What happens to BA Avios when someone dies
British Airways publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; the request starts by phone at +44 203 684 9677.
Under British Airways' terms, BA Avios are forfeited when the account holder dies.
British Airways publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; the request starts by phone at +44 203 684 9677. The request takes 5 documents. British Airways bereavement support (bookings) answers at +44 203 684 9677 (Daily 8:00 AM-8:00 PM).
What to do
- •The membership number and date of death
- •A copy of the death certificate
- •A grant of probate, letters testamentary or letters of administration
- •The full name and Club membership number of the family member to be credited
- •Name the deceased member's share of the household balance in the written request, because that share is removed from the account
- •Have the adult members nominate a new primary member within three calendar months if the deceased was the primary member, or the household account is dissolved
Required Documents
- Executive Club or British Airways Club membership number: The deceased member's number.
- Death certificate
- Grant of probate, letters testamentary or letters of administration: Proof of the requester's authority to act for the estate.
- Full name and Club membership number of the family member proposed to receive the Avios
- Membership number of the nominated replacement primary member: for a household account
What British Airways's terms say at death
- Clause 3.12.2
“Upon the death of a member. Any Avios, tier points and lifetime tier points accumulated by that member but unused at the time of death shall be cancelled.”1
What British Airways says happens5
- Who owns the asset
Under clause 21.1, "Avios, and all rights of title to and property in such Avios issued at any time, remain with AGL at all times and never pass to the member."1
Under clause 22.1, except as British Airways and AGL otherwise provide and tell the member, Avios are not transferable other than under the Conditions of Use and "cannot be bequeathed, devised or otherwise transferred by operation of law."1
- Transfer at death
Under clause 18.1.14, if a household account participant dies, the un-spent Avios held by that person are removed from the household account balance.1
- Closing the account
Under clause 18.1.7, if the primary member of a household account dies, the remaining members over 18 must nominate a new primary member within three calendar months of the death, or the household account is dissolved.1
- Inactive accounts and expiry
Avios expire after 36 consecutive months in which the member has not collected, spent, purchased or transferred Avios (clause 14.5), so a long-dormant balance may already have lapsed before the death.1
- How requests are reviewed
An Avios balance is not an asset the estate owns and can claim; a survivor's only route is a discretionary goodwill request, which British Airways handles at its discretion and may decline.1
Not in BA Avios's published guidance6
- A process for a deceased account holder
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- A complete list of the documents to send
- Whether a certified death certificate is required
- An Avios estates portal, email address or fax
A written request to British Airways can ask it to transfer the Avios to a named family member and preserve the account while the estate is opened.
The value that can still be kept is what the account holder moved while alive: British Airways allows family pooling, transfers to another member, transfers to a partner program and gift purchases.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for BA Avios drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from British Airways primary sources (6 pages reviewed). How we research.
BA Avios estate claims
British Airways bereavement support (bookings)
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