Estate planning as a Paramount+ account holder

Paramount+ is Paramount's streaming platform offering CBS shows, Paramount films, live sports, and original content. An account holds profiles, watchlists (My List), viewing history, continue-watching progress, downloaded titles, and -- where a gift card has been redeemed -- a prepaid "Gift Card Credit" balance that does not expire. The Paramount+ Premium plan (formerly Paramount+ with SHOWTIME) integrates SHOWTIME content into a premium tier. Content is licensed, not owned. Accounts are non-transferable per Sections 9.4 and 20.7 of the Terms of Use, and Paramount+ publishes no bereavement policy. The two post-death tasks are stopping recurring charges through the correct billing channel and dealing with any remaining Gift Card Credit before the account is deleted.

Paramount+ accounts are forfeited at death under the program's terms. The terms explicitly state that accounts are not the account holder's property and cannot be inherited, transferred by will, or assigned through any estate planning mechanism.

What happens at death

Paramount+ has no published bereavement or deceased-user policy. The Terms of Use grant only "a limited, non-exclusive, and non-transferable right" to install and use the service (Section 9.4) and state that "These Terms of Use, and any rights, licenses or obligations you receive hereunder, cannot be transferred or assigned by you, and you will not attempt to do so" (Section 20.7). All content is licensed, not owned, and access ends with the subscription; downloaded titles become unplayable, and profiles, watchlists, viewing history, and continue-watching progress cannot be moved to another Paramount+ account. On money, Section 5.8(a)(ii)(C) states "YOU WILL NOT BE REFUNDED FOR ANY FEES YOU HAVE PAID," qualified by "However, there are certain circumstances in which you may be legally entitled to a refund," and Section 5.8(a)(ii)(D) adds that "you will not be able to withdraw any Gift Card credit once applied." Where a gift card was redeemed, the Gift Card Terms create a real residual balance: under Section 4.1 the Gift Card Credit "will remain on your Account indefinitely, or until such time as you sign-up for a new Subscription on the Website or your Account is deleted," and under Section 8.3, "If your Account is deleted (including upon your request), you acknowledge that you will forfeit the remaining balance of any Gift Card Credit." Classified forfeited because nothing passes to the estate as of right, and because the balance that does survive is expressly forfeited the moment the account is deleted -- which is exactly what a survivor tidying up is likely to do first.

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