Sometimes it seems like you need a HUGE mailbox just to handle all the junk mail that comes your way.
That’s about all we get in the mailbox at my house these days…bills and junk mail. To be more specific – we get loads and loads of credit card offers. Every day.
Some are for balance transfers, others tell us we’ve been pre-approved for a great introductory rate – which will shoot up to more than 20% after six months.
That’s why today I did something I should have done a long…LONG time ago!
You should do it too…
I finally opted out of those annoying credit card mailings. It’s completely easy to do, and I wish I would have done it months – if not years ago.
All you have to do is go to THIS WEBSITE and enter your information. You’ll probably keep receiving that junk mail for a little while – but eventually it will stop. You can choose to opt out digitally (entering info online) – which will last five years – or you can opt out permanently by mailing in a form.
You can also take care of business by phone. Just call 1-888-567-8688 to get stop getting pre-approved offers in the mail.
It’s just like the telemarketer Do-Not-Call List, except it’s specifically for credit card junk mail.
This site also reveals how those credit card companies get your name. It’s the four Consumer Credit Reporting Companies (Equifax, Experian, TRansUnion and Innovis) who give your name to Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and all the rest.
The credit card companies contact one of the credit agencies to give them a list of people whose credit score falls into a certain range. The creditors are often looking for people with good credit, but they’ll still try to get your business even if your credit rating isn’t so great.
The website where you opt-out also tries to convince you that getting pre-screened credit offers is a good thing. It claims the mail you get informs you of special offers that may not be available to the general public.
If you want to believe that – you can always opt back in at any point and you’ll start filling your mailbox with credit card offers once again.
There are a lot of good reasons for opting out of “pre-approved” credit card offers other than just to cut down on junk mail.
Identity Theft Protection
Those credit card offers can be an identity theft’s dream come true.
Yes – we are supposed to shred them before discarding them in our garbage cans.
But it’s easy to skip that step when it starts to become an annoying every day chore – and not everyone has a paper shredder at home.
Plus – there are criminals out there who are putting together shredded paper like a jigsaw puzzle and taping it back together just so they can steal your identity.
Wouldn’t it be easier just to get rid of those annoying offers all together?
Remember – not only can identity theft happen from credit card offers and other sensitive materials in your garbage can – thieves can also steal them right out of your mailbox! And they’ll have practically everything they need to commit identity theft against you.
A thief can just write a different address and phone number on the form and have a credit card sent to them. Remember,they already have your current address.
Identity thieves can also make up any name they want for your mother’s maiden name. The credit card companies don’t REALLY know who you are – you’re just a name on a huge mailing list they got from the credit agency.
The credit card company won’t use your mother’s maiden name to identify you now. They’re going to use i t later for security purposes. That means the identity thief will be the one with the credit card and will know the name – not you.
The only thing that could possibly keep identity thieves from opening a line of credit in your name is your Social Security Number. So hopefully you didn’t throw out your paycheck stub with the junk mail.
Go Green
Not only is opting out of credit card offers better for you – it’s better for the planet as well.
If you’re looking for a new way to “Go Green” here’s an excellent opportunity!
Did you know the average adult gets 41 pounds of junk mail sent to them each year? Almost half of that junk mail goes to the landfill without even being opened.
More than 100-million trees are destroyed each year to create all the advertisements in our mailboxes.
If you reduce your junk mail by choosing to opt out of credit card offers, you could singlehandedly save two trees. Plus – you’ll conserve 700 gallons of water and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
If you want to go green and reduce your carbon footprint, but you’re still receiving credit card offers in your mail – that needs to change.
Fight Temptation
Sometimes the chance to put another credit card in your purse is too much temptation to handle. It can feel like a great idea to have a larger line of credit available to you. But if it only leads to more debt and enables you to spend money you don’t have on things you don’t need – then it’s a terrible idea.
If you are a customer who comes to Check Advantage to order business checks, you know we never send you junk mail. There may be a few instances when we send our customers an email to let them know about new products, services or specials – but that happens very rarely.
In fact, we’ve sent a grand total of ONE mass email to our customers this year. That was to let all of you know that we had begun offering personal checks. Pretty big news – and we think it warranted an announcement of some sort.
Not to mention the fact that Check Advantage always gives you the option of asking to be removed from our email list.
So when it comes time to order checks. Make Check Advantage the first place you look. We promise to respect your privacy and never send you junk mail.
Image Credits: kd5ytx and moonfire8 Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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