How to unsubscribe from junk mail

Junk mail is really annoying and wastes a ton of resources. Streamline your life and save yourself some time by unsubscribing from mailings you’re not interested in.

Mail:

DMAchoice (junk mail)

National Do Not Mail list (junk mail)

Catalogue Choice (unsubscribe from specific catalogues)

OptOutPrescreen (pre-approved credit card offers; will need to provide your Social Security number since that’s how credit is organized)

General junk mail info

Completing all of the above opt-out forms will remove your name from most mailing lists, but you may still get some mail. For example, if you have previously done business with a company (purchased something, have a bank account with them) then they will continue to contact you. You will have to unsubscribe from these solicitations one by one, either by calling or sending a letter. Some large companies have unsubscribe tools on their websites.

Some junk mail is unavoidable. The United States Postal Service has a mailing program called Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) where a company will pay to have a mailer delivered to every address in an area. Because it is not addressed to you, you can’t unsubscribe from the company and you can’t unsubscribe from EDDM. What I’ve done is simply put a note to the mailman inside my mailbox saying that I don’t want any EDDM.

Phone:

National Do Not Call Registry (telemarketers; report unwanted phone calls) (Note: telemarketers aren’t allowed to call cell numbers and can be reported)

Online Ads:

Digital Advertising Alliance WebChoices (stop advertisers from tracking and saving your browsing history to customize ads)

AdBlockPlus or uBlock Origin (block ads) (uO blocks more ads and uses less memory; ABP tries to encourage less disruptive ads by allowing some to remain) AdBlock is now owned by a Chinese company and is no longer recommended.

Disconnect (stop tracking) No longer recommended

 

Good luck!

6 Replies to “How to unsubscribe from junk mail”

  1. I’ve emailed Verizon at privacyoffice@verizon.com to unsubscribe. Looking at a company’s privacy policy (usually linked at the bottom of every web page) is a great way of finding a relevant email address to contact. This works even for companies that try to prevent people from emailing them.

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