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 38 participating airline frequent flyer programs. Marriott documents a deceased-member points process in both its Loyalty Program Terms and a dedicated help article: unredeemed points may be transferred once, at Marriott's sole discretion, to a single qualifying recipient once the required documentation is submitted. Elite status, Lifetime status, night credits, awards, and miles already converted to an airline program 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 (Updated August 2026), 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. Marriott's deceased-member help article adds the operational detail: the death certificate must be an original or certified copy, heirship may be shown by the will or by an official statement from an attorney or executor affirming the recipient is the legal heir, the marriage certificate is required only where heirship rests on the marriage, the two legal identifications are the recipient's, every document must be in English or carry a certified English translation, and Marriott asks that sensitive identification numbers be concealed or redacted before submission. The recipient must hold their own active Marriott Bonvoy account, which under Section 2.8 must have been open at least 30 days with qualifying activity (90 days without). Awards, hotel stays, Elite Membership Status (Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium, or Ambassador), Lifetime Membership Status, Elite Night Credits, and points already converted into airline partner miles do not transfer. 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.