diff --git a/common/models/user.js b/common/models/user.js
index d0dff0432f..3fef044688 100644
--- a/common/models/user.js
+++ b/common/models/user.js
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ import { isEmail } from 'validator';
 import path from 'path';
 import loopback from 'loopback';
 import _ from 'lodash';
-import { ObjectId } from 'mongodb';
 import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
+import generate from 'nanoid/generate';
 
 import { fixCompletedChallengeItem } from '../utils';
 import { themes } from '../utils/themes';
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ import {
 
 const log = debugFactory('fcc:models:user');
 const BROWNIEPOINTS_TIMEOUT = [1, 'hour'];
+const nanoidCharSet =
+  '0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ';
 
 const createEmailError = redirectTo => wrapHandledError(
   new Error('email format is invalid'),
@@ -237,7 +239,7 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
           user.externalId = uuid();
         }
         if (!user.unsubscribeId) {
-          user.unsubscribeId = new ObjectId();
+          user.unsubscribeId = generate(nanoidCharSet, 20);
         }
 
         if (!user.progressTimestamps) {
@@ -296,7 +298,7 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
         }
 
         if (!user.unsubscribeId) {
-          user.unsubscribeId = new ObjectId();
+          user.unsubscribeId = generate(nanoidCharSet, 20);
         }
       })
       .ignoreElements();
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 3b347c43d1..9e4b323481 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -5901,7 +5901,7 @@
     },
     "event-stream": {
       "version": "3.3.4",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/event-stream/-/event-stream-3.3.4.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/event-stream/-/event-stream-3.3.4.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-SrTJoPWlTbkzi0w02Gv86PSzVXE=",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
@@ -12719,6 +12719,11 @@
       "dev": true,
       "optional": true
     },
+    "nanoid": {
+      "version": "1.1.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/nanoid/-/nanoid-1.1.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-iOCqgXieGrk8/wDt1n9rZS2KB1dYVssemY0NTWjfzVr+1t1gAmdTp1u2+YHppKro3Bk5S+Gs+xmYCfpuXauYXQ=="
+    },
     "nanomatch": {
       "version": "1.2.6",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/nanomatch/-/nanomatch-1.2.6.tgz",
@@ -16834,7 +16839,7 @@
     },
     "should-equal": {
       "version": "0.3.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/should-equal/-/should-equal-0.3.1.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/should-equal/-/should-equal-0.3.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-vY6pemdI45+tR2o75v1y68LnK/A=",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index de0267d803..08ac9e04ae 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@
     "mongodb": "^3.0.4",
     "morgan": "^1.6.1",
     "mousetrap": "~1.6.0",
+    "nanoid": "^1.1.0",
     "node-emoji": "^1.4.1",
     "nodemailer": "^2.1.0",
     "nodemailer-ses-transport": "^1.5.1",
diff --git a/server/boot/randomAPIs.js b/server/boot/randomAPIs.js
index 061482f35a..9c4aa7a01c 100644
--- a/server/boot/randomAPIs.js
+++ b/server/boot/randomAPIs.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import request from 'request';
-import { ObjectId } from 'mongodb';
 
 import constantStrings from '../utils/constantStrings.json';
 import testimonials from '../resources/testimonials.json';
@@ -162,7 +161,7 @@ module.exports = function(app) {
           req.flash('info', {
             msg: 'We\'ve successfully updated your Email preferences.'
           });
-          return res.redirect('/unsubscribed/');
+          return res.redirect('/unsubscribed');
         })
         .catch(next);
     });
@@ -176,13 +175,11 @@ module.exports = function(app) {
           msg: 'We could not find an account to unsubscribe'
         });
         return res.redirect('/');
-
       }
       const [ user ] = users;
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
       user.updateAttributes({
-        sendQuincyEmail: false,
-        unsubscribeId: unsubscribeId
+        sendQuincyEmail: false
       }, (err) => {
         if (err) {
           reject(err);
@@ -194,7 +191,7 @@ module.exports = function(app) {
         req.flash('success', {
           msg: 'We\'ve successfully updated your email preferences.'
         });
-        return res.redirect(`/unsubscribed/${queryId}`);
+        return res.redirect(`/unsubscribed/${unsubscribeId}`);
       })
       .catch(next);
     });
@@ -215,16 +212,8 @@ module.exports = function(app) {
   }
 
   function resubscribe(req, res, next) {
-    const { unsubscribeId: queryId } = req.params;
-    return User.find({
-      where: {
-        or: [
-          { unsubscribeId: queryId },
-          { unsubscribeId: ObjectId(queryId).toString() },
-          { unsubscribeId: ObjectId(queryId) }
-        ]
-      }
-    },
+    const { unsubscribeId } = req.params;
+    return User.find({ where: { unsubscribeId } },
       (err, users) => {
         if (err || !users.length) {
           req.flash('info', {