How to Stop Credit Card Solicitations

Ever since my friend from California, Jacob, suggested the following strategy, my Wednesday-breakfast-buddy, Buck, and I have been following his suggestion. When one receives a credit card application in the mail, take the enclosed pre-paid envelope and stuff it with as much junk mail as you can and send it back to the Big Bank that sent it to you. They in turn will have to pay the postage and dispose of your junk mail.



Since Big Bank has to pay postage based on the weight of the envelope, Buck has resorted to placing pennies in the envelopes to increase its weight. He is over-joyed at the irony. " What is more fun than sending the suits at Big Bank a hand full of pennies and letting them pay the postage and having to get rid of my damn pennies?" (By the way, you don't want to get Buck started on the "archaic and asinine U.S. coin system.")

On the other hand, I still believe Ben Franklin's saying: "A penny saved is a penny earned." Furthermore,  there is something in my inner self that will not allow me to send money,. even pennies, to Big Bank. I therefore use another method to "stick it to the man." I take scraps of building materials and a place them in the pre-paid envelopes. I have a stack of 1/4th inch thick ends of 2X4s stacked up on my desk to stuff into their pre-paid envelopes.

But then today I received a credit card application, and I noticed they had included a note that says: "You can choose to stop receiving "prescreened" offers of credit from this and other companies by calling toll-free 1-888-567- 8688." I am not sure what "prescreened" means, but I suspect it is a synonym for "suckers list."

So, you see our dilemma. Buck and I could call this toll-free number and ask the Big Banks to stop sending us credit card applications. On the other hand, we lead boring, uneventful lives. Opting-out of "prescreened" offers would deprive us of one of the joys of our day-to-day, sorry lives.

Buck and I are NOT opting-out. We will continue a our feeble attempts "to stick it to the man,"  but for the rest of you who have real lives, I would suggest that you call 1-888-567-8688 and tell Big Banks to stop sending you  credit card applications. 

P.S. I know it is tempting to fill out one of those applications for your stupid cat, but I would advice against it. Just saying.