What happens to Best Western Rewards points when someone dies
Best Western International publishes its own process for a deceased person's account; the request starts by phone at 1-800-237-8483.
Best Western International decides what happens to Best Western Rewards points after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
Best Western International publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: Best Western Rewards one-time point balance transfer on death of a member; the request starts by phone at 1-800-237-8483. The request takes 4 documents. Best Western Rewards Customer Service answers at 1-800-237-8483 (Daily 5:00 AM-10:00 PM MT).
How to request a transfer
- •A death certificate
- •The first and last page of the will, trust or letters testamentary naming the executor or beneficiary, carrying a legal seal of affirmation
Required Documents
- Death certificate
- First and last page of the will, trust or letters testamentary: Shows the surviving or designated Best Western Rewards account member as the executor or beneficiary of the estate, and must carry a legal seal of affirmation.
- The deceased member's Best Western Rewards account number
- The designated beneficiary's active Best Western Rewards account number: The terms credit the balance into an existing member account.
What Best Western International's terms say at death
- "DIVORCE, DEATH OR INCAPACITATION"
“In the event of a Member's death, and at BWI's discretion, we will allow a one-time, full point balance to be transferred to the designated beneficiary upon receipt of the required documentation.”1
What Best Western International says happens4
- Transfer at death
The death transfer moves the full balance in a single transaction to one designated beneficiary, and is not divided among several heirs.1
The terms describe the recipient as the surviving or designated Best Western Rewards Account Member, so the recipient must already hold an account and the balance is credited into it rather than paid to the estate.1
- What carries over to a new account
Elite status transfers for death or incapacitation only per program rules, and VIP Membership Status benefits do not transfer to the recipient of the points for any type of transfer.1
- How requests are reviewed
Every path in the divorce, death and incapacitation section is conditioned on Best Western International's discretion, so a complete, well-documented request is reviewed rather than granted automatically.1
- Closing the account
Best Western Rewards points are tied to the account, so closing it before the transfer completes removes the balance the request is about.1
Not in Best Western Rewards's published guidance6
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- An estates portal, email or fax
- A bereavement or estate help page
- An appeal path for a declined request
- A retention commitment for a deceased member's account
A written request to Best Western International 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 Best Western Rewards drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Best Western International primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
Best Western Rewards estate claims
Best Western Rewards Customer Service
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