Estate planning as a Kohl's account holder
Kohl's, Inc. rewards are forfeited when the account holder dies
Kohl's Rewards Customer Service (no dedicated estates channel published)
Kohl's Rewards is the free loyalty program at the department store retailer Kohl's. Members earn 5% back on purchases as a Kohl's Rewards Balance, which converts into $5-increment Kohl's Cash coupons on or about the first of the following month. Kohl's Cash can be spent in store, online, or in the Kohl's App, and expires 30 days after issuance. Both the Rewards Balance and Kohl's Cash are tied to a personal Kohl's Rewards Account and exist as a discount mechanism, not a stored-value or cash account: the Kohl's Rewards Account is nontransferable, and Kohl's Cash is not legal tender and provides no cash back. The Kohl's Card credit account is a separate product issued by Capital One and is handled with the card issuer, not through the loyalty program.
Kohl's rewards are forfeited at death under the program's terms. The terms explicitly state that rewards are not the account holder's property and cannot be inherited, transferred by will, or assigned through any estate planning mechanism.
What happens at death
Kohl's publishes no death, beneficiary, or estate provision for Kohl's Rewards, and the program's terms make the balance nontransferable, so Rewards and Kohl's Cash pass to no one at death by default. The terms state that the Kohl's Rewards Account is nontransferable, that Kohl's Cash coupons are not legal tender and are nontransferable, and that no cash back is provided for Kohl's Cash. Members who close a Kohl's Rewards Account forfeit all accumulated Kohl's Rewards Balance (except where prohibited by law), and any unused Kohl's Cash expires after its redemption window. Kohl's also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, close, consolidate, or deactivate an account (including accounts it deems inactive after 12 consecutive months with no in-store merchandise purchase), in which case the accumulated Rewards Balance and unused Kohl's Cash may be deactivated or invalidated. Because there is no published estate channel, a survivor's only avenue is a discretionary request to Kohl's Rewards Customer Service, which Kohl's is under no obligation to grant. The one time-sensitive item is any unexpired Kohl's Cash, which expires 30 days after issuance.
Planning your estate
Protecting Kohl's rewards while the account is active
No beneficiary designation, rewards can only be redeemed, not transferred, and 5-step plan.
View details →When someone dies
Handling Kohl's rewards after a death
Rewards are forfeited under the official terms, 6-step process, and 4 required documents.
View details →Kohl's does not support beneficiary designations. Unlike bank accounts or investment accounts, there is no way to formally name a beneficiary on this type of account.
Frequently asked questions
Members earn 5% back on purchases as a Kohl's Rewards Balance. When the balance is at or above $5 as of the last day of the month, Kohl's issues a digital Kohl's Cash coupon in $5 increments on or about the first day of the following month. Each coupon expires 30 days after issuance. A balance below $5 stays in the Rewards Balance and expires automatically if it remains below $5 for more than 12 months.
Sources
Data sourced from Kohl's, Inc. primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
Kohl's Rewards Customer Service (no dedicated estates channel published)
