Michael at WebFlyer

Has anyone had any experiences of trying to recover frequent flyer miles in the event of a death or divorce? How have you been treated by the programs?

Rudi

Here is what I know about UA's policy:

UA has a correct politic for the surviving partner too - which makes - economically (and if you want to have a merry widow) lifemembership attractiv.

From Silver Wings FAQ:

"My spouse had a membership, but he/she has passed away. Can the membership be transferred to me?

Yes. Silver Wings Plus must have a copy of the Death Certificate, name, address, date of birth, Mileage Plus number and a letter requesting transfer of the membership. The surviving spouse will be issued a new membership card with his/her name and Mileage Plus number."

Catman

I never thought about this issue. It got me thinking about my miles and points... and got me thinking up a few questions:

*What if you have no relatives and you want
to leave your friends the miles? Can you do
that if you spell it out in your will?

*Would you have to contact the various programs to let them know of your final intentions?

*Could you combine everything and leave it
either to friends or one of the charities that help children and their families fly
for emergencies?

It would be nice if my miles don't go to waste.. and maybe help someone.

pgupta011

With most programs you cannot will your miles to someone else, not even to your spouse (there may be exceptions to this). In the case of divorce, the divorce court has jurisdiction over the division of all your property including miles in air, car and hotel programs. If there is imbalance in the personal FF accounts of the spouse, the court can allocate the other assets to compensate for that.

MGee

I have actually had the opportunity to work with Continental, Delta and United to 'transfer' mileage into a survivor's (spouse) ff account.I anticipated some degree of difficulty but the whole process was relatively smooth. I merely wrote to the airline in question, with a brief outline of the situation at hand, and enclosed a copy of the death certificate (no will required). The miles were transferred within a reasonable period of time and follow-up correspondence was not needed! In one instance, an award ticket in the name of the deceased was even redeposited into the spouse's account. Additionally,I recently spoke with a young lady who was in the process of transferring her late father's mileage into her own NW account: As she was not'next-of-kin,'NW did require sight of the will indicating that she was the designated heir. Hope this helps someone!

Rudi

Marriott Reward Rules:

9.Points accrued by a Marriott Rewards member are for the member's benefit only and may not be transferred to anyone. Points are transferable to a legal spouse only in the case of documented death of the member. Points are not transferable to another person for any other reason including divorce or inheritance.

Rudi

Hyatt's Gold Passport:

8. Individual account information (including any Award Certificates issued) will not be given to anyone other than the member whose name appears on the account at the address recorded on the account at the time of request, unless required by legal process.