‘Tis the season for a mailbox full of catalogs and credit card balance transfer checks. (Hint: There is a connection between the two.) If you want these “access” checks to stop, you just have to ask. You simply call them up (see back of credit card) or go online into their Live Chat or Secure Message systems and ask them.
In the past, I didn’t mind the checks as I wanted the opportunity to get money at 0% APR with no balance transfer fee. However, given the current low interest rates and the fact that nearly all of them have balance transfer fees, I’d rather just have less paper to shred. The wording isn’t particularly important, but you can just copy and paste this if you’d like:
Dear Credit Card Issuer,
I am writing to request that balance transfer and/or purchase access checks no longer be sent to me via mail. I would like for this preference to be applied across all of my credit card accounts.
Thank you,
Your Customer
Here are my successful results after online inquiries to Capital One, Chase, and Citibank. I didn’t have to call anyone.
Citibank. Via their Secure Message system:
Chase. Via their Secure Message system:
Capital One. I did this one via live chat. In retrospect, rather than waiting around for all the back and forth, it was probably easier to just send off a secure message and wait for the confirmation reply. Below is an excerpt of the chat.
If you don’t want any unsolicited offers for new credit cards sent to you, you can also enroll at OptOutPrescreen.com. This is not the same situation as above, because if you already have a relationship they can send you junk until you opt out.
The Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – November 2024
Big List of Free Stocks from Brokerage Apps
Best Interest Rates on Cash - November 2024
Free Credit Scores x 3 + Free Credit Monitoring
Best No Fee 0% APR Balance Transfer Offers
Little-Known Cellular Data Plans That Can Save Big Money
How To Haggle Your Cable or Direct TV Bill
Big List of Free Consumer Data Reports (Credit, Rent, Work)
I once had someone get a hold of one of my cash advance checks (I’m not sure how, maybe it was misdelivered because I always shred them like you do) and wrote a check for $4000). I of course called it in as fraud and filed a police report but it was just a hassle.
Definitely a good idea to stop getting them in the mail.
Thanks for the FYI, I am getting tired of shredding all of these too 🙂
I am afraid you might have opted out of pre-screened offers from Citi… I would rather shred some checks and get sweet sweet bonuses than get nothing,
It’s true, I might miss out on some targeted offers, but in the past few years I can’t recall getting anything via snail mail that wasn’t also available online. I tried to word it so just the checks were stopped, but if they stop with other offers then I’ll accept the consequences.
Did not know I could stop just that. Thanks for the information.
My shredder thanks you.
Speaking about banks’ credit cards, Jonathan, which aggregating services do you use to simplify tracing your credit cards/bank accounts? Convenience vs security?
I’d also like to have them stop sending me the high-fee, 0% checks, but then I’m afraid I’ll miss the opportunity when the banks start reoffering the no-fee, 0% offers!
I had the same success with a secure message to Elan FInancial Services. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks so much for posting this. What a great idea! I just received a balance transfer offer + checks in the mail from Citibank and now I know how best to handle my response w/o having to phone them.
I remember getting a ridiculous amount of these checks from Chase and Citibank and I had called years ago to ask they stop as it was a security risk to my identity/account/etc. I was told they could not stop that despite the fact I had opted out of everything paper. This was around 2010ish or so but good to know they do now. I’ll be doing this shortly as well.
Citibank is the worst. I called months ago to ask them to stop and they would not speak to me. I am the main cardholder but my joint owners phone number was on the acct. i had them call in and make the request. Two months later and I am still getting at least one per week. We sent a secured message and got four messages in reply. Two saying they have sent the message to another department and then two different ones saying they will stop them in 30-60 days. What a marvel of inefficiency.
I spoke with a Bank of America rep today and was successful in getting the access checks stopped, but I can’t believe that it takes two billing cycles for this to take place. Why can’t it stop immediately? People in my area have had their mailboxes broken into and the criminals used these checks to make charges against their account. It should be set up so that the cardholder has to opt-in to receive these checks.
Letter to your bank…
Re: Cease and Desist Sending Promotional Blank Credit Card Balance Transfer Checks
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing this letter to formally request that [insert bank name] immediately cease and desist from sending me promotional blank credit card balance transfer checks. I have been a customer of Chase Bank for [insert duration], and I am deeply concerned about the risks associated with these unsolicited checks.
Despite multiple calls to your customer service department requesting the discontinuation of these promotional checks, I continue to receive them. This not only puts my financial security at risk but also constitutes an invasion of my privacy. The checks, if stolen or misused, could lead to fraudulent activities that could severely impact my financial well-being.
Please consider this letter as formal written notice of my objection to receiving these promotional checks. I strongly urge you to address this issue promptly. Failure to do so will compel me to consider various options to protect my interests, which may include filing a formal complaint with the appropriate regulatory bodies.
Enclosed with this letter, you will find the most recent set of blank checks that I have received, which I have voided for your records. I expect written confirmation from [insert bank name] within 14 days of receiving this letter, confirming that my request has been honored and that I will no longer receive these promotional checks.
If I do not receive such confirmation within the stipulated time, I will feel compelled to consider further steps to protect my interests. I trust that it will not come to this and that [insert bank name] will take immediate steps to rectify this situation.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this serious matter. I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]