I had heard somewhere that your airline points don't die with you like they do for Marriott Rewards, American Express points, etc., but airline guidebook terms seem to say otherwise:

From the AAdvantage member book: “Accrued mileage and certificates do not constitute property of the member. Neither accrued mileage nor certificates are transferable (i) upon death, (ii) as part of a domestic relations matter, or (iii) otherwise by operation of law. However, American Airlines, in its sole discretion, may credit accrued mileage to person specifically identified in court approved divorce decrees and will upon receipt of documentation satisfactory to American Airlines and upon payment of any applicable fees."

United's guidebook said almost the same except for the last part about divorces.

Does anyone know otherwise about FF miles...? Marriott is pretty clear about it too, get hit by a truck and your points die with you.

If you do a search on the various boards you will find lots of information on this topic.

I inherited 180k Delta Miles from my Aunt about 7 years ago.

When my father died his Delta miles were transfered to my mother with minimal effort

All US airlines have a proceedure for passing miles to your next-of-kin. Unfortunately, the proceedure is somewhate different from one airline to the next. Most hotel programs are similar.

I checked with Amex member rewards and the rep pointed out item 8 in their Member Guidebook as follows:

"In the event of a Cardmember's death and the subsequent cancellation of American Express Card(s) held in his/her name, points accrued in the Program Account may be redeemed by the beneficiary designated by the Estate Trustee or Executor. If the beneficiary is an existing American Express Cardmember enrolled in the Program, points may be transferred to his/her Program Account."

While Amex may be onside with compassion, and most airlines appear to be, I understand MARRIOTT goes on a point grab if you meet your maker before your time.

AA will transfer a family member's mile upon their death for a $50.00 fee. They recently did this for my mother when my father died.

Most have proven to be fairly easy about passing to surviving spouses. Passing miles from a parent to a child is a different matter---at least with CO. I've got a copy of their requirements: copy of the death certificate, certified letter from the executor, requesting the transfer, or a notarized form that holds Co harmless against any claims brought on account of the miles being transferred.

pwrshift... I think you are wrong about Marriott. The terms and conditions see: http://www.marriottrewards.com/rewar...ms/default.asp
under conditions of enrollment #3 says:
" Points are transferable to a legal spouse only in the case of documented death of the member."