Hold on. Did I just say, “How do I cancel my junk mail?” As if you even signed up for it in the first place, am I right? They just seem to keep sending it to you, even though you never asked for it. So, how do you make it stop?
Unfortunately, junk mail is somehow still a thing, and you’re probably going to continue to get it, but there are some actions you can take and resources you can use to get rid of most, if not all of it. There are also things you can avoid doing so that you don’t get subscribed to even more junk you don’t need in the future.
This guide will help you figure out where your junk mail is coming from and how to make it stop. We’ll also provide some explanations for why it happens.
However, if you don’t have time for all of that, here’s the TLDR in 3 easy steps, and it will only take 5 minutes.
- Use OptOutPrescreen to stop credit and insurance offers.
- Use DMAchoice to stop large catalogs and direct mailers.
- Use PaperKarma to stop other local mailers.
If you’re still here, you might be interested in some facts surrounding the delivery of junk mail.
My Top Pick Up Front: PaperKarma
If you just want to get rid of most of your junk mail for you and your entire family, I would start with PaperKarma. With the app, the free trial, you can be rid of most of your annoying and garbage-clogging junk mail in just a few minutes.
There are tons of junk mailings every year. Literally.
The USPS delivered more than 77 billion pieces of junk mail in 2018 alone. The resources dedicated to these deliveries is staggering, considering you’re just going to throw them all away.
These types of mailers only have a 5% response rate, so while businesses still use them to target a small part of the population, 95% of them don’t resonate with anyone. At what expense are we willing to continue to do this?
As our hatred of waste and unrecyclable materials rises, isn’t it about time we do something about it?
Yes! Here’s how you can begin.
OptOutPrescreen
Stop prescreened insurance and credit card offers by signing up for OptOutPrescreen. What’s interesting about the Fair Credit Reporting Act is that it’s what causes these unwelcome offers in the first place, but it’s also what gives you the right to say no thanks.
Credit reporting agencies have the right to share your credit history with businesses that offer financial products, but it also allows you to opt-out of these preapprovals if you only knew how to do it.
While it only gives you control over some of your junk mail, it’s just about the only legislation that gives you any control at all, so you need to take it where you can get it.
OptOutPrescreen.com allows you to enter your information and opt-out of these offers. Your request will remain in effect for 5 years, but if you jump through a few extra hoops (I’ll explain later), you can opt-out permanently.
Don’t call or mail forms.
Opting out online is the easiest way to get this done. It will ask for your name and address, but will not require your date of birth or social security number. Be aware of which fields are optional. You don’t have to fill everything in.
Call only if you have to.
If you don’t want to do it online or the website seems not to be working, you can call 1-888-5OPT-OUT.
Mail forms for the permanent opt-out option.
You have to submit your request to opt-out either online or by phone but to permanently opt-out, you need to follow this request up with a confirmation form. You can print the confirmation form at home and mail it in.
It’s a lot of work if you have a large family because everyone has to have their own form, but it’s the only way to opt-out permanently, and it’s worth the extra work if you’re constantly inundated with junk mail.
Step-by-step instructions
Keep in mind, it only costs you the time it takes to complete the form. It’s completely free to use OptOutPrescreen.com. It only takes a minute or two and it will take affect in a few months and keep you on the opt out list for 5 years.
- Go to OptOutPrescreen.com
- Fill out the form with your name and address. DOB and SSN are not required.
- Print the confirmation form and follow up by mail if you want to permanently opt out.
DMAchoice
If you want to opt-out of catalogs and large direct mailers, DMAchoice will allow you to do this. DMA stands for Data & Marketing Association, and once again, the agency that promotes these direct mailers is also the agency in charge of self-policing for your benefit.
Hold on. Did I just say, “How do I cancel my junk mail?” As if you even signed up for it in the first place, am I right? They just seem to keep sending it to you, even though you never asked for it. So, how do you make it stop?
