How to Stop Junk Mail: Opt-Outs That Work

The average household received 393 pieces of advertising mail in fiscal 2025 and threw 39% of it away unread, according to the Postal Service's own household survey. Every Door Direct Mail, the one kind no opt-out reaches, was nearly 3 billion of the 56.8 billion advertising pieces USPS delivered that year. Most of the rest carried a name or street address from a mailing list, and mailing lists have opt-outs.

How do I stop junk mail?

Work through these six steps in order. The first two are the broadest: one request each reaches many companies at once. The rest pick off specific senders.

Which opt-out covers what?

Each one reaches a different slice of your mail, which is why the steps above use several.

Sources: each service's own website, October 2026; the FTC for OptOutPrescreen timing.

None of these reach EDDM flyers addressed to “Postal Customer.” There is no list to leave, so the only lever is to ask each sender to mark your address Do Not Deliver.

How long until the junk mail stops?

Six weeks to three months for most opt-outs, because mailings are addressed well before they go out. DMAchoice says to allow 90 days, Catalog Choice says 6 to 8 weeks per merchant, and Save says up to six weeks. OptOutPrescreen processes requests within five days, but the FTC says offers can keep arriving for several weeks.

How do I stop charity mail?

Ask each charity you've given to. DMAchoice covers donation requests only from organizations you haven't supported in the past two years, so the ones you have need a direct request: call, email or write, ask to stop the mail, and ask them not to rent, sell or exchange your name. You can put the same request in writing with your next gift. Catalog Choice also lists some charities. If a charity ignores you, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance takes complaints.

Is a paid app like PaperKarma worth it?

It can save time, but it works the same way as the free steps: one sender at a time. You photograph a piece of mail and PaperKarma asks the sender to remove you. After four free opt-outs it costs $24.99 a year or $59.99 once. By its own count it has sent more than 10 million opt-out requests, has 100,000+ mailers in its database, and “eliminates 90%+ of junk mail addressed to you by name.” It is a paid service, not a Do Not Mail registry, and it says it cannot stop EDDM or “Current Resident” mail.

Is the “National Do Not Mail List” official?

No. It is a free sign-up run by DirectMail.com, a company that resells mailing lists. DirectMail.com says it cannot forward registrations to other list sources, so signing up doesn't reach the wider industry the way DMAchoice does. There is no government Do Not Mail list: why the U.S. has no Do Not Mail registry.

Can I write “Refused” on junk mail and send it back?

Only on unopened mail, and it rarely reaches the sender. USPS lets you refuse a piece when it's delivered, or mark it “Refused” afterward if you haven't opened it. Refused First-Class Mail goes back to the sender. Advertising mail goes back only if the sender printed an endorsement such as “Return Service Requested”; without one, USPS throws it away. Advertising mail addressed to “Postal Customer” or “Current Resident” isn't allowed to carry those endorsements, so refusing it does nothing.

How do I stop phone books?

Through the directory publishers' own opt-out site, YellowPagesOptOut.com (it now forwards to optoutyp.com). It lists publishers' opt-out contacts, including The Real Yellow Pages from Thryv at 1-844-339-6334, and has its own opt-out form.

Do USPS Informed Delivery or Hold Mail help?

Not with junk mail. Informed Delivery, a free USPS service, shows you previews of incoming letter-size mail, but it doesn't stop anything. Hold Mail keeps your mail at the Post Office for 3 to 30 days while you're away, junk included.

What about mail addressed to “Current Resident” or “Postal Customer”?

Check what's printed on it. If your street address appears with “Current Resident” or “Resident,” the mail came from an address list, and the sender can take you off it; the Valpak and Save coupon packs work this way. If it says only “Postal Customer” or “Residential Customer,” with no name or street, it is Every Door Direct Mail, and no opt-out list reaches it. Every address format on junk mail, explained.