Best Ways to Get Rid of Junk Email

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I still love getting mail, but most of what goes into my inbox these days isn’t postcards from people I know or the magazines I look forward to every month. Rather, it is garbage that goes straight into the trash can or trash can. Stopping real spam isn’t as easy as hitting “unsubscribe” on junk email, but there are a few steps you can take to cut down on the number of catalogs, credit card offers, and coupon books you’re always throwing away.

Here are the best ways to clear your inbox.

Opt out of marketing and promotional mail

First, stop the endless stream of catalogs, magazine offers, and marketing flyers by visiting the Direct Marketing Association’s consumer website, DMAchoice.org . This service blocks mail from companies you don’t have a relationship with or haven’t done business with in the last two years.

(Note that this doesn’t stop you from getting items from local retailers, restaurants, or political organizations—these items are ‘Direct Mail Through Every Door’ category and you’re just stuck with them.)

To use DMAchoice, you need to create an account with your name, address, email address and password and pay $4 via PayPal or credit card. This will stop sending a large amount of promotional mail for 10 years, after which you will have to go through this process again.

DMAchoice.org also offers free opt-out services for deceased contacts, as well as caregivers of dependents who receive promotional emails.

Refusal of credit cards and insurance offers

If you receive offers for new credit cards or insurance policies claiming to be pre-screened or pre-approved, it is because lenders and insurers received your information from one of four consumer credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion). and, in turn, try to sell you their products.

This practice is permitted by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, but you can remove your name—temporarily for five years or permanently—using a service calledOptOutPrescreen.com . Either go to the website and press the blue button to start the process, or call 1-888-567-8588.

To opt out for five years, you just need to provide your name and address (providing your social security number and date of birth is optional). Unfortunately, if you would like to opt out of these offers permanently, you will also need to complete and mail in the paper form that you will have access to at the end of the electronic process.

Opt out of sending coupons

Coupon packages are not covered by DMAchoice or OptOutPrescreen, so you will have to contact each individual mailbox to unsubscribe. Please note that it may take several weeks before there are no coupons in your inbox. Here are the main email programs:

Get rid of paper bills

Mail from your financial institutions, utility providers, and other accountants isn’t junk, but you can cut down on hard copies and mailbox overflow by opting for paperless billing, especially if you’re on auto pay or already receiving email statements. .

Abandon (almost) everything else

Writer David Friedman recommends PaperKarma for everything else, including directories of companies you’ve purchased in the last two years, as well as mail from charities. This subscription based app sends you bounce notifications and all you have to do is take a picture and upload a photo of the return address or logo to the email you receive.

PaperKarma offers a free trial of sorts with four free opt-out requests, and if you choose to subscribe, you can choose from monthly ($3.99), semi-annual ($15.99), annual ($24.99). USD) or lifetime plan (USD 59.99).

Here are some of the best mailboxes you can buy in 2023, according to Better Homes & Gardens :

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