Unfortunately, junk mail is somehow still a thing, and you’re probably going to continue to get it, but there are some actions you can take and resources you can use to get rid of most, if not all of it. There are also things you can avoid doing so that you don’t get subscribed to even more junk you don’t need in the future.
This guide will help you figure out where your junk mail is coming from and how to make it stop. We’ll also provide some explanations for why it happens.
However, if you don’t have time for all of that, here’s the TLDR in 3 easy steps, and it will only take 5 minutes.
- Use OptOutPrescreen to stop credit and insurance offers.
- Use DMAchoice to stop large catalogs and direct mailers.
- Use PaperKarma to stop other local mailers.
If you’re still here, you might be interested in some facts surrounding the delivery of junk mail.
My Top Pick Up Front: PaperKarma
If you just want to get rid of most of your junk mail for you and your entire family, I would start with PaperKarma. With the app, the free trial, you can be rid of most of your annoying and garbage-clogging junk mail in just a few minutes.
There are tons of junk mailings every year. Literally.
The USPS delivered more than 77 billion pieces of junk mail in 2018 alone. The resources dedicated to these deliveries is staggering, considering you’re just going to throw them all away.
These types of mailers only have a 5% response rate, so while businesses still use them to target a small part of the population, 95% of them don’t resonate with anyone. At what expense are we willing to continue to do this?
As our hatred of waste and unrecyclable materials rises, isn’t it about time we do something about it?
Yes! Here’s how you can begin.
OptOutPrescreen
Stop prescreened insurance and credit card offers by signing up for OptOutPrescreen. What’s interesting about the Fair Credit Reporting Act is that it’s what causes these unwelcome offers in the first place, but it’s also what gives you the right to say no thanks.
Credit reporting agencies have the right to share your credit history with businesses that offer financial products, but it also allows you to opt-out of these preapprovals if you only knew how to do it.
While it only gives you control over some of your junk mail, it’s just about the only legislation that gives you any control at all, so you need to take it where you can get it.
OptOutPrescreen.com allows you to enter your information and opt-out of these offers. Your request will remain in effect for 5 years, but if you jump through a few extra hoops (I’ll explain later), you can opt-out permanently.
Don’t call or mail forms.
Opting out online is the easiest way to get this done. It will ask for your name and address, but will not require your date of birth or social security number. Be aware of which fields are optional. You don’t have to fill everything in.
Call only if you have to.
If you don’t want to do it online or the website seems not to be working, you can call 1-888-5OPT-OUT.
Mail forms for the permanent opt-out option.
You have to submit your request to opt-out either online or by phone but to permanently opt-out, you need to follow this request up with a confirmation form. You can print the confirmation form at home and mail it in.
It’s a lot of work if you have a large family because everyone has to have their own form, but it’s the only way to opt-out permanently, and it’s worth the extra work if you’re constantly inundated with junk mail.
Step-by-step instructions
Keep in mind, it only costs you the time it takes to complete the form. It’s completely free to use OptOutPrescreen.com. It only takes a minute or two and it will take affect in a few months and keep you on the opt out list for 5 years.
- Go to OptOutPrescreen.com
- Fill out the form with your name and address. DOB and SSN are not required.
- Print the confirmation form and follow up by mail if you want to permanently opt out.
DMAchoice
If you want to opt-out of catalogs and large direct mailers, DMAchoice will allow you to do this. DMA stands for Data & Marketing Association, and once again, the agency that promotes these direct mailers is also the agency in charge of self-policing for your benefit.
The DMA was founded in 1917, but was originally called the Direct Mail Association. The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) was founded in 1910. In 2018, they merged, but they now require their members to conform to an ethical code of conduct.
That means they have to honor all requests to opt-out of direct marketing. So how do you make it work to your advantage?
The greater ANA organization still operates under DMAchoice.org, which is a mail preference service for postal marketing mail (known more affectionately by the name junk mail), and offers several ways you can opt-out.
You can opt-out of unsolicited commercial email, commercial calls if you live in Pennsylvania or Wyoming, the do not contact list for deceased individuals, and the do not contact list for caregivers.
