Opt-Out Options-Junk Mail

Not only can junk mail fill your mailbox and add to your household's clutter, it wastes our planet's resources. Take a few minutes to follow these simple steps to enjoy months – if not years – of freedom from junk mail.

Step 1: Get off of the lists

Call, write or send e-mail to businesses and organizations that provide the “key” to removing your name from – and keeping it off – many mailing lists. The New American Dream is an organization dedicated to help Americans consume responsibly. Their junk mail link will help you remove your name from lists.

Mail Preference Service
Attn: Dept 27478505
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 282
Carmel, NY 10512

After you contact these companies, be patient; some mailing labels are prepared months in advance, and some companies manage several lists, so it can take three to six months to see results. You may need to repeat this process in five years or sooner if you notice you are receiving increasing amounts of junk mail.


Step 2: Call the credit bureaus

Stop unwanted credit card offers by calling the credit bureaus. To opt out of Trans Union, Equifax and Experian lists, call 888-567-8688 or opt-out online. Contact them every two years.

 

Step 3: Reduce unwanted catalogs

To eliminate unwanted catalogs, use Catalog Choice to get off unwanted catalog mailing lists. You can also call the customer service number on unwanted catalogs and ask to have your name removed from their mailing list.

 

Step 4: Contact businesses directly

Ask the following businesses not rent, sell or exchange your name and address:

  • your bank
  • credit union and mortgage company
  • magazines to which you subscribe mail-order
  • companies with which you have done business
  • all organizations to which you belong
  • nonprofit groups or other organizations to which you have made donations
  • any other business that regularly sends you a bill

 

Step 5: Stop junk mail before it starts

Use these tips to keep future junk mail from coming.

  • If you move, don’t fill out a Post Office change of address form – directly contact everyone yourself. Otherwise, junk mail can follow you to your new address.
  • List your telephone number in your local directory without an address or get an unlisted number.
  • Don’t send in product registration cards.
  • Don’t use stores’ “buyer’s club” card when making purchases.
  • Avoid participating in sweepstakes or contests unless you are given the opportunity to “opt-out” of any mailing lists that are created. Look for disclosure notices in the sweepstakes and contest literature.
  • When unwanted mail comes with a postage paid envelope, use it to return the mailing label along with a written request to remove your name from the organization’s mailing list.
  • When contacting a company that is already sending you unwanted mail, be sure to use the exact name and address that is on the label you receive. You’ll improve your chances of getting your name removed when the information is an exact match.