ChaseTheMiles

Are you taking care of your frequent-flyer miles in your will? What wording do you use or recommend?

jpdx

Not in my will, but there's a sheet in a safe place with all my account numbers and passwords. The wording I recommend is: "Honey, don't tell them that I'm dead. Book online or have your new boyfriend call them, pretending to be me. Only redeem for international C/F, never "cash out" miles for merchandise or giftcards, and if you try to book with DL, don't trust the online booking engine. Go see all the places we missed!"

pgary

I specifically will my miles and points to my S.O. But I also have advised her to call each airline and hotel annonymusly to find out their policies on transfer after death. Some will, some won't. For those who won't, she has my login info. I told her to not tell them that I am dead, and book her travel in my account.

newaroundhere

This is actually an interesting topic. I'm in the process of doing a lot of broader estate planning and had not even considered this. Is there any sort of guidelines that have been put together on this? Maybe there is nothing to be done, but given that both my wife and I have accumulated miles that have potentially significant value (i.e. premium cabin international tickets, five star hotels, etc.) - just hadn't though about protecting them.

SFflyer123

This seems to be the smartest way to do it. Just use all the miles for flights, but never inform the airline. Seems very logical.

MilesMark

I specifically provide for it in my will, and I've advised my clients who are miles fanatics to do the same. I reference the account numbers in the will and then include a blanket "and all other rewards, awards, and loyalty programs."

As to AA, the reason you may want to bequeath them instead of using them is that I believe the recipient can use them toward lifetime status.

On a personal note, if my wife inherited my AA miles, she would reach lifetime platinum. I sleep with one eye open.

MilesMark

One more thing....

There is a helpful thread on this at:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ter-death.html

Some airlines don't require something in the will, but if you'd like someone other than a surviving spouse or only child to have them, you may want to be specific.

I'd call each program you are interested in and ask for their specific terms.

DCBob

Just wondering if using a deceased person's frequent flyer miles (assuming they are non-transferable after death) might not constitute fraud. Not the same situation, but people have been prosecuted for continuing to collect and spend a deceased spouse's social security benefits even if they have been directly deposited in a joint account.

jpdx

Now I definitely want my wife's boyfriend to redeem those miles!

Keflyer

This is both interesting and fun to read. Love this forum!

ChaseTheMiles

Well, maybe the spouse or loved one is taking a FC trip to take the deceased ashes to the Mediterranean.

I don't think comparing miles to social security is appropriate. Social security payments affect the balance of the SS fund and ultimately the national deficit. Miles, however, are rebates and bonuses that are deposited to the account already. We are not talking about continuing to earn more miles in the deceased's name but, rather, using up the miles that he had taken the time and money to accumulate.

bob12403

We made a point of including a paragraph in our revised wills to deal with inheritance of miles by heirs. We were also told to prepare a separate letter of instruction with all account details for the executor.

Yes, it does seem far easier to have the heir just redeem miles directly from the account of the deceased for awards. But here's where it gets interesting: Suppose your last surviving parent passes away, and you are the heir. However, Mom also gave you the login password on the account, and said "You're my only child. When I die, I want you to have a nice trip with those miles."

You know that dealing with the inheritance of airline miles can be a pain. So you book the award as Mom instructed, and off you go in F to Paris. When you return, Mom's account still has around 10,000 miles in it. What do you do? You are the legitimate heir, but if you ask your airline to transfer the miles to your account, and they want to see a death certificate, the date of death will be before your trip was booked.

Do you just quietly add miles to the account via promotions, dining, online shopping, etc. until you reach a point where you can wipe out the account with a final redemption? Or do you just close the account, forfeit the remaining miles, and toast your beloved Mom's memory and her generosity?

Inquiring minds....

Centurion

Anyone is wasting time writing a provision in a will in particular if you are using an attorney. You are much better off with a side letter or if you must call it a codicil. But the poster who says <<Do not tell them I am dead>> is certainly the way to go imho. Tell your significant other about the accounts and tell them to burn them up quick. This would certainly solve a lot headache, phone calls. Also certified copies of death certicates have become quite costly.

ChaseTheMiles

After my FC trip to Paris, I think I would donate the 10k miles to charity or a good cause.

cfield

This thread is all of the following (in no particular order):

1) awesome
2) morbid
3) creepy