When you die, your airline miles and hotel points are not legally yours to pass on. Every major loyalty program says the points belong to the program, not the member. But in practice, I compared ten of the biggest programs this week and found that most of them will move points to an heir who shows up with a death certificate and the right paperwork.
A listener of the Clark Howard podcast asked this exact question a while back: she and her husband had earned a lot of travel miles and hotel points over the years and wanted to know if the points could go to the kids. Clark’s answer was that estate lawyers already have this on their intake forms. He is right. Anthony Bourdain famously included his Airmiles in his will. The question comes up constantly on r/churning and r/awardtravel, usually from someone staring at a six-figure balance and realizing they have no idea who gets it. I hold balances across more than a dozen airline and hotel programs, and I ran this comparison because my own estate paperwork needs this answer too.
The Legal Reality: You Do Not Own Your Miles
Start here, because it shapes everything else. Frequent flyer miles and hotel points are not property. They are contractual perks, and every program’s terms say they belong to the program, not to you. That is why a will alone cannot force a transfer the way it can with a bank account.
Delta’s terms put it the bluntest way possible: miles “may not be sold, attached, seized, levied upon, pledged, or transferred under any circumstances, including, without limitation, by operation of law, upon death.” American’s terms say mileage credit “does not constitute property of the member” and is not transferable upon death. Tiffany Funk, co-founder of the award-search tool Point.me, told an interviewer the core problem plainly: program terms do not treat miles as something you own, so they cannot be owned and passed down like other assets.
The practical consequence: no program is legally obligated to hand your miles to your heirs. But most of them do it anyway as a courtesy, on their own terms, with their own paperwork. That gap between the written rule and the real process is where this whole article lives.
What Happens to Airline Miles When You Die? 10 Programs Compared
I compared the published death-transfer policies of the six biggest U.S. airlines and four biggest hotel programs in October 2026, drawing on the programs’ own terms pages and current reporting from loyalty press. This is the original research for this article, and it is the section to bookmark if you are handling an estate.
American Airlines (AAdvantage). The most formal process of any U.S. airline. American says it may, at its sole discretion, credit accrued mileage to people specifically identified in a will, once it receives documentation it considers satisfactory and payment of any applicable fees. The catch: the transfer request and all documents must be submitted within one year of the member’s death. Miss the window and the miles are gone, and American’s decision is final. Separately, AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months of no account activity, so a dormant deceased account can drain on its own.
United Airlines (MileagePlus). Discretionary, like American, but worded even more loosely. United “may, in its sole discretion, credit all or a portion of such Member’s accrued mileage to authorized persons” on receipt of satisfactory documentation and payment of fees. The phrase “all or a portion” means United reserves the right to transfer only part of the balance, though in practice most approved requests move the full amount. United’s living-transfer fee is steep: $7.50 per 500 miles plus a $30 processing fee per transaction. MileagePlus miles do not expire, which buys an estate time.
Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles). The strictest of the big three on paper. Delta’s terms flatly prohibit transfer upon death. There is no published estate-transfer procedure. That said, Delta has historically processed requests from executors who provide a death certificate and account details, usually through a bereavement or estate team rather than a self-service form. If you are dealing with a Delta account, call SkyMiles member services and ask for the estate team directly, because the written rules will not walk you through it. Delta’s living-transfer rate is 1 cent per mile plus $30 per transfer, and SkyMiles do not expire.
Southwest Airlines (Rapid Rewards). The only major U.S. program that is flat-out strict. Points may not be transferred to a member’s estate or as part of a settlement, inheritance, or will. When a member dies, the account becomes inactive 24 months after the last earning date and the points are unavailable for use. There is no documented estate-transfer process at all. Rapid Rewards points do not expire while the member is alive, which makes this policy the cruelest surprise of the list: you can hoard points forever, but your family gets nothing.
Alaska Airlines (Atmos Rewards). Alaska does not publish a readable estate-transfer page, but in practice the airline handles requests at its discretion when documentation is supplied. Alaska’s living-transfer program costs $10 per 1,000 miles plus a $25 processing fee per transaction, capped at 30,000 miles per transaction. Like American, Alaska’s miles expire with prolonged inactivity, so a deceased member’s untouched account will shrink on its own.
JetBlue (TrueBlue). JetBlue’s real answer is to plan ahead. Its Points Pooling program lets 2 to 7 members combine points into one shared pool, and any pool member can use the pooled points. On death, there is no formal inheritance process; points that were pooled stay pooled and remain usable by the surviving members, and points that were never pooled are effectively stuck.
Hilton Honors. One of the friendliest estate policies in the industry. Points from a deceased member’s account can be transferred to another member once Hilton receives and approves the requested documentation, submitted within one year of death. There is no fee, points can be split across multiple accounts, and the recipient needs their own existing Hilton account. Elite status does not transfer, and transferred points do not count toward status.
IHG One Rewards. Just as flexible as Hilton. When a member passes away, points can be transferred to the accounts of beneficiaries, with the request sent to IHG Customer Care by the executor or administrator along with court documents, or by a sole beneficiary with the will and death certificate. The request must go in within one year of death, no fees apply, and multiple beneficiaries are allowed.
Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott allows a one-time transfer of unredeemed points from a deceased member’s account to a single recipient, who must be either the legal spouse or named in the deceased member’s will. No split transfers to multiple people. The documentation bar is the highest of any hotel program: the will, the death certificate, a marriage certificate if the requestor is the spouse, and two forms of legal ID. Awards, elite status, and elite night credits never transfer.
World of Hyatt. The most restrictive hotel policy. Points transfer on a one-time basis to one person, and only to a person sharing the same residential mailing address as the deceased member. Points, not status and not awards. If your intended heir does not live at your address, Hyatt’s terms do not help you.
