My mail pile generally looks like this: credit card offer, catalog, credit card offer, catalog. See a pattern that reminds you of the mail on your kitchen counter? All of the credit card companies congratulate me because — lucky me — I've qualified for their amazingly low interest rate! Sometimes I just throw them away, and sometimes I open an envelope or two just to make sure I'm not discarding something useful. So far, the random mail I've opened has also ended up in the shredder.

Did you know there's a way to put a stop to this endless stream of junk mail? You have the right to opt out of receiving unsolicited credit card offers which, by the way, are based on your credit report. To find out how to opt out read more.

There are two choices; you can call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT or go to the Opt Out website and follow these steps.

  1. Click opt-out button.
  2. Choose to opt-out for five years or permanently. The permanent option requires that you mail in a form and the five year option can be completed online.
  3. Provide name, address, social security number and date of birth. The site says that your social security number and date of birth are optional, but they recommend supplying those details to successfully process your request.

Credit companies have 30 days to comply, so expect to receive offers during the month following your request. Do credit card offers annoy you enough to opt-out?

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