Unfortunately, the DNAchoice website hasn’t been updated since 2008, so it doesn’t really look like a legitimate service upon navigating to the homepage. If you were to go to the new ANA website, you’d see a marked difference, which seems a bit fishy.
Step-by-step instructions
It’s tough to understand how an operational website could lack so much attention, but it is operational and you can use it to opt-out. Unfortunately, opting out isn’t free like it is with OptOutPrescreen, but it may just be worth it for those who are really annoyed.
- Go to DNAchoice.org.
- Click the Opt Out Link.
- Click Automatic, Total Opt Out. You will be redirected to safeshepherd.com.
- Sign up for an account. Pay attention to what’s required and what’s optional.
- Subscribe to the plan that works best for you.
How it works
Safe Shepherd will actively search the web for your name or personal information, and if it’s been exposed, you’ll get an alert about the exposure with tips on how to fix it.
The ANA is required to run every list of prospective customers through the list of people who opted out at DMAchoice.org. If those names match anything on that list, they must remove them from their mailing campaigns.
DMAchoice only works with organizations that are members of the ANA, so even after you sign up, you may still receive some catalogs and mailers. They claim to have 3600 organizations as members, and here’s their most recent list if you want to look at it.
Your opt-out is valid for as long as you pay for a membership and will help you receive fewer catalogs, magazines, bank offers, retail promotions, donation requests, and more.
However, your request may or may not be seen or adhered to by the members of the ANA. In fact, there will be companies that completely ignore ANA policies and send mailers anyway.
The ANA encourages people to file a complaint if they observe any questionable practices.
CatalogChoice
CatalogChoice deals primarily with catalog mailers, as the name might indicate, but they claim to be on a mission to stop junk mail for good. You can search for specific catalogs to opt out of, donate to this non-profit’s cause, or suggest a catalog be added to the database if you don’t find what you’re looking for.
They offer 10,000 different catalogs you can opt out of and it’s totally free.
Step-by-step instructions
While it might be tedious logging in and searching for each catalog one by one, CatalogChoice is a really great option if you receive a lot of catalogs in the mail and want to opt out of some or all.
- Go to CatalogChoice.org.
- Sign up for an account. They only ask for email, name, and password.
- Search for the catalog you want to opt-out of.
- Enter information like the name and address as they appear on the catalog, optional catalog details like account number, and why you want to opt out.
- Confirm the request by clicking Confirm.
- Continue to check your dashboard for updates on the status of your request.
After you submit your request, CatalogChoice will submit that request to the publisher of the catalog and keep you informed of its status on your dashboard.
CatalogChoice takes about 5 minutes to opt-out of each mailer you choose and it’s free, although they do ask for donations. You should also continue to make changes to your account every 3 months so that you can opt-out of seasonal mailers.
PaperKarma (Our Top Pick!)
If you’re into mobile apps, PaperKarma may be for you. They offer a mobile app that helps you stop junk mail. They’ll help you opt-out of physical paper mail from the post office. Their sole purpose in life is to help you stop your junk snail mail, and that’s it.
It’s an insanely simple process that’s perfect for people on the go. They have over 100,000 mailers in their database, and that includes any type of junk mail. It’s not restricted to catalogs or prescreened mailers.
They’re one of the largest do not mail registry services in the United States and they even include local businesses, non-profits, and charities. It works on most of the same catalogs that CatalogChoice covers, but it also has the larger national brands that are protected by DMAchoice.
They’re not a non-profit, so they do ask for a fee rather than a donation, but you’ll also be sure they won’t sell your information to others. The proceeds go to improving their service and the mobile app.
They take suggestions from clients to add mailers to the database, and they’re currently adding around 100 new mailers every day.
Step-by-step instructions
If you want to stop junk mail and you prefer to use an app to do it rather than go online, it’s all possible in this modern world of ours.
- Download the PaperKarma app.
- Take a picture of the junk mail logo.
- Enter the name and address as it appears on the mailer to opt-out.
