I grew up in the points-and-miles world. My dad was a Million Miler on two major airlines, signed me up for frequent-flier accounts when I was a toddler and had a stack of credit card recommendations waiting for me when I started working. Because he loved travel and planning, he began a transition plan for his rewards years before it was ever needed.
Even with that head start and a lot of knowledge between us, we still ran into surprises while settling his accounts. Below are the main lessons I learned — practical steps that will save headaches if you’re preparing your rewards for a future transfer or helping a loved one.
1) Check, re-check and share every login
My dad kept a spreadsheet with many of his airline and hotel logins and handed it to me. That helped, but it wasn’t complete: he had forgotten logins for some credit-card accounts that held hundreds of thousands of transferable points. Without those credentials, access to those balances would have been blocked.
Actionables:
– Catalog every relevant login: airline, hotel, credit-card portals, and the email accounts tied to them.
– Test the credentials before you need them. Have the designated person log in while the account owner is present to confirm everything works.
– Share security-question answers and backup email credentials alongside passwords.
– Keep a secure, updated copy (password manager preferred) and a paper copy in a trusted, private place.
2) Expect two-factor authentication (2FA) headaches
2FA is common and often triggered by a new device or location. We kept my dad’s phone active after he died, and that turned out to be essential — many sites texted verification codes to his number. In other cases, codes went to an email I didn’t initially have access to, forcing password resets that required access to yet another account or an app on his phone. At one point I even had to search his messages for a friend’s birthdate to answer a security question.
Actionables:
– Make sure whoever will manage accounts has access to the phone (or the authentication app) and the recovery email tied to each account.
– Record how 2FA is set up for each account: SMS, authentication app, backup codes, trusted devices.
– Consider printing backup codes and storing them with other documentation.
3) Have a clear plan for where points will go — and move them early if you can
Timing matters. Credit-card issuers frequently close accounts once they’re notified of a cardholder’s death. If an account shuts immediately, points can be lost or cashed out for a fraction of their value. You can delay reporting a death, but that can mean paying annual fees on unused cards.
When possible, move transferable currencies proactively to the recipient’s accounts while the member is still alive. Some useful considerations from our experience:
– Choose transfer partners that allow easy movement between family members. For example, some airline or hotel programs let you transfer or combine balances among household members; others do not.
– Certain programs require recipient accounts to be open for a set period before they can receive transferred points, so open the needed accounts early.
– If you can’t move points before death, prioritize transferring balances from cards that will be closed on death, or plan which programs will retain value if cashed out.
4) Make sure authorized users can stand on their own before it matters
We didn’t anticipate that authorized-user accounts on my dad’s cards would close immediately after his death. Several family members who had only been authorized users suddenly had no active credit accounts. Applying for new cards right after we reported his death proved harder than expected — initial applications were rejected despite good credit histories that largely consisted of authorized-user accounts.
Actionables:
– If someone depends on being an authorized user, have them apply for their own primary card while the primary account holder is alive.
– If they’re new to credit, consider a progression plan: starter or “stepping-stone” cards, a secured card, or cards with easier approval first, then upgrade as credit history builds.
– Don’t wait until an emergency to start the application process.
Final thoughts
Thinking about death is uncomfortable, but a little proactive planning goes a long way. Test and update passwords, record how 2FA is handled, decide where points should go and move them when possible, and make sure authorized users can obtain their own credit. Those steps turned what could have been a mess into something manageable for my family and allowed us to use my dad’s rewards for a meaningful trip to a place he and I always planned to visit together.
Treat this as an ongoing process: update documentation periodically, verify credentials, and keep the right people informed. That extra work will make a difficult time simpler and preserve more of the value your loved one accumulated.