Estate planning as a IHG One Rewards account holder

IHG One Rewards is the loyalty program of InterContinental Hotels Group, spanning brands including InterContinental, Regent, Six Senses, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Staybridge Suites. Points can be redeemed for Reward Nights, Points + Cash bookings, catalog merchandise and gift cards, and conversions to Loyalty Program Partner rewards. The IHG One Rewards Membership Terms and Conditions carry a section headed "Transfer of IHG One Rewards Points Upon Death" that allows points to pass to a member's beneficiaries, with transfer fees waived and two documentation paths (executor or administrator with court documents showing authority, or a sole beneficiary with the will and death certificate).

IHG One Rewards offers a no-cost transfer of points to family members after the account holder's death.

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

What happens at death

The IHG One Rewards Membership Terms and Conditions contain a broad non-transferability clause stating that, except for the point transfers allowed under the Terms or authorized in writing by IHG, points may not be sold, bartered, attached, seized, levied upon, pledged, or transferred under any circumstances, including by operation of law, upon death, or in connection with any domestic relations dispute or legal proceeding. A separate section headed "Transfer of IHG One Rewards Points Upon Death" then provides the exception: when a member passes away, the member's points may be transferred to the IHG One Rewards account(s) of the member's beneficiary(ies). The Terms direct that the request for transfer should be sent to IHG Customer Care by the executor or administrator of the decedent's estate, along with court documents showing authority, or by a sole beneficiary, along with copies of the decedent's will and death certificate. The request must be received within one (1) year of the date of death, and transfer fees are waived. Because the points move into a living beneficiary's own IHG One Rewards account rather than to the estate, the policy is family-transfer rather than estate-transfer.