Stop junk mail from previous residents.
It doesn’t matter where you live or how you’re receiving your junk mail. All you have to do is take a picture of the logo and enter the name and address as it appears on the mailer. That means you can get rid of all the junk mail that previous residents and owners left behind.
PaperKarma lets you enter an unlimited number of name and address combinations. You can opt-out your entire household for a single fee with one account. You could also opt-out of junk mail for the deceased or your elderly parents who aren’t quite as tech-savvy.
Get a free trial.
You get four requests for free, which PaperKarma offers up as a trial for the service. If you like it, you can subscribe to their service monthly, every six months, yearly, or for one lifetime fee.
They also allow you to get your money back if you aren’t totally satisfied.
Have patience.
Not every junk mailer is going to go away immediately. The service takes time to submit requests and have them processed by the sender. Some mailers take a few phases of a bulk campaign to process you out of the shipment. It may take up to 3 months for a mailer to stop completely.
What Not To Do When Cancelling Junk Mail
There are ways to get rid of junk mail, but there are also things you shouldn’t do. They simply won’t work with the volume of junk mail that gets delivered in the United States today.
Return to sender.
It’s just not going to get you anywhere if you return all of your junk mail to the sender. In fact, returning mail to the sender likely means it gets discarded at the post office. Discounted postage rates, like those that are paid for by businesses that send out bulk mailers, do not cover the cost of returning to the sender.
In other words, if you receive a mailer you don’t want, and you return it to the sender, it will get discarded by the post office, and the sender will never have a clue you didn’t want it.
If the postage is premium postage or was sent via first-class mail, you can return it to the sender, because returning to the sender is covered in the cost of premium postage.
Any mail you get that’s bundled with a prepaid postage envelope asking for your response is sent via first-class mail. You can return this for free, but these pieces do not comprise even half of your junk mail problem.
Contact the sender directly.
You’re also not going to get very far by contacting the sender directly and asking to be removed from their list. First of all, you have to find out who sent it for every single piece of junk mail you get.
Then you have to call and wait on hold for every single one. Or you have to write an email or mail a letter, and who knows whether anyone even receives those. That takes a lot of time that you simply don’t have.
What Can’t Be Stopped
There’s always a catch. With so many ways to stop junk mail, it’s pretty easy to get rid of almost everything. However, you’re never going to be able to stop all of your junk mail. Here’s what you can’t stop:
- Every Door Direct Mail is a product of the USPS and they’ll send it through, no matter who you are or what you’ve opted out of.
- Mail that’s addressed to “Current Resident” or “To our neighbors” is tough to stop, because they’re blanketing everyone within a certain radius or in a specific zip code and they likely don’t even know who you are.
- Free-standing inserts like grocery leaflets that are delivered door to door are delivered directly and don’t go through the post office, so there’s no way to opt out.
- Scammers will target just about anyone, and are never honorable, so it’s unlikely that even if you ask, they’ll honor a request to stop contacting you.
- Political ballot mail will automatically die down after an election, but you can’t opt-out of it, either.
- Persistent companies like AT&T, DirecTV, Uverse, Xfinity, and other small regional cable providers will make you jump through hoops to unsubscribe. You’ll have to make a phone call and verify some piece of personal information they claim to have on file. It’s not impossible to opt-out, but it can take a lot of time.
With a few exceptions like opting out of Valpak national coupon mailers, there’s not much you can do about these types of mailers.
As a last resort, you can phone in your opt-out request to see if you can get rid of these stragglers, but try an opt-out service first, that way you only have to phone in a few. It can take hours to make these phone calls versus the minutes it will take to do it online.
FAQ: How to Cancel Junk Mail
If you want to get rid of mailers that annoy you without throwing them away or having to deal with them in your mailbox at all, these frequently asked questions may help you understand what opting out is all about.
What is junk mail?
Junk mail is any piece of mail you get that was unsolicited. If you didn’t ask for it, it’s junk. Unless it’s from your mother, of course.
