Estate planning as a Nordstrom account holder

The Nordy Club is Nordstrom's loyalty program. Members earn Nordy Club points on purchases at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack, and those points convert into Nordstrom Notes that can be redeemed toward future purchases. The estate-relevant assets are the points balance and any unredeemed Nordstrom Notes in the account. Under the program Terms and Conditions, points and Notes have no cash value, do not constitute property, and are forfeited upon a member's death.

When a Nordstrom account holder dies, their points are forfeited. The program's terms state that points do not constitute property of the account holder and cannot be transferred upon death, by operation of law, or through estate planning documents.

What happens at death

Under The Nordy Club Terms and Conditions, "Program enrollment and benefits are nontransferable, unless expressly stated otherwise, and are forfeited upon a member's death." Nordy Club points and Nordstrom Notes "have no cash value, cannot be exchanged for cash or credit, may not be purchased or sold, and do not constitute property," and "Members have no ownership interest in points or Notes." Separately, points expire after twelve (12) consecutive months without program activity, and each Nordstrom Note carries its own printed expiration date. Because the balance is non-transferable, has no cash value, and is forfeited at death, there is no estate claim or inheritance for the points or Notes themselves. An executor or surviving family member can still contact Nordstrom to close the account, and any unexpired Nordstrom Notes that were issued before death remain usable until their printed expiration date until the account is closed.

Frequently asked questions