What happens to Kroger points when the owner dies
The Kroger Co. points are forfeited under the program's terms when the account is closed
Kroger Customer Service
Kroger Customer Service (no dedicated estates channel published)
Time-sensitive, and the pressure sits on the Cash Back balance. Kroger's Cash Back Offer Rewards Program Terms provide that if the account is cancelled without a Distribution Request having been made first, any Cash Back Rewards balance may, subject to applicable laws, expire upon that cancellation, and that expired Cash Back Rewards are no longer redeemable; Kroger also describes Cash Back as a pilot that may be terminated at any time, giving members 30 days' notice and 30 days to redeem, after which an unredeemed balance expires. A cash-out is limited to one per 24 hours and to $99.99 per day, so a larger balance takes several days to clear. Fuel Points expire on the schedule set by the Fuel Points Program terms, so ask Customer Service for the current balance and expiry rather than assuming the balance will wait. Digital coupons and coupon credits stay tied to the Shopper's Card. A paid Boost membership bills until it is cancelled. Kroger publishes no deceased-account processing timeline, because it publishes no estate-claim workflow; any request is handled at Customer Service's discretion on its own schedule, and Kroger says email inquiries get a response within 5-7 business days.
Under The Kroger Co.'s terms, Kroger points do not constitute property of the account holder and are forfeited when the account is closed upon death. There is no established process for transferring points to heirs or the estate.
There are reports of The Kroger Co. making exceptions through customer service, but these accommodations are discretionary and not guaranteed.
What to do
If a Kroger account holder has passed away, here is what to do:
- •The deceased member's Kroger Plus / Shopper's Card number or Alt ID (the phone number on the account)
- •The survivor's own Shopper's Card and the shared address
- •The date of death
- •Any Cash Back Offer rewards balance
- •The Fuel Points balance
- •Digital coupons and digital coupon credits loaded to the Shopper's Card
Required Documents
- Kroger Plus / Shopper's Card number or the loyalty Alt ID (the phone number on the account)
- The account email address or registered phone number, to help Customer Service locate the loyalty account
- Date of death
- Death certificate (Kroger publishes no documentation requirement for the loyalty program; provide a copy if Customer Service requests verification)
- For a household-linking request: the surviving household member's own Shopper's Card and the shared address
Timeline
Time-sensitive, and the pressure sits on the Cash Back balance. Kroger's Cash Back Offer Rewards Program Terms provide that if the account is cancelled without a Distribution Request having been made first, any Cash Back Rewards balance may, subject to applicable laws, expire upon that cancellation, and that expired Cash Back Rewards are no longer redeemable; Kroger also describes Cash Back as a pilot that may be terminated at any time, giving members 30 days' notice and 30 days to redeem, after which an unredeemed balance expires. A cash-out is limited to one per 24 hours and to $99.99 per day, so a larger balance takes several days to clear. Fuel Points expire on the schedule set by the Fuel Points Program terms, so ask Customer Service for the current balance and expiry rather than assuming the balance will wait. Digital coupons and coupon credits stay tied to the Shopper's Card. A paid Boost membership bills until it is cancelled. Kroger publishes no deceased-account processing timeline, because it publishes no estate-claim workflow; any request is handled at Customer Service's discretion on its own schedule, and Kroger says email inquiries get a response within 5-7 business days.
Frequently asked questions
By default they are lost. Kroger publishes no deceased-account, bereavement, or estate-claim process for the loyalty program and no beneficiary designation. Its Cash Back Offer Rewards Program Terms provide that a Cash Back Rewards balance is not transferable, cannot be brokered, bartered or sold, and cannot be divided as part of a settlement, legal proceeding or death, and that the balance is not the member's property and remains the sole property of Kroger until it is distributed under a valid Distribution Request. Fuel Points expire on the schedule set by the Fuel Points Program terms, so that balance can lapse on its own. A survivor can still ask Kroger Customer Service, as a discretionary courtesy, to move the value to a surviving household member's account or to process a Distribution Request on the Cash Back balance.
Not as a matter of right. The balances are not transferable to an outside person and there is no estate-claim path. The one route Kroger actually operates is household Shopper's Card account linking: its Digital Account FAQ states that linking lets members combine their coupons, Fuel Points and rewards with others that reside in their household, that shoppers must share the same address and purchase items for that household, and that members should call 1-800-576-4377 to have the accounts linked. That is household sharing among same-address members, not an estate transfer, Kroger decides whether to make the link, and it does not cover the Cash Back balance, which the terms say cannot be combined with another member's.