Advertising and direct marketing make up for almost all of the junk mail you get and it includes coupons, donation requests, catalogs, magazines, and credit offers.
Why do I get junk mail?
Who knows? People get your information from just about anywhere these days. Direct marketing comes from local businesses that will blanket an entire zip code or radius nearby their business.
You’ll also get signed up for mailers when you apply for credit or loans, change your address, enter contests or promotions, and donate to charity. It comes from all over, and it’s nearly impossible not to give your information out at all.
How do I stop junk mail?
You can stop it however you feel comfortable, but doing it online is the easiest. You can use any of the options listed here, but it’s likely that you’ll find one that works better than another. You can use any service you want, but if you have a strong preference as to which will be easier for you, that’s the one you should choose. There’s also nothing wrong with using all of them.
Why does stopping junk mail matter?
You’re more than welcome to continue to throw your junk mail away. However, with the volume of junk mail in the United States, we’re currently wasting a ton of resources. From non-recyclable paper to the postal workers who have to carry it, there’s a ton of wasted time and money.
You can be part of the solution by opting out of any junk mail you receive, which could have a significant impact on the volume of mail carried by postal workers everywhere to the money spent on materials that take up space in a landfill and damage our planet.
Final Thoughts: My Top Pick for Finally Cancelling Junk Mail
You may be frustrated that you can’t stop all junk mail, but in reality, the ones that are tough to stop make up a small portion of the massive amounts of junk mail you get. Three easy steps to stop your junk mail will get rid of most of it in a matter of months.
While there are a few ways to stop junk mail, in my opinion, the easiest and quickest way is with PaperKarma. The app makes it super easy and you can get rid of the vast majority of your junk mail in just five minutes.
The DMA was founded in 1917, but was originally called the Direct Mail Association. The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) was founded in 1910. In 2018, they merged, but they now require their members to conform to an ethical code of conduct.
That means they have to honor all requests to opt-out of direct marketing. So how do you make it work to your advantage?
The greater ANA organization still operates under DMAchoice.org, which is a mail preference service for postal marketing mail (known more affectionately by the name junk mail), and offers several ways you can opt-out.
You can opt-out of unsolicited commercial email, commercial calls if you live in Pennsylvania or Wyoming, the do not contact list for deceased individuals, and the do not contact list for caregivers.
Unfortunately, the DNAchoice website hasn’t been updated since 2008, so it doesn’t really look like a legitimate service upon navigating to the homepage. If you were to go to the new ANA website, you’d see a marked difference, which seems a bit fishy.
Step-by-step instructions
It’s tough to understand how an operational website could lack so much attention, but it is operational and you can use it to opt-out. Unfortunately, opting out isn’t free like it is with OptOutPrescreen, but it may just be worth it for those who are really annoyed.
- Go to DNAchoice.org.
- Click the Opt Out Link.
- Click Automatic, Total Opt Out. You will be redirected to safeshepherd.com.
- Sign up for an account. Pay attention to what’s required and what’s optional.
- Subscribe to the plan that works best for you.
How it works
Safe Shepherd will actively search the web for your name or personal information, and if it’s been exposed, you’ll get an alert about the exposure with tips on how to fix it.
The ANA is required to run every list of prospective customers through the list of people who opted out at DMAchoice.org. If those names match anything on that list, they must remove them from their mailing campaigns.
DMAchoice only works with organizations that are members of the ANA, so even after you sign up, you may still receive some catalogs and mailers. They claim to have 3600 organizations as members, and here’s their most recent list if you want to look at it.
Your opt-out is valid for as long as you pay for a membership and will help you receive fewer catalogs, magazines, bank offers, retail promotions, donation requests, and more.
However, your request may or may not be seen or adhered to by the members of the ANA. In fact, there will be companies that completely ignore ANA policies and send mailers anyway.
The ANA encourages people to file a complaint if they observe any questionable practices.
