Estate planning as a Marriott Bonvoy account holder

Marriott Bonvoy is the loyalty program for Marriott International, the world's largest hotel company with 30+ brands including Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, and St. Regis. Points can be redeemed for free nights, room upgrades, experiences, and transfers to 40+ airline partners. Marriott offers a documented estate transfer process: upon death, unredeemed points may be transferred to a single active Bonvoy member at Marriott's discretion, provided required documentation is submitted. Elite status, night credits, and awards do not transfer.

When a Marriott Bonvoy account holder dies, their points can be transferred to family members at no charge.

Marriott Bonvoy allows members to transfer points to other program members during their lifetime, typically for a fee. This is a practical way to share value without a formal estate transfer.

What happens at death

Under Section 1.6.c.ii of the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms and Conditions, in the event of a member's death Marriott "may, in its sole discretion, allow a one-time transfer of unredeemed Points from the deceased Member's Account to a single recipient, who must be either the legal spouse or named in the deceased Member's will as the intended recipient of the Member's Loyalty Program Points." No split transfers are permitted. The transfer is processed upon Marriott's receipt and review of the required documentation, which the Terms list as (1) the will of the deceased, or an attorney's attestation that there is no will, (2) the death certificate of the deceased, (3) a marriage certificate evidencing the marriage if the requestor is the spouse, and (4) two forms of legal identification of the requestor. Awards, hotel stays, Elite Membership Status, Lifetime Membership Status, and related benefits including Elite Night Credits do not transfer to the recipient of the points. Separately, Section 1.7.b.i states that the Loyalty Program, Points, and Awards "are the sole property of the Company, and are not the property of Members," so the points are not an estate asset and cannot be transferred to the estate itself — only to the single qualifying survivor, and only at Marriott's discretion. The recipient must hold a Marriott Bonvoy account that has been open at least 30 days with qualifying activity (90 days without).