What happens to IHG One Rewards points when the owner dies
IHG Hotels & Resorts has a formal process for transferring points after an account holder dies
IHG One Rewards Customer Care (United States and Canada)
IHG One Rewards Customer Care — deceased-member points transfer (no separate estates team published)
The Membership Terms and Conditions require the transfer request to be received within one (1) year of the date of death. IHG publishes no processing timeline once the documentation is submitted. The twelve-month points expiration rule for Club level membership runs separately and can remove the balance before the one-year estate window closes if the account had no "earn" or "redeem" transaction in the preceding twelve months.
IHG Hotels & Resorts provides a family transfer process for IHG One Rewards points after the account holder's death.
How to request a transfer
Here is the process for transferring IHG One Rewards points after the account holder dies:
- •Path A: the executor or administrator of the decedent's estate sends the request along with court documents showing authority, such as Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
- •Path B: a sole beneficiary sends the request along with copies of the decedent's will and death certificate.
Required Documents
- Court documents showing executor or administrator authority (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration), OR copies of the decedent's will and death certificate if the requester is the sole beneficiary
- IHG One Rewards account number(s) of each beneficiary receiving points
- Written instructions identifying the allocation among multiple beneficiaries, if applicable
Timeline
The Membership Terms and Conditions require the transfer request to be received within one (1) year of the date of death. IHG publishes no processing timeline once the documentation is submitted. The twelve-month points expiration rule for Club level membership runs separately and can remove the balance before the one-year estate window closes if the account had no "earn" or "redeem" transaction in the preceding twelve months.
Frequently asked questions
The IHG One Rewards Membership Terms and Conditions carry a section headed "Transfer of IHG One Rewards Points Upon Death" that allows the member's points to be transferred to the IHG One Rewards account(s) of the member's beneficiary(ies). The Terms direct the request to IHG Customer Care, require it within one (1) year of the date of death, and state that transfer fees will be waived. The request comes either from the executor or administrator with court documents showing authority, or from a sole beneficiary with copies of the will and death certificate.
The Terms and Conditions broadly bar transferring points "by operation of law, upon death," and then carve out a specific exception for a deceased member's points. The exception moves the points into a beneficiary's own IHG One Rewards account rather than to the estate. The plural "beneficiary(ies)" in the Terms indicates the balance can be divided among more than one recipient with appropriate documentation and written instructions.
Either court documents showing executor or administrator authority, such as Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, or, where the requester is the sole beneficiary, copies of the decedent's will and death certificate. The request should also identify the IHG One Rewards account number of each recipient, because the Terms move the points into a beneficiary's IHG One Rewards account, and should set out how the balance is to be divided if more than one person is receiving points.
The Membership Terms and Conditions state that transfer fees will be waived for a transfer of a deceased member's points. The $5 US per 1,000 points charge that applies to transfers between living members does not apply.
The Terms and Conditions require the transfer request to be received within one (1) year of the date of death. Separately, Club level membership points can expire during estate administration if no "earn" or "redeem" transaction has posted to the account for twelve (12) months, which is why the request is worth opening early even where the one-year window is not close.
The Terms and Conditions direct the request to IHG Customer Care. For the United States and Canada, IHG publishes telephone 1-888-211-9874 and fax 1-800-725-8232 on its customer-care contact page, along with regional service-centre numbers for other countries. IHG does not publish a bereavement page, an estates email address, or a mailing address for One Rewards Customer Care, so the written request and enclosed documents go through the published fax line or through whatever address Customer Care gives on the call.
The recipient can use transferred points under the program's normal terms. Keeping the deceased account holder's account number and contact details on file simplifies this process for the executor or surviving family.
Sources
Data sourced from IHG Hotels & Resorts primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
IHG One Rewards Customer Care (United States and Canada)
IHG One Rewards Customer Care — deceased-member points transfer (no separate estates team published)
The Membership Terms and Conditions require the transfer request to be received within one (1) year of the date of death. IHG publishes no processing timeline once the documentation is submitted. The twelve-month points expiration rule for Club level membership runs separately and can remove the balance before the one-year estate window closes if the account had no "earn" or "redeem" transaction in the preceding twelve months.
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