We saw a couple of weeks ago that debt is a real success killer. But credit card companies stay in business on all the debt we rack up. So they try to make as many offers as they can, sweetening the deal all the time. If your mailbox is like mine, it s stuffed full of credit card offers. Well, I finally got tired of it and did something to stop it. And you can, too.
All you have to do is call this telephone number: 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. The three major U.S. credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) set up the number to give consumers one place to call to have their information removed from the marketing lists and pre-approved credit offer lists. These lists are rented to third parties daily. When you enter your information, the credit bureaus will no longer include your name on the lists they rent to third parties. This will greatly decrease the number of credit card solicitations you receive in the mail for five years.
A couple of things to remember: When you call, you ll have to input your social security information. That s OK. The companies have set up a secure phone line to protect your information. Also, once you ve made the call, it may take a few weeks for the volume to slow down. It s likely the credit bureaus have already rented your information to credit companies, but the offers haven t mailed yet. And it takes five days for them to take your name off their lists, during which time your name likely will be rented again. So be patient.
Notice I didn t say that this will stop all of the credit card solicitations. That s because it doesn t stop your mortgage company, bank, brokerage company, credit union or anyone else you do business with from renting out your name. You have to contact each of these individually and ask them to remove your name from their rental lists. alana erlene
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