Are you getting tired of all of those credit card offers crowding up your mailbox? If so, you aren’t alone. Consider this: five billion credit card solicitations are mailed out to Americans every year. But, did you realize that you have the power to do something about it? In fact, federal law says you have the right to say no to these card solicitations that are sent out based upon your credit status.
Most people do not realize that they can opt out of these solicitations. But, if you look closely at the credit card offers, you will see that they include information about how to opt out of future mailings. Of course, most people don’t look at these offers that closely because they just toss them in the trash. When you order a copy of your credit report, you will also see information about how to opt out.
Not only will opting out of credit card offers help clean up your mailbox, it can also provide you with a better credit card score. I remember when I purchased my home, I had to write a letter explaining why so many credit card companies had recently looked into my credit report. It turned out that many of them weren’t cards I had applied for, but simply companies that were pre-screening my credit report so they could send me a credit card solicitiation. You can avoid these hassles by opting out of these unwanted mailings altogether.
Keep in mind that you will need to provide your name, address, and social security number in order to opt out of these mailings. Providing your social security number for this purpose is safe and it can actually reduce your chances of identity theft since unsolicited credit card applications will no longer be coming to your mailbox. It can, however, take several months for your opt out request to be fully in effect since some credit card companies may have looked into your report prior to your opt out request. In addition, you will continue receiving offers from your bank and from stores where you regularly do business. But, for the most part, you should find your mailbox to be far less cluttered. And when you are ready to apply for a credit card, you can just find your next rewards card online, anyway!
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