The mechanism exists, and it is the one loyalty item that carries money, but the request is Kroger's to grant. Kroger redeems a Cash Back Rewards balance on a Distribution Request, either to the Shopper's Card (the member chooses the amount, up to $99.99 per day, usable across future shopping trips and not usable for fuel, gift cards, alcohol, pharmacy, tobacco, lottery, money services or fees) or to PayPal once the balance reaches $20, with one cash-out allowed per 24 hours. The terms provide that a balance may expire if the account is cancelled without a Distribution Request first, so raise the balance with Customer Service before asking for closure. Do not use the decedent's login to do this - ask Kroger Customer Service to handle it.
No. Kroger publishes no deceased-account or bereavement workflow for its loyalty program and no estate-claim path for Fuel Points, Cash Back rewards, or coupons. The practical steps are to raise the Cash Back balance with Customer Service before anything is closed, redeem the Fuel Points balance, ask about linking a same-address household member's Shopper's Card, cancel any paid Boost membership, and then contact Kroger Customer Service about closing the loyalty account and stopping communications. Kroger Customer Service is 1-800-KRO-GERS (1-800-576-4377), Monday to Friday 7am to Midnight EST and Saturday and Sunday 7am to 9:30pm EST, or customerservice@kroger.com, which Kroger says it aims to answer within 5-7 business days.
No, and this trips people up. Kroger's Digital Account FAQ states that deleting a digital account removes the pharmacy account, email preferences, lists, cart items and recipes, while the Kroger Plus Card, Fuel Points, purchase history, digital coupons already added, digital coupon credits, reward points, Community Rewards, store credit, SMS texts and Boost membership benefits all remain on the account and can be accessed and updated by calling Customer Service or visiting the in-store Customer Service desk. Deleting the online sign-in removes the way in without settling what is behind it, so handle the balances and the Boost membership with Customer Service first.
It has to be cancelled rather than left to lapse quietly. Boost is a paid membership, and Kroger's Digital Account FAQ lists Boost membership benefits among the items that remain on the account even after a digital account is deleted. Ask Kroger Customer Service (1-800-576-4377, customerservice@kroger.com) to cancel the membership so it stops billing, and to confirm what happens to the remaining term. Boost benefits are tied to the member's household and do not transfer to anyone outside it.
Not on their own. Digital coupons are loaded to the Kroger Plus / Shopper's Card and are tied to that loyalty account. Kroger's Coupon Policy provides that a valid Shopper's Card or an Alternate ID is required to create a digital account and that digital coupons and offers are deducted from a customer's total purchase prior to paper coupons or any other discounts and cannot be added back or removed once the Card has been scanned. A surviving same-address household member whose Shopper's Card is linked to the household can continue to use household-shared coupons. Anything beyond that is a discretionary request to Kroger Customer Service.
Not before the balances are dealt with. Kroger's Cash Back Offer Rewards Program Terms provide that if the account is cancelled without a Distribution Request having been made first, any Cash Back Rewards balance may, subject to applicable laws, expire upon that cancellation, and that expired Cash Back Rewards are no longer redeemable. Raise the Cash Back balance, redeem the Fuel Points, ask about linking a same-address household member, and make the transfer request before requesting closure. Cancelling a paid Boost membership, by contrast, is worth doing straight away so it stops billing.
Since Kroger points are forfeited at death under the official terms, points can only be used during the account holder's lifetime. Redeeming, transferring, or sharing points while the account is active preserves their value.
Sources
Data sourced from The Kroger Co. primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
Kroger Customer Service
Kroger Customer Service (no dedicated estates channel published)
Time-sensitive, and the pressure sits on the Cash Back balance. Kroger's Cash Back Offer Rewards Program Terms provide that if the account is cancelled without a Distribution Request having been made first, any Cash Back Rewards balance may, subject to applicable laws, expire upon that cancellation, and that expired Cash Back Rewards are no longer redeemable; Kroger also describes Cash Back as a pilot that may be terminated at any time, giving members 30 days' notice and 30 days to redeem, after which an unredeemed balance expires. A cash-out is limited to one per 24 hours and to $99.99 per day, so a larger balance takes several days to clear. Fuel Points expire on the schedule set by the Fuel Points Program terms, so ask Customer Service for the current balance and expiry rather than assuming the balance will wait. Digital coupons and coupon credits stay tied to the Shopper's Card. A paid Boost membership bills until it is cancelled. Kroger publishes no deceased-account processing timeline, because it publishes no estate-claim workflow; any request is handled at Customer Service's discretion on its own schedule, and Kroger says email inquiries get a response within 5-7 business days.
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