Estate planning as a SkyMiles account holder

Delta SkyMiles is Delta Air Lines' loyalty program. Miles are earned through flights, Delta SkyMiles co-branded American Express credit cards, and partner programs. Under the SkyMiles Mileage Expiration policy, miles do not expire. Members can redeem miles for Award Travel, seat upgrades, vacation packages, and more, and can book Award Travel for someone else even if the member is not flying with them. Miles can be transferred to other SkyMiles Members for a fee ($0.01 per mile plus a $30 processing fee per transaction), gifted, or donated to charity through the SkyWish program. The program offers Medallion elite status tiers (Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond). Under the program rules, miles are explicitly "not the property of any Member" and may not be transferred upon death or by operation of law; Delta may close a deceased Member's account, and Medallion Status, benefits, and miles are forfeited when an account is closed.

When a SkyMiles account holder dies, their miles are forfeited. The program's terms state that miles do not constitute property of the account holder and cannot be transferred upon death, by operation of law, or through estate planning documents.

Members can transfer miles to other SkyMiles participants while their account is active. Fees generally apply, but this is the most direct way to move miles to family members.

What happens at death

The SkyMiles Membership Guide and Program Rules state, under "Restrictions on Transfer," that "Miles are not the property of any Member" and that "miles may not be sold, attached, seized, levied upon, pledged, or transferred under any circumstances, including, without limitation, by operation of law, upon death, or in connection with any domestic relations dispute and/or legal proceeding." Under "Account Closure & Mileage Expiration," the rules state that miles do not expire, but that Delta "reserves the right to deactivate or close an account (and accordingly remove all miles in the account)" in listed circumstances, the third of which is "A Member is deceased." The same section states that "Medallion Status, benefits, and/or miles in the SkyMiles account will be forfeited when an account is closed," and that upon closure Delta will retain the SkyMiles number assigned to basic information. Delta publishes no deceased-member transfer procedure, no estate form, and no bereavement channel for the account itself: the words estate, executor, personal representative, and affidavit do not appear anywhere on the Program Rules page. Under current policy, miles are forfeited when a deceased Member's account is closed. An estate may still put a written request to Delta asking it to exercise its discretion, but any transfer or reinstatement would be entirely at Delta's discretion and is not provided for in the rules. Delta does publish a separate Bereavement Fare Policy, but that is a fare policy for a living SkyMiles Member travelling because of the death of an immediate family member, not a process for a deceased Member's account or miles.

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