CatalogChoice
CatalogChoice deals primarily with catalog mailers, as the name might indicate, but they claim to be on a mission to stop junk mail for good. You can search for specific catalogs to opt out of, donate to this non-profit’s cause, or suggest a catalog be added to the database if you don’t find what you’re looking for.
They offer 10,000 different catalogs you can opt out of and it’s totally free.
Step-by-step instructions
While it might be tedious logging in and searching for each catalog one by one, CatalogChoice is a really great option if you receive a lot of catalogs in the mail and want to opt out of some or all.
- Go to CatalogChoice.org.
- Sign up for an account. They only ask for email, name, and password.
- Search for the catalog you want to opt-out of.
- Enter information like the name and address as they appear on the catalog, optional catalog details like account number, and why you want to opt out.
- Confirm the request by clicking Confirm.
- Continue to check your dashboard for updates on the status of your request.
After you submit your request, CatalogChoice will submit that request to the publisher of the catalog and keep you informed of its status on your dashboard.
CatalogChoice takes about 5 minutes to opt-out of each mailer you choose and it’s free, although they do ask for donations. You should also continue to make changes to your account every 3 months so that you can opt-out of seasonal mailers.
PaperKarma (Our Top Pick!)
If you’re into mobile apps, PaperKarma may be for you. They offer a mobile app that helps you stop junk mail. They’ll help you opt-out of physical paper mail from the post office. Their sole purpose in life is to help you stop your junk snail mail, and that’s it.
It’s an insanely simple process that’s perfect for people on the go. They have over 100,000 mailers in their database, and that includes any type of junk mail. It’s not restricted to catalogs or prescreened mailers.
They’re one of the largest do not mail registry services in the United States and they even include local businesses, non-profits, and charities. It works on most of the same catalogs that CatalogChoice covers, but it also has the larger national brands that are protected by DMAchoice.
They’re not a non-profit, so they do ask for a fee rather than a donation, but you’ll also be sure they won’t sell your information to others. The proceeds go to improving their service and the mobile app.
They take suggestions from clients to add mailers to the database, and they’re currently adding around 100 new mailers every day.
Step-by-step instructions
If you want to stop junk mail and you prefer to use an app to do it rather than go online, it’s all possible in this modern world of ours.
- Download the PaperKarma app.
- Take a picture of the junk mail logo.
- Enter the name and address as it appears on the mailer to opt-out.
Stop junk mail from previous residents.
It doesn’t matter where you live or how you’re receiving your junk mail. All you have to do is take a picture of the logo and enter the name and address as it appears on the mailer. That means you can get rid of all the junk mail that previous residents and owners left behind.
PaperKarma lets you enter an unlimited number of name and address combinations. You can opt-out your entire household for a single fee with one account. You could also opt-out of junk mail for the deceased or your elderly parents who aren’t quite as tech-savvy.
Get a free trial.
You get four requests for free, which PaperKarma offers up as a trial for the service. If you like it, you can subscribe to their service monthly, every six months, yearly, or for one lifetime fee.
They also allow you to get your money back if you aren’t totally satisfied.
Have patience.
Not every junk mailer is going to go away immediately. The service takes time to submit requests and have them processed by the sender. Some mailers take a few phases of a bulk campaign to process you out of the shipment. It may take up to 3 months for a mailer to stop completely.
What Not To Do When Cancelling Junk Mail
There are ways to get rid of junk mail, but there are also things you shouldn’t do. They simply won’t work with the volume of junk mail that gets delivered in the United States today.
Return to sender.
It’s just not going to get you anywhere if you return all of your junk mail to the sender. In fact, returning mail to the sender likely means it gets discarded at the post office. Discounted postage rates, like those that are paid for by businesses that send out bulk mailers, do not cover the cost of returning to the sender.
In other words, if you receive a mailer you don’t want, and you return it to the sender, it will get discarded by the post office, and the sender will never have a clue you didn’t want it.
If the postage is premium postage or was sent via first-class mail, you can return it to the sender, because returning to the sender is covered in the cost of premium postage.