The quotable summary: In October 2026, I compared ten loyalty programs and found a clear split. All four hotel programs (Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Hyatt) allow documented estate transfers, most of them free, while among the airlines only American and United offer a formal process, Delta officially allows nothing, and Southwest forfeits the points outright.
How to Claim Miles as an Heir: The Executor’s Playbook
If someone you love has died with loyalty points on the table, move in this order.
First, inventory every account before you close anything. Do not cancel credit cards or call the airline to report the death until you know what the balances are, because several programs forfeit points the moment an account is closed.
Second, gather the standard documents: the death certificate, proof of your authority as executor or administrator, and the will if there is one. Every program on this list asks for some version of these three things.
Third, contact each program’s estate or bereavement channel directly, not the regular customer service line. For American, the estate line is 800-882-8880. For Delta, call SkyMiles member services and ask for the estate team. Expect to complete an affidavit of entitlement for most airlines.
Fourth, watch the clocks. American, Hilton, and IHG all require the request within one year of death. Be aware that American may also delay any approved transfer for six months or longer to make sure no competing claims exist, so this is not a fast process.
Fifth, expect the balance to keep decaying while you work. Expiration rules do not pause for probate. American and Alaska miles expire after 24 months of inactivity, and an untouched deceased account is inactive by definition, so file early and keep the account active.
One honest note on elite status: it never transfers, anywhere. No program lets an heir inherit Gold or Platinum status, elite night credits, or upgrades. If status is the asset you care about, see whether airline status matches are worth doing instead. Status dies with the member. The points, at least, can live on.
What Should You Do While You Are Alive?
The best inheritance plan for loyalty points is to make them easy to use, not hard to claim.
Pool your points now. United’s free Miles Pooling covers up to five people. JetBlue’s Points Pooling covers two to seven. Hilton lets any member transfer points to any other member for free at any time. Marriott and Choice Privileges both offer sharing options. Pooled points bypass the estate process entirely, because they were never solely yours.
Book award tickets for others from your own account. Every major airline lets you put any passenger’s name on an award ticket at no extra fee, so the simplest transfer is often just booking the trip. When you do, expect a hunt: here is why award seats are so hard to find these days.
Build the “dead box.” Estate planners and loyalty writers both recommend a single secure file with every program name, account number, and login, plus written permission for your executor to access the accounts. Families use this constantly, and airlines keep accounts open until they receive a death notice.
Name the programs in your will. Clark Howard’s advice stands: wills lawyers already have loyalty programs on their intake forms. American, Marriott, and IHG all specifically reference wills in their estate-transfer terms, so a will that names the programs and intended recipients matches the paperwork the programs actually ask for.
And the strategy the entire loyalty world agrees on: earn and burn. Points are a depreciating asset even while you are alive, because hotel points lose value every year and airlines devalue award charts without warning. The surest inheritance is a booked trip taken together, not a balance left behind.
What Happens to Credit Card Points When You Die?
American Express Membership Rewards. One of the better outcomes: an executor can call and get a one-time redemption, either as a gift card or transferred to an airline or hotel partner. Do not cancel the card before the executor makes this call.
Chase Ultimate Rewards. The terms say points are forfeited, but in practice Chase typically redeems them as a statement credit to the account. The estate gets value, just not transferable points.
Capital One miles. Capital One converts eligible miles to cash after being notified of a cardholder’s death. The cash first pays down any outstanding account balance, and the remainder goes to the estate once documentation is provided.
Citi ThankYou points. Forfeited under the terms, but an executor can request redemption within one year of death with supporting evidence. Conditional, not guaranteed.
Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards. The worst outcome: forfeited, cannot be transferred or redeemed. If you hold a large balance here, spend it down yourself. In most cases the executor has to call quickly, because bank programs set windows of up to a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you inherit airline miles from a deceased family member?
Sometimes. American Airlines and United offer formal estate-transfer processes at their discretion. Hilton, IHG, Marriott, and Hyatt all allow documented transfers. Delta officially allows nothing, though case-by-case requests sometimes succeed. Southwest forfeits the points outright.
Do airline miles expire when the member dies?
The expiration rules do not pause for probate. American and Alaska miles expire after 24 months of account inactivity, and a deceased member’s untouched account is inactive by definition. File the transfer request early, or keep the account active.
What documents does an heir need to claim miles?
A death certificate, proof of executor or administrator authority, and the will if one exists. American requires all documents within one year of death. Marriott also asks for a marriage certificate if the heir is the spouse, plus two forms of the requestor’s legal ID.
Does elite status transfer to heirs?
No. No airline or hotel program transfers elite status, elite night credits, or upgrades to an heir. Status dies with the member; only points and miles can be moved.
Is it easier to just use the deceased member’s login?
Many families do this: they keep the account open and book travel with the existing points until the balance is spent. It works in practice, but it is against most programs’ terms, and it becomes fraud the moment the program is notified of the death. For large balances, the documented estate process is the safer route.
Do credit card points go to heirs?
It depends on the issuer. Amex allows a one-time executor redemption, Chase typically issues a statement credit, Capital One converts miles to cash for the estate, Citi may allow a request within one year, and Wells Fargo forfeits them entirely.
Bottom line: Your miles are not property, but most programs will still move them to an heir with a death certificate and the right paperwork. Hilton, IHG, and Marriott are the friendliest; American and United have formal airline processes; Southwest and Delta are the programs to worry about. Inventory your accounts now, pool what you can while you are alive, name the programs in your will, and remember that a trip taken together beats any balance left behind.
