Credit Card Blog

Have you been the target of multiple direct mail credit offers in the past? Pre-screened offers of credit clutter mailboxes from coast to coast. A good offer is a good offer, but sometimes all those envelopes feel like overkill.

Well, if there’s one good thing to be said about the state of the economy, it’s this: credit card direct mailings have decreased.

Financial services have reduced their direct mailings by about 13% during the first quarter of this year. Mintel senior analyst Chris Zagorski said, “One of the main drivers definitely has to do with the economy. With credit lines tapped and people struggling to make ends meet, both consumer spending and savings are down.” In other words, if people aren’t spending money, it’s probably not economical to spend so much money marketing to them.

The reduction in direct mail offers still leaves consumers with a lot of mail. Financial service corporations sent out about 4 and a half billion pieces of mail during the first quarter of 2008. Yikes! If you’re still overwhelmed by the number of pre-screened credit offers you receive, you can do your own mail reduction by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or visiting www.optoutprescreen.com.