How to Stop Junk Mail in the US

There is no single switch for junk mail, but three official steps cut most of it. Together they take about 20 minutes.

By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 18, 2026

Junk mail is more than clutter. Credit card offers and other personal mail can be stolen and used for fraud, and every mailing list is another copy of your name and address circulating among marketers.

Step 1: Stop prescreened credit and insurance offers

Start with the credit card and insurance letters, because they carry the most fraud risk if stolen. The official opt-out is run for the credit bureaus, and you can choose five years or a permanent opt-out. Our OptOutPrescreen guide walks through it.

Step 2: Register with DMAchoice

DMAchoice is a mail preference service run by the marketing industry. According to the FTC, it lets you limit most promotional mail for 10 years for a $6 processing fee, though it does not stop all of it. The DMAchoice site also offers tools to opt out a deceased person and to register as a caretaker for someone else.

Step 3: Contact companies directly

Shops, banks, charities and services you already use are allowed to keep writing to you even after you register with these lists, according to the FTC. Log in to each account and switch off postal marketing, or call and ask. While you are there, refuse permission to share your details with partner companies.

What these steps do not stop

• Flyers addressed to Resident or Occupant, which are delivered to every address on a route
• Political campaign mail
• Companies that never check preference lists

Extra steps that help

Mail for someone who has died

Marketing mail to someone who has died can be upsetting and is a known target for identity fraud. DMAchoice offers a deceased opt-out. Also contact companies that keep writing to them.

Catalogs and magazine offers

Catalog companies often share or rent their mailing lists. Call the number on the back of each catalog you do not want and ask to be removed and not to have your name shared. Many have an online form too. It takes a few weeks to stop, because catalogs are printed in advance.

Credit card convenience checks

Some card issuers send blank checks linked to your account. These are a fraud risk if stolen. Call your card issuer and ask them to stop sending them.

Track where your address goes

If a new company starts writing to you, ask it where it got your details. In states with privacy laws, you may be able to ask it to delete your data.

Moving house

When you move, junk mail for previous residents often keeps arriving. Write “not at this address, return to sender” on it, and register your own name for opt-outs at the new address.

The same idea for calls and email

For phone calls, register with the National Do Not Call Registry. For email, see how to stop spam emails. In the UK, the equivalent of DMAchoice is the Mailing Preference Service.