The easiest way to make a dollar is to not spend a dollar.
(Plus, there’s the added benefit of no commuting, dress-for-success or pricey coffee breaks.)
Conversely, the easiest way to plant a tree is to prevent one being cut down.
The paper used to mail out the billions of annual credit card offers comes from — yes, trees.
The website optoutprescreen.com will let you opt-in, (yes, please choke my mailbox with endless credit card offers) or opt-out, (please stop all credit card offers for either a five year period or your lifetime.) The site explains itself as:
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make firm offers of credit or insurance that are not initiated by you (“Firm Offers”). The FCRA also provides you the right to “Opt-Out”, which prevents Consumer Credit Reporting Companies from providing your credit file information for Firm Offers.
So if you’re tired of the daily deluge of special offers, check out optoutprescreen.com
Me?
I’m going for the lifetime credit card offer ban. Because I have a dream of only receiving mail that makes me happy.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I signed up for optoutprescreen about 8 months ago and while it is not perfect it has helped significantly. I rarely recieve any offers but my husband on the other hand who has yet to sign up continues to receive one almost everyday.
Hi Katy,
Clicked through and it is the first website I’ve seen that doesn’t even let people from other countries look at it. Only people with U.S. isp addresses can look at it.
I think there is a service in Canada, one you can phone I believe. I’ll have to look into it.
The mail may be annoying, I agree, but the zero interest offers are worth taking advantage of (to me). Over a two year period, I floated two of these for $25K average and was $2500 to the better for having done so. Risky for some, I agree, but a deal for the disciplined or those who can use a lower rate on outstanding credit card debt.
Joe
(Other) Kate: If you get a source for a Canadian opt-out, please share it here.
I travel for up to 4 weeks at a time which gives me the pleasure (?) of going through 4 weeks of mail when I get home. There are at least 4 offers, commonly 6 or more for every 4 weeks I’m away. Three people live in my house. My adult son gets one every month or two but since his name is almost the same as his dad’s and he doesn’t look at the mail for unexpected letters, he doesn’t even see those offers, I shred them along with mine.
Credit card offers and charitable requests make up about 40% of the addressed mail to our house. Charities will take me off their mailing if I give monthly to them via a bank withdrawal but I won’t do that so I’m stuck. What bothers me the most about them is I get a request automatically once a month, whether or not I’ve already given to that charity for the year. I had to start watching this closely after forgetting and donating twice in one year to a charity.
Woohoo! I opted out too – thanks for the great info, Katy… and what a lovely blog you have (all the better to write handy/inspiring/witty things in, my dear ;-).
-Cousin Carter0