If you or a close loved one is a frequent traveler with many points or miles accumulated over time, it is essential to understand how these can be inherited. Depending on the airline, the ability to transfer miles or points upon death varies significantly, making it crucial to be informed about each airline’s specific policies.
Inheritance Policy Overview
Most airlines maintain a policy stating that frequent flyer miles become null and void after the member’s death. While some loved ones have successfully requested the miles be transferred, others have received suggestions from the airlines to provide family members with account login information for access.
To Bequeath or Not Bequeath
A lawyer may include a clause in your will mandating that your frequent flyer miles or points go to a specified person. However, this only holds true if the airline’s policy permits such transfers. While adding a clause in your will may not harm your case, it might not yield the desired results depending on the airline’s regulations.
How to Inherit Miles
Major airlines like American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, and United Airlines have clear policies indicating that frequent flyer miles are not transferable upon death. However, luck may be on your side with American, United, or Southwest where, as per their policies, points/mileage may be transferred to “court-approved” or “authorized persons.” It’s worth noting that Southwest does not explicitly state this, but exceptions have occurred in practice. In contrast, Delta has a strict stance with no room for maneuver.
JetBlue provides an easier inheritance route through its Family Pooling service. If your family is registered as a unit, activating this feature ensures that if a family member passes away or leaves the arrangement, their frequent flyer points remain accessible within the pool.
Interestingly, Alaska Airlines refers to the frequent flyer miles of a deceased loved one as “memorial miles.” Although this is not officially documented, Alaska Airlines typically transfers miles to a spouse or loved one free of charge upon presentation of a death certificate.
Furthermore, many airline agents informally suggest that if a spouse or loved one possesses the username and password of the account and the airline has not been officially informed about the death, this could provide another avenue to access frequent flyer miles.
The Fine Print
The wording of frequent flyer policies concerning member death varies across airlines, yet most share similar stipulations. Below is a summary of individual airline policies regarding mileage transfers:
American Airlines
Mileage credits are non-transferable and cannot be combined with AAdvantage members, their estates, or successors. Accrued mileage credit and award tickets do not constitute member property. Additionally, accrued mileage, award tickets, or elite status are non-transferable upon death, as a domestic relations matter, or through legal processes. However, American Airlines may credit accrued mileage to individuals explicitly identified in court-approved documents such as divorce decrees or wills, upon receiving satisfactory documentation and any applicable fees.
Delta Air Lines
Delta explicitly states that miles do not belong to any member. They are non-transferable under any circumstances, including death, without an affirmative written position authorized by an officer of the airline.
JetBlue
Points are non-transferable and may not be pooled among TrueBlue Members, their estates, or successors, except when using Family Pooling. Accrued points and award travel do not constitute member property and are non-transferable upon death.
Southwest Airlines
Points are not transferrable to an estate or as part of an inheritance plan. Upon the death of a member, their account will become inactive after two years from the last earning date, leading to the inaccessibility of points.
United Airlines
Accrued mileage, benefits, and status are not property of the member and cannot be transferred, except through United’s Transfer Miles Program. In cases of death, United may credit accrued mileage to authorized individuals upon proper documentation and any applicable fees, at their discretion.
