Just yesterday, CreditBloggers had a post about the increase of sneaky credit card solicitations. Today it seems that the problem is going digital. American Express has started soliciting credit card offers to their existing customers via email. It’s standard practice for existing customers to receive information about their accounts, rewards program deals and third party offers by email, but this is the first time I have seen a pre-approved credit card offer in my inbox.
This offer makes me a bit nervous because email is definitely not a secure means of transmitting information. The card’s online application is secure and they do require you to verify your identity before applying, but it still makes me somewhat uncomfortable. Plus, I am not sure that opting-out from the credit bureau’s pre-approved marketing programs would include these emails.
On the flip side, I guess it is better to receive these offers by easily-deletable-email than by pages of scan-and-shred paper mail. What are your thoughts on this practice? Submit your feedback in the comments section today.
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I wouldn’t want to receive these email credit card offers either. But I guess you can always unsubscribe from the credit card companies email program, right?
Better by email than by mail. Think of the trees!