As Tax Day in the United States approaches tomorrow, I've taken this opportunity to clean my credit record and remove myself from obvious national marketing lists.
I've been getting credit card offers in the mail, and I simply don't like being marketed so invasively, nor do I like the waste of paper and expensive printing on such a disinterested audience. In order to easily remove yourself from the national list that most reputible credit card companies reference, it's simple 3-step plan:
- Go here:
https://www.optoutprescreen.com - Select which type of removal you'd prefer: a 5-year hiatus, or lifetime ban. I went with the lifetime ban, which requires you physically mail in a form. A 5-year hiatus is a one-time offer than can be completed online in one form.
- If you went with the lifetime ban, you can print your form and mail it to this address (as seen in my picture above!):
Opt-Out Department
P.O. Box 2033
Rock Island, IL 61204-2033
In a few weeks, you can enjoy a lighter mailbox, and less paper in your recycling bin!
Did this Inspire you to Opt-out of Credit Card Mailings?
While you can also opt-in for credit card offers on this same site (although the domain seems to signify otherwise) I don't think it would be used terribly often.
Although, if you might want to finance something quickly on easily gotten credit cards, it would be an quick way to get thousands in credit quickly. Most agree that it's not a smart move, as credit cards often have high interest rates, and you can quickly succumb to crippling debt faster than you can escape from it's minimum payments.