Perhaps I am just a suspicious lad, but doesn't this involve giving an awful lot of personal information to professional marketers? Yes, you opt out of one set of ads, but what lists do they put you on instead?

Apparently it goes to the credit-rating agencies, and they, of course, already have your info.

I always assumed that "pre-approved" was a lie, and it would only be after you apply that they would do a credit check. I suspect that's really still the case, and maybe "pre-approved" means a preliminary scan to remove obvious deadbeats from mailing lists. (or even worse, those people who always pay the full balance).