What Happens to Loyalty Points When You Die UK (2026)? Avios, Nectar & Hotel Points

The legal status of loyalty points on death is governed by the Terms and Conditions of each loyalty programme, not by general property law. Points accumulated under a loyalty scheme are generally not property in the traditional legal sense — they are a contractual right to receive a benefit (a flight, a product, a discount) under the terms of the scheme. Because of this: (1) Most loyalty programmes explicitly state in their Terms and Conditions that points are non-transferable and are forfeited on the account holder's death. Where the T&Cs say this, the points are not part of the estate and cannot be inherited, gifted, or claimed by the executor; (2) Some programmes take a more generous approach and allow certain transfers or redemptions during the administration period — these vary significantly by scheme; (3) For IHT and estate valuation: if the points have a clear monetary equivalent (for example, Avios that can be transferred to a beneficiary's account, or Tesco Clubcard vouchers that can be redeemed), they should technically be declared as an estate asset. In practice, most estate valuers give them a nominal value unless the balance is very large; (4) The executor's practical priority: the most important rule is to act quickly — redeem any points that can be redeemed before closing the deceased's accounts or cancelling their cards. Once an account is closed, unredeemed points are typically forfeited and cannot be recovered. Check each programme's T&Cs for the specific rules.

British Airways Executive Club (BA Avios miles) and the standalone Avios.com programme have different rules: (1) British Airways Executive Club: the BA Executive Club Terms and Conditions explicitly state that Avios are non-transferable and that the membership and all associated Avios are forfeited on the member's death. There is no right for the family or executor to transfer or redeem the miles — they are simply lost. A family member can contact BA Executive Club bereavement services to close the account; (2) Avios.com (the standalone points currency programme): Avios.com allows points to be pooled between family members under a 'Household account' arrangement. If the deceased had a Household account with a surviving family member, the surviving member may be able to claim the points — check the current Avios.com T&Cs for the exact procedure. Contact Avios customer service with a death certificate and any relevant grant of probate documentation; (3) Large Avios balances: if the deceased had a very large Avios balance (for example, a business traveller with 500,000+ miles), it may be worth challenging BA's non-transfer policy through their bereavement team — some reports suggest BA has occasionally allowed transfers in exceptional circumstances, although this is outside their standard terms; (4) Points accumulated via credit cards: Avios earned through the Barclaycard Avios credit card or American Express BA card are typically credited to the BA Executive Club account — if the BA account is non-transferable, these points are also forfeited on death, even if the card account itself can be managed by the executor.

Supermarket and retail loyalty programmes have varying policies on death: (1) Nectar (Sainsbury's, eBay, Argos): Nectar's Terms and Conditions state that points are non-transferable and that accounts are personal to the member. On notification of a death, Sainsbury's/Nectar will close the account and the points are forfeited. An executor can sometimes negotiate redemption of the balance (as Nectar vouchers or a Sainsbury's gift card) before the account is closed, but this is not guaranteed. Contact Nectar customer service with the death certificate as soon as possible; (2) Tesco Clubcard: Tesco's bereavement policy is more generous. Tesco allows the executor to use any accumulated Clubcard vouchers (points converted to vouchers) from the deceased's account for purchases at Tesco, or to claim the voucher value if the estate is being wound up. Contact Tesco Customer Care with the death certificate and grant of probate details. Points that have not been converted to vouchers may be forfeited; (3) Boots Advantage Card: the Advantage Card Terms and Conditions state that points are non-transferable and cannot be passed to another person. On notification of death, Boots will close the account. There is no provision for redemption by the estate; (4) Marks & Spencer Sparks: similar to Nectar — personal to the member; not transferable; contact M&S customer service for bereavement support; (5) Amazon: Amazon does not operate a traditional loyalty points scheme for UK customers. Amazon Prime membership is a subscription (see subscriptions guidance) rather than a points scheme. Any Amazon Gift Card balance credited to the account may be redeemable by the estate — contact Amazon bereavement support.

Hotel loyalty programmes — like airline miles — are almost universally non-transferable under their standard Terms and Conditions: (1) Hilton Honors: the Terms explicitly state that points are non-transferable and are forfeited upon the account holder's death. There is no provision for inheritance or transfer to a beneficiary. The estate should contact Hilton Honors customer service to close the account; (2) IHG One Rewards (InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza): IHG's Terms state that points are personal to the member and cannot be transferred. They are forfeited on the member's death. IHG has an online account support form for bereavement situations; (3) Marriott Bonvoy (Marriott, Sheraton, W Hotels, Ritz-Carlton): Marriott Bonvoy's Terms state that points are non-transferable except as specifically permitted by Marriott. Marriott does have a formal process for transferring points to a designated beneficiary in certain circumstances — contact Marriott Bonvoy customer service with a death certificate and an executor's letter on production of a grant of probate. This is not guaranteed but Marriott is more flexible than most hotel chains; (4) Premier Inn (Saver Club) and Travelodge: these are less formal schemes and typically do not accumulate transferable point balances of significant value; (5) National Express coachcard and other discount schemes: these are personal identity cards that cease on death — no transferable value. General rule: for any hotel or travel loyalty programme with a significant balance, contact the programme's bereavement team before the estate account is closed to see if any compassionate redemption or transfer is available — the answer may occasionally be yes even where the standard T&Cs say no.

Credit card reward schemes — including American Express Membership Rewards, Barclaycard Avios, and Lloyds/Halifax Avios — work differently from free-standing loyalty programmes because they are linked to a credit card account rather than a standalone membership: (1) American Express Membership Rewards: if the deceased had an Amex card linked to the Membership Rewards programme, the executor should contact Amex's bereavement team promptly. Amex allows the executor (with a death certificate and grant of probate) to: claim a final statement; request redemption of the Membership Rewards balance before the account is closed. Points can be redeemed as statement credits, gift cards, or transferred to partner programmes (airline miles, hotel points). Act before the account is formally closed — once closed, any unredeemed Membership Rewards points are forfeited; (2) Barclaycard Avios card: the Avios earned are credited directly to the BA Executive Club account — see the BA/Avios section above. The credit card balance becomes an estate liability; (3) Halifax/Lloyds Avios credit card: similarly, Avios earned are typically credited to a BA Executive Club or Avios.com account. The fate of the points follows the receiving programme's T&Cs; (4) Cashback cards (Chase, Sainsbury's Bank cashback): any earned but unclaimed cashback is an estate asset. The executor should claim the cashback before closing the account. Contact the card issuer's bereavement team with a death certificate. Cashback sitting in a redeemable balance is straightforwardly part of the estate; (5) Store cards with points (John Lewis, M&S): contact each issuer's bereavement team. Claimed vouchers/rewards may be redeemable; unclaimed points are likely forfeited.