Are You Tired of All Those Credit Card Company Offers?
A Credit Article Contributed by Mark Mcclelland
Is Your Credit Card Company Bugging You to Death?
If your credit card company, or any others, are filling your mailbox with worthless junk mail, believe you me, you're not alone. The whole problem started when the Fair Credit Reporting Act was passed in 1970. It allowed, among other really obnoxious things, the (then) four major credit bureaus to sell your credit information to organizations that wanted to foist their credit cards on you.
By 1996 there had been so many complaints that the Act was amended to include the stipulation that required the credit reporting agencies to allow consumers to "opt-out" of having their information sold for the purpose of "pre-screening" consumers for credit card offers.
The fact is, unless you choose to opt out, and you have at least one credit card, and you have a fairly decent credit history, you're probably receiving so many offers that you could bundle then up and use them for kindling on your fireplace. In fact, although hard statistic are unavailable, it's likely that the major card issuers alone generate hundred's of thousands of mail solicitations monthly.
If you want off this merry-go-round, and quit having to cart your mail into the house in a wheelbarrow, there are a few simple steps you can take to let the credit card companies know that you're no longer interested in receiving their junk mail.
Stop the Credit Card Company Junk Mail from Flowing by Mail
You can write directly to the three nationwide credit-reporting agencies (CRAs) to ask that they remove your name from the "pre-screened" lists they generate for the credit card company mass mailings.
When you write them, make sure that it's clear - and although it might be tempting, avoid the temptation to be rude - that you want to opt-out of their list making process. You'll need to include your phone number, name, ZIP code, mailing address, and Social Security Number. If you're worried about the SSN part, don't be, they already know it. You can write them at:
Equifax:
Equifax Options
PO BOX 790123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123
TransUnion:
TransUnion LLC's Name Removal Option
PO Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
Experian:
Consumer "OPT-OUT"
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521
In addition, while not a credit reporting agency like the other three, you'll want to write to Innovis, a company that compiles marketing lists for credit card company mass mailings. Although the option isn't actually listed on their website you should mail them at:
Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 1358
Columbus, OH 43216-1358
Stop the Credit Card Company Junk Mail from Flowing by Phone
You can also call the credit reporting agencies through the use of a single phone number posted on the FTC website:
1-888-5-OPTOUT is an automated service run jointly by the three nationwide credit-reporting agencies and Innovis. With one phone call you can opt out of pre-screened mailings from all four.
Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT.
At this time (November 2004)
Take option 2 to go to the opt-out messages, then
Take option 1 to opt out for 5 years, or option 3 to opt out permanently
You'll be asked to provide your phone number, name, zip code, address, and social Security Number. Your request should be processed within 5 business days, and you'' get a "Notice of Election" form in the mail.
