Tired of having your mailbox crammed with ads and other mail you didn’t ask for, like preapproved credit card applications? The good news is that there are ways to cut down on how much unsolicited mail you get.
To decide what types of mail you do and don’t want from marketers, register at the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) consumer website DMAchoice.org, and choose what catalogs, magazine offers, and other mail you want to get. DMAchoice will stop most, but not all, promotional mail. You’ll have to pay a $4 processing fee, and your registration will last for 10 years.
If you do not have online access, register by sending your name and address (with signature), along with a $5 processing fee (check or money order payable to the Association of National Advertisers or ANA) to:
DMAchoice Consumer Preferences P.O. Box 900 Cos Cob, CT 06807
The site also offers the no-cost option to stop mail from being sent to someone who’s deceased (Deceased Do Not Contact List) or to a dependent in your care (Do Not Contact for Caretakers List(link is external)). Registration for the Caretakers List will last for 10 years.
DMAchoice.org also has an Email Preference Service that lets you get less unsolicited commercial email. Registration is free and will last for six years. To learn more about what options you have for dealing with unwanted email, read this article on email spam.
For comments or questions about DMAchoice, visit dmachoice.org/report/initReport.php(link is external).
Learn more about stopping unwanted calls at ftc.gov/calls.
If you don't want to get prescreened offers of credit and insurance in the mail, you have two choices for opting out of those offers:
To opt out for five years: Go to optoutprescreen.com(link is external) or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). The phone number and website are operated by the major credit bureaus.
To opt out permanently: Go to optoutprescreen.com(link is external) or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to start the process. But to complete your request, you’ll need to sign and return the Permanent Opt-Out Election form you’ll get after you’ve started the process.
When you call or visit optoutprescreen.com(link is external), they’ll ask for your personal information, including your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Sharing your Social Security number and date of birth is optional, but the website says that giving this information can help them ensure that they can successfully process your request. It says the information you give is confidential and will be used only to process your request to opt out.