What happens to Marriott Bonvoy points when someone dies

“In the event of a Member's death, the Company 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.”¹

Section 1.7.b.i says the 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 move only to the single qualifying survivor.¹

Only unredeemed points move. Awards, hotel stays, Elite Membership Status (Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium or Ambassador), Lifetime Membership Status and Elite Night Credits do not transfer.¹

Points already converted into airline partner miles do not transfer to the recipient.²

The recipient must hold their own active Marriott Bonvoy account, open at least 30 days with qualifying activity, or 90 days without.^{2, 1}

The transfer is processed upon Marriott's receipt and review of the required documentation, at its sole discretion, and no split transfers are permitted.¹

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.²

The Deceased Member Account topic is shown only to someone who is signed in, and the request is made from the requestor's own Bonvoy account, never the deceased member's.²

An account inactive for 24 consecutive months forfeits all accumulated points, and an account inactive for five consecutive years may be deactivated; gifting or transferring points does not count as qualifying activity.¹