Any mail you get that’s bundled with a prepaid postage envelope asking for your response is sent via first-class mail. You can return this for free, but these pieces do not comprise even half of your junk mail problem.
Contact the sender directly.
You’re also not going to get very far by contacting the sender directly and asking to be removed from their list. First of all, you have to find out who sent it for every single piece of junk mail you get.
Then you have to call and wait on hold for every single one. Or you have to write an email or mail a letter, and who knows whether anyone even receives those. That takes a lot of time that you simply don’t have.
What Can’t Be Stopped
There’s always a catch. With so many ways to stop junk mail, it’s pretty easy to get rid of almost everything. However, you’re never going to be able to stop all of your junk mail. Here’s what you can’t stop:
- Every Door Direct Mail is a product of the USPS and they’ll send it through, no matter who you are or what you’ve opted out of.
- Mail that’s addressed to “Current Resident” or “To our neighbors” is tough to stop, because they’re blanketing everyone within a certain radius or in a specific zip code and they likely don’t even know who you are.
- Free-standing inserts like grocery leaflets that are delivered door to door are delivered directly and don’t go through the post office, so there’s no way to opt out.
- Scammers will target just about anyone, and are never honorable, so it’s unlikely that even if you ask, they’ll honor a request to stop contacting you.
- Political ballot mail will automatically die down after an election, but you can’t opt-out of it, either.
- Persistent companies like AT&T, DirecTV, Uverse, Xfinity, and other small regional cable providers will make you jump through hoops to unsubscribe. You’ll have to make a phone call and verify some piece of personal information they claim to have on file. It’s not impossible to opt-out, but it can take a lot of time.
With a few exceptions like opting out of Valpak national coupon mailers, there’s not much you can do about these types of mailers.
As a last resort, you can phone in your opt-out request to see if you can get rid of these stragglers, but try an opt-out service first, that way you only have to phone in a few. It can take hours to make these phone calls versus the minutes it will take to do it online.
FAQ: How to Cancel Junk Mail
If you want to get rid of mailers that annoy you without throwing them away or having to deal with them in your mailbox at all, these frequently asked questions may help you understand what opting out is all about.
What is junk mail?
Junk mail is any piece of mail you get that was unsolicited. If you didn’t ask for it, it’s junk. Unless it’s from your mother, of course.
Advertising and direct marketing make up for almost all of the junk mail you get and it includes coupons, donation requests, catalogs, magazines, and credit offers.
Why do I get junk mail?
Who knows? People get your information from just about anywhere these days. Direct marketing comes from local businesses that will blanket an entire zip code or radius nearby their business.
You’ll also get signed up for mailers when you apply for credit or loans, change your address, enter contests or promotions, and donate to charity. It comes from all over, and it’s nearly impossible not to give your information out at all.
How do I stop junk mail?
You can stop it however you feel comfortable, but doing it online is the easiest. You can use any of the options listed here, but it’s likely that you’ll find one that works better than another. You can use any service you want, but if you have a strong preference as to which will be easier for you, that’s the one you should choose. There’s also nothing wrong with using all of them.
Why does stopping junk mail matter?
You’re more than welcome to continue to throw your junk mail away. However, with the volume of junk mail in the United States, we’re currently wasting a ton of resources. From non-recyclable paper to the postal workers who have to carry it, there’s a ton of wasted time and money.
You can be part of the solution by opting out of any junk mail you receive, which could have a significant impact on the volume of mail carried by postal workers everywhere to the money spent on materials that take up space in a landfill and damage our planet.
Final Thoughts: My Top Pick for Finally Cancelling Junk Mail
You may be frustrated that you can’t stop all junk mail, but in reality, the ones that are tough to stop make up a small portion of the massive amounts of junk mail you get. Three easy steps to stop your junk mail will get rid of most of it in a matter of months.
While there are a few ways to stop junk mail, in my opinion, the easiest and quickest way is with PaperKarma. The app makes it super easy and you can get rid of the vast majority of your junk mail in just five minutes.