Estate planning as a Wendy's account holder

Wendy's Rewards is the loyalