What happens to Amex Rewards points when the owner dies
American Express has a formal process for transferring points after an account holder dies
American Express deceased cardmember line (Corporate Cards: 1-888-297-3947, Mon-Fri 8:00 am-8:00 pm EST)
American Express publishes no fixed deadline for the executor's one-time redemption. Per the June 2026 Terms, cancellation of a Product for any reason (including death) causes loss of all points in the Rewards Account, so the redemption request precedes account closure. The one published post-death window is for New York Card Members, who can continue to use points for 90 days in that scenario by calling the number on the back of the Card. Related windows in the Terms: if Amex cancels the account due to inactivity, there are 90 days to use the points; cancelling or unenrolling the last linked Product causes immediate loss of all points, except that a last linked Corporate Card allows redemption for up to 30 days.
Under the current Membership Rewards Terms and Conditions (Last Updated: June 2026), points "don't belong to you and are not your property"; you cannot transfer them to someone else's Rewards Account, sell them, or pass them on as part of a legal action such as a divorce, an inheritance, or bankruptcy. In the Lose Points section the Terms state: "When we cancel your Product: If we cancel any of your Products for any reason (including your death, insolvency or bankruptcy), you'll lose all the points in your Rewards Account." Three exceptions follow, the first of which is the death exception: "The executor of your estate or personal representative may be able to make a one-time points redemption upon your death, depending on your Product, by calling 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276)." A footnote on the forfeiture sentence adds that New York Card Members (a Card Member with a New York billing address on a linked Card Account) can continue to use points in that scenario for 90 days by calling the number on the back of the Card. Separately, American Express publishes a deceased-cardmember process on its Guidance for Managing Deceased Accounts page: anyone may notify Amex of the passing of a Card Member by calling 1-800-266-7064 (Mon-Fri, 8:00 am to 10:00 pm EST; Corporate Cards 1-888-297-3947, Mon-Fri 8:00 am to 8:00 pm EST). That page also publishes an account-takeover path: a person appointed by a will or court order, or handling the decedent's affairs, may request that the account be cancelled or, if eligible, apply to become the new Basic Card Member, which requires the Card to be eligible for transfer, the account to be closed no more than 1 year and not 30 or more days past due, and the applicant to pass a credit review.
How to request a transfer
To request a transfer of Amex Rewards points after an account holder's death, follow these steps:
- •Date of death
- •Executor, trustee, or attorney contact information
- •Your relationship to the Card Member
- •Your contact information
Required Documents
- Date of death
- Executor, trustee, or attorney contact information
- The caller's relationship to the Card Member and contact information
- Card account information (Amex publishes no documentary checklist for the deceased-cardmember call; a death certificate and documentation of authority, such as letters testamentary, are commonly requested and are worth having ready)
Timeline
American Express publishes no fixed deadline for the executor's one-time redemption. Per the June 2026 Terms, cancellation of a Product for any reason (including death) causes loss of all points in the Rewards Account, so the redemption request precedes account closure. The one published post-death window is for New York Card Members, who can continue to use points for 90 days in that scenario by calling the number on the back of the Card. Related windows in the Terms: if Amex cancels the account due to inactivity, there are 90 days to use the points; cancelling or unenrolling the last linked Product causes immediate loss of all points, except that a last linked Corporate Card allows redemption for up to 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
Per the current Terms (Last Updated: June 2026), cancellation of a Product for any reason, including death, causes the loss of all points in the Rewards Account. As a stated exception, the executor of the estate or personal representative may be able to make a one-time points redemption upon the cardholder's death, depending on the Product, by calling 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276). The redemption is not automatic and is requested before the account is closed. To report the death itself, call the deceased-cardmember line at 1-800-266-7064 (Corporate Cards: 1-888-297-3947).
No. The Terms state that points "don't belong to you and are not your property" and that you "can't pass them on as part of a legal action, such as a divorce, an inheritance or bankruptcy." The executor or personal representative may be able to make a one-time redemption after the cardholder's death by calling 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276) — a redemption of the points, not an inheritance of them, and one American Express describes as depending on the Product.
American Express publishes no fixed deadline. The operative constraint is account cancellation: the Terms provide that if Amex cancels any Product for any reason, including death, all points in the Rewards Account are lost, so the one-time redemption is requested before the account is closed. One published window exists — a footnote to that forfeiture clause states that New York Card Members, meaning a Card Member with a New York billing address on a linked Card Account, can continue to use points in that scenario for 90 days by calling the number on the back of the Card. No comparable window is published for other states.
American Express publishes an account-takeover path on its Guidance for Managing Deceased Accounts page. A person appointed by a will or court order, or handling the decedent's affairs, may request that the account be cancelled or, if eligible, apply to become the new Basic Card Member. Eligibility requires that the Card be eligible for transfer, the account be closed no more than 1 year, the account not be 30 or more days past due, and the applicant pass a credit review. The person taking over the account becomes responsible for the existing balance and future charges. Where more than one person is eligible, Amex handles requests on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Terms describe the post-death exception as a "one-time points redemption ... depending on your Product" and do not itemize which redemption types are available, so partner transfer is not confirmed as an option after death. The executor can ask which options apply to the Product when calling the Membership Rewards line, 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276) — the line the Terms name for the redemption, as distinct from 1-800-266-7064, which is the line for reporting the death. Transfers made to partner programs during the cardholder's lifetime are governed by the partner program's rules rather than by the Membership Rewards Terms.
All points from Additional Card Member spending belong to the Basic Card Member's Program Account. When the primary cardholder dies, Additional Card Members have no independent claim to the points. The executor's one-time redemption covers all points in the account, regardless of who earned them.
After the transfer is complete, the recipient can use the points according to the program's standard terms. Document the deceased account holder's details to make this process easier for your executor or family.
Sources
Data sourced from American Express primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
American Express deceased cardmember line (Corporate Cards: 1-888-297-3947, Mon-Fri 8:00 am-8:00 pm EST)
American Express publishes no fixed deadline for the executor's one-time redemption. Per the June 2026 Terms, cancellation of a Product for any reason (including death) causes loss of all points in the Rewards Account, so the redemption request precedes account closure. The one published post-death window is for New York Card Members, who can continue to use points for 90 days in that scenario by calling the number on the back of the Card. Related windows in the Terms: if Amex cancels the account due to inactivity, there are 90 days to use the points; cancelling or unenrolling the last linked Product causes immediate loss of all points, except that a last linked Corporate Card allows redemption for up to 30 days.
