What happens to Citi ThankYou points when someone dies
Citibank, N.A publishes its own process for a deceased person's account; a written request goes by mail.
Citibank, N.A decides what happens to Citi ThankYou points after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
Citibank, N.A publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: Citi Estate Servicing Center; a written request goes by mail to Thank You Service Center, PO Box 6278, Sioux Falls, SD 57117 (the address Citi publishes on the Credit Cards panel of its Estate Servicing Center for ThankYou Points documents). The request takes 5 documents. Citi Estate Servicing Center (deposit and credit card accounts) answers at 1-833-956-0413 (Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-9:00 PM ET).
How to request a transfer
- •The decedent's full legal name, date of death, and card or account number.
- •An original or certified copy of the death certificate.
- •Letters testamentary or letters of administration.
- •Address it to Thank You Service Center, PO Box 6278, Sioux Falls, SD 57117.
- •Enclose an original or certified copy of the death certificate and the letters testamentary or letters of administration.
- •Call the Estate Servicing Center first to confirm the address and log the request against the account.
Required Documents
- Original or certified copy of the death certificate: Citi requires one in most cases; its credit card panel lists the death certificate as needed only if redeeming rewards.
- Written request from the executor or administrator of the estate: It must reach Citi within one year of the date of death.
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration: Evidence of the identity and appointment of the executor or administrator.
- The decedent's full legal name, date of death, and Citi card or account number
- Any further evidence Citi asks for: The clause conditions the redemption on evidence satisfactory to Citi.
Timeline
The executor's written request must reach Citi within one year of the date of death; after a Cash Rewards redemption, the confirmation letter and check are sent within one to three weeks.
What Citibank, N.A.'s terms say at death
- Loss upon Death
“You will lose your Points upon your death, and your estate, successors and assigns have no property rights or other legal interests in such Points, except under these circumstances: Cash Rewards Option. If we receive a written request within one (1) year of your death from the executor or administrator of your estate, along with evidence satisfactory to us of your death and the identity and appointment of the executor or administrator, we can allow Points remaining in your ThankYou account to be redeemed for Cash Rewards.”1
What Citibank, N.A. says happens6
- Who owns the asset
The default at death is loss: the estate, successors and assigns have no property rights or other legal interests in the points, and the points never become property of the estate.1
- How requests are reviewed
The exception is discretionary: Citi can allow the redemption, and the agreement does not say it will. The executor makes a request rather than enforcing a claim of the estate.1
- Verifying the requester
Only a lawfully designated executor or administrator may redeem points on behalf of the deceased, and the request needs evidence satisfactory to Citi of the death and of the executor's or administrator's identity and appointment.1
- Transfer at death
The redemption is limited to Cash Rewards; the executor is not offered the partner transfers, travel bookings, statement credits, direct deposits or gift cards a living cardholder has.1
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Cash Rewards is a check made payable to the member, with a minimum redemption of $5; checks are valid for 180 days and are sent only to the address on record by USPS First-Class Mail within one to three weeks of redemption.1
The agreement fixes no points-to-dollar rate: the value of a point varies by reward and by the account it was earned with, and Citi may change the conversion rate at any time.1
The joint account holder or estate representative works with the Citi Estate Servicing Center and its vendors to resolve any outstanding card balance, paid from estate assets; the points request does not change it.2
- Closing the account
If Citi closes the Citi Account for any reason other than inactivity, the points are lost immediately unless prohibited by law, and points are lost immediately if the ThankYou Account is closed for any reason.1
A voluntary close, a conversion or a close for inactivity gives ninety days to use the points, and if Citi cancels the ThankYou Program, cardholders get ninety days to redeem.1
Not in Citi ThankYou's published guidance2
- A review time for the estate's points request
- A hold on a deceased member's ThankYou Account
Sources2
- 1.Citi ThankYou Rewards Terms and Conditions (Citi Credit Cards and Consumer Citibank Checking Accounts), Last Updated September 2026
- 2.Citi Estate Servicing Center
A written request to Citibank, N.A can ask it to redeem the points to the estate, preserve the account while the estate is opened and refund an unspent balance.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for Citi ThankYou drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Citibank, N.A. primary sources (4 pages reviewed). How we research.
Citi ThankYou estate claims
Citi Estate Servicing Center (deposit and credit card accounts)
Phone
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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