DMAchoice™ is an online tool offered through the ANA (Association of National Advertisers), the largest trade association in the U.S. devoted to serving all aspects of marketing, which includes many of the leaders in the direct marketing community. As a nonprofit organization, we provide this service to help consumers express their marketing preferences to participating companies and organizations.

It is important to note that the ANA is not the source of consumer names for marketing purposes. We do not supply companies with consumer names to send promotional mail.

How does DMAchoice help the environment?

DMAchoice has been in existence since 1971. It reduces new direct mail solicitations, reducing mail volume overall. In fact, the service has been so successful at reducing unwanted mailings that it has been replicated in other countries around the world.

What is the difference between prospect and customer mail?

To start managing your mail, one of the first things you’ll need to figure out is whether companies consider you a prospect or a customer. What’s the difference? Glad you asked!

Prospect: If you receive mail from companies, you’ve never bought from or organizations you never donated to, you’re a prospect, or a potential new customer/donor.

Customer/Donor: If you have purchased from or subscribed to a company or donated to an organization in the past two years, you may be considered a customer and may receive certain benefits, updates, and offers.

Why is this important? Well, if you sign up for DMAchoice, you’ll reduce the amount of prospect mail you receive. However, you will still receive customer and donor mail. If you wish to be removed from customer or donor mailings, please contact that company or organization directly for removal. You may find appropriate contact information in their online privacy policies or Contact Us page. We cannot remove you from individual company-specific mailings. Each company should have an internal suppression process.

Will DMAchoice remove me from all promotional mailings?

No. Our service is meant to reduce the overall volume of prospect promotional offers you receive. It will not eliminate all promotional mail. We estimate you’ll see an 80% reduction.

To be removed from company-specific mailings, you can contact the company directly, which would also give you more control over what you receive and what you don’t. Please contact the company directly to opt out before contacting us for assistance. For example, some companies will already have options for receiving less mail or email, so you can reduce the amount of mail you get but you’ll still have access to the information and offers you enjoy.

However, if you’d like to reduce the overall volume of promotional mail you receive from many companies, then sign up for DMAchoice. Just remember: if you’ve purchased from, subscribed to, or donated to a company or organization in the past two years, you will need to ask them to be removed directly, using the contact information included on their website. Please view the company’s privacy policy to locate appropriate contact information.

If the company is not responsive to your mail removal request, then you can file a complaint with the ANA.

I get multiple copies of the same mailing every month, and I just want to get one. What can I do?

You should contact the company directly to let them know. They’ll want to eliminate any unnecessary or duplicate mailings as well. For most companies, you’ll be able to find contact information on the company’s website. Again, we recommend you view either the company’s online privacy policy or Contact Us page for information on how to reach their customer service or privacy team.

What types of mail can I stop? What types can’t I stop?

Covered mail: You can request to stop:

Prospect promotional mail from companies and organizations with which you don’t have a business relationship:
For example, catalogs, magazine offers, donation requests, and retail promotions.

Not covered mail: You can’t stop the following types of mail using this service:
• Transactional mail: Invoices, bills, statements, and notices.
• Prescreened offers for credit or insurance. To opt out of these, go to https://optoutprescreen.com.
• Political mailings are exempt.
• Mailings addressed to “current resident”: Contact your local Post Office for assistance in being removed from these mailings.
• Customer or donor mail for those companies or nonprofits that you have purchased from, subscribed to, or donated to in the past.
• Companies or organizations that don’t subscribe to DMAchoice will not receive your suppression request.

Does DMAchoice stop unaddressed mail for a Current Resident or Occupant?

Resident mailings, or also called Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), is provided by the United States Postal Service (USPS) and local companies the USPS partners with to deliver mail to local zip codes. EDDM is used for particular zip codes, not individual names and addresses. Therefore, your DMAchoice opt-out which uses both name and address for suppression will not work to stop EDDM mailings. You can contact your local Post Office to see if they will honor your request to opt out, but since this is for “every door” locally, the local Post Office cannot process that request easily since the local carrier would have to extract your mail piece from the prepared stack of mailings for the EDDM going to your zip code.

