Loyalty Points, Air Miles And Stored Balances

Households accumulate a surprising amount of value in points, miles and prepaid balances. Whether any of it survives the account holder depends entirely on the scheme's own rules.

Points are generally not owned

Loyalty programme terms almost always state that points have no cash value and remain the property of the issuer. The customer holds a revocable right to redeem them, not an asset.

That framing is what allows schemes to change redemption rates, expire balances and close accounts. It also means the balance may simply not form part of an estate in the ordinary sense.

The practical position is often softer than the legal one, because providers dislike the publicity of refusing a bereaved family. Policy and practice frequently differ here.

Transfer policies vary by scheme

Airline programmes commonly allow miles to pass to a named person or an estate on request, sometimes with a fee and a certified copy of the death certificate.

Others permit transfer only between household members, or only where the account was part of a linked family pool set up during the holder's lifetime.

A significant number allow nothing at all and close the account once notified, which is one reason families sometimes redeem a balance before making that notification.

Stored balances are a different category

Prepaid credit on a retail account, a gift card balance or unspent funds in a payment app are usually money rather than points, and money belongs to the estate.

Recovering it still requires proving entitlement to the provider, which for small sums can cost more in time than the balance is worth.

Payment applications holding meaningful balances are worth listing specifically, because they are easy to forget and rarely appear on any statement the executor sees.

Business travel and expenses complicate ownership

Where miles were earned on employer-funded travel, the employer may have its own policy about who the points belong to, particularly for senior staff who travelled heavily.

These arrangements are seldom documented anywhere the family can find, which is another argument for a written note while the account holder can still explain the position.

Deciding whether to pursue it

The sensible approach is proportionate. Large airline balances and substantial stored funds justify the paperwork; a modest coffee shop credit does not.

Scheme rules change often and differ by provider and jurisdiction, so the current terms should be read before assuming anything. Where balances are large, a solicitor can advise on the estate's position.