 1st, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Thank you! I did this…and anything that saves me from temptation…
I also find I get alot of emails about stores having sales…if I DELETE them Im not tempted to go to the site and check out the “deal”…
November 4th, 2006 at 11:44 am
Do you know how long it takes to start feeling the effects of this? I opted out a little over a week ago, and I’m hoping it kicks in by mid-December.
November 4th, 2006 at 1:53 pm
It’s been so long since I did it that I don’t remember, but maybe 6-8 weeks?