What happens to Aeroplan points when someone dies
Air Canada publishes its own process for a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to estate.solution@aircanada.ca.
Air Canada's terms allow Aeroplan points to transfer to the estate after the account holder dies.
Air Canada publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: Aeroplan Estate policy (Transferring points from an Aeroplan Member who has passed away); a written request goes by email to estate.solution@aircanada.ca. The request takes 5 documents. Air Canada Estate Solution (Aeroplan estate transfers) answers at 1-800-361-5373.
How to request a transfer
- •First and last name, complete mailing address with postal code, telephone number, email address, and Aeroplan number.
- •A scanned copy of the death certificate.
- •A scanned copy of the portion of the will that names the beneficiaries.
- •A sole beneficiary receives all of the points.
- •Multiple beneficiaries split the points equally.
- •A beneficiary who declines the points provides written, signed documentation, and that share is divided equally among the remaining beneficiaries.
Required Documents
- Scanned copy of the late member's death certificate
- Scanned copy of the portion of the will that names the beneficiaries
- The late member's identifying details: First and last name, complete mailing address including postal code, telephone number, email address and Aeroplan number.
- Each beneficiary's identifying details: First and last name, complete mailing address including postal code, telephone number, email address and Aeroplan number. A beneficiary who is not already a member can enroll to receive the points.
- Written, signed documentation declining the points: if a beneficiary does not want to receive the points. That beneficiary's share is then divided equally among the remaining beneficiaries.
What Air Canada's terms say at death
- Section 12
“With the exception of the specific rules relating to Aeroplan Family Sharing, Aeroplan Points, and any other benefits, privileges and rewards of the Aeroplan Program are personal to you and cannot be assigned, traded, bartered, willed, exchanged for cash, or otherwise transferred, except as may be authorized by Aeroplan, at its sole discretion and in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.”1
What Air Canada says happens4
- Who owns the asset
Points are personal to the member and cannot be willed or otherwise transferred except as Aeroplan authorizes at its sole discretion; the Estate policy is one such authorized exception.1
- Closing the account
Under Section 9 of the Terms and Conditions, Aeroplan membership terminates upon the death or personal bankruptcy of a member.1
- Transfer at death
A sole beneficiary receives all the points; multiple beneficiaries divide them equally unless written, signed documentation states that one or more do not want them, in which case the points are divided equally among the rest.2
Points may not be donated directly from a late member's account; they are first transferred to the beneficiaries' Aeroplan accounts, after which a beneficiary can donate them to a participating charity.2
On the death or incapacity of a Family Lead, Aeroplan automatically dissolves the Family Sharing pool, and the Family Lead and each Family Member keep the points that remain in their own account at that time.1
- Inactive accounts and expiry
Regular expiry rules apply to a late member's points: points that expired before the member died fall under the 18-month expiry policy, and points that expired after the death can be requested for transfer within 6 months of the expiry date.2
Under Section 8, all points in an inactive account are forfeited; an account becomes inactive after 18 consecutive months with no points accumulated or redeemed, and after 3 consecutive inactive years Aeroplan may terminate the membership, close the account and reassign the number.1
Aeroplan has paused points expiry until November 30, 2026, and its normal expiry policy applies again from that date.3
Not in Aeroplan's published guidance5
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- A form for estate requests
- A deadline to use transferred points
- A documentation threshold tied to balance size
Sources3
- 1.Aeroplan General Terms and Conditions, February 5, 2024
- 2.Estate policy - Aeroplan
- 3.Aeroplan points expiry paused
A written request to Air Canada can ask it to transfer the points to a named family member and preserve the account while the estate is opened.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for Aeroplan drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Air Canada primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.
Aeroplan estate claims
Air Canada Estate Solution (Aeroplan estate transfers)
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