Does DMAchoice stop prescreened credit and insurance offers?

If you don’t want to receive prescreened offers of credit and insurance, you can go to https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ to opt out of receiving them for five years or opt out of receiving them permanently. This opt-out service is managed by the main credit bureaus, not the ANA.

How can I stop mail from being sent to a dependent in my care?

To prevent direct mail from being sent to a person in your care, you may register for the Do Not Contact for Caretakers List. The information on this list is updated and sent to subscribing companies each month. You should see a decrease in mail within three months of registration.

When you register a name with this service, the person’s name, address, and email address are permanently placed on our mail and email opt-out lists.

When will my changes take effect?

Please note that some mailings are prepared far in advance of when you receive them. You should allow 90 days for your request to take effect.

What if I have more than one mailing address?

Once you register with DMAchoice, you can keep a total of 5 separate mailing addresses in your profile. You can update and manage your mail preferences as often as you like.

What if I’ve changed my name?

Once you register with DMAchoice, you can manage mail addressed to 5 different variations of your name by adding them to your profile. You can update your personal information, including these name variations, as often as you like.

How do I change my password?

To change your password, go to your profile and click the “Edit My Profile” button. You will be asked to enter and re-enter your new password and to save your changes.

Is my personal information kept private?

In accordance with our Privacy Policy, we will not use — or allow others to use — the information you provide on this site for marketing purposes. Your information is only used to fulfill your specific opt-out requests.

Is DMAchoice a tool to assist consumers with state privacy laws, like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)?

As a nonprofit organization, we provide this service to help consumers express their marketing preferences to participating businesses and organizations. It is not a tool to effectuate rights under any specific law, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Why is there a fee for DMAchoice?

The ANA charges a nominal fee, $5 for online and $6 for mail-in registration, to cover the administrative costs of this service. Your marketing preferences will be retained for 10 years. As a nonprofit organization, we provide this suppression service to help people express their marketing preferences to interested companies and organizations. It is important to note that the ANA is not the source of consumer names for marketing purposes. We do not supply companies with consumer names to send promotional mail.

How can I stop receiving promotional calls?

You may register for the National Do Not Call List to stop receiving nationwide promotional calls. Additionally, consumers who reside in Pennsylvania or Wyoming may also have their telephone numbers registered on the Pennsylvania and Wyoming Do Not Call Lists, since these states have retained their own Do Not Call lists. The ANA is the official provider of these two state lists.

I have concerns about identity theft. Who can help me?

Identity theft is a serious and sensitive issue. If you believe that you are a victim of identity theft, then please visit the Federal Trade Commission for additional information on what to look for, and how to report it and recover from it.

How can I file a complaint?

The ANA is interested in hearing from you if you believe a direct marketing promotion or practice is questionable and may warrant a formal review by the ANA Ethics Committee. The ANA receives and investigates complaints against member and nonmember organizations.

File a General Marketing Ethics Complaint: Concerns about terms and conditions of the offer, deceptive copy, sweepstakes promotional issues, etc.

File an Interest-Based Online Advertising Complaint: “Interest-based” online ads are ads which are based on your browsing history. Opting out of interest-based ads means that you will still see ads on websites, but they may not be relevant to you. If you opt out of interest-based ads but you are still seeing ads based on your browsing history, you can file a complaint here.

File an Online Political Ad Transparency Complaint: If a political ad appearing on websites you visit did not include proper disclosures and source information, you can file a complaint here.

Can you tell me more about your organization and services?

Our Consumer Choice Tools have a solid reputation in the marketplace with consumers, regulators, and companies. Since the early 1970s, we’ve worked with millions of consumers and thousands of companies to honor marketing preferences by:

• Reducing promotional mail addressed to unresponsive consumers
• Removing sensitive mailings to families of deceased individuals
• Protecting our most vulnerable population of the elderly and individuals with health-related challenges

To discover more about us and our services, and additional consumer resources, visit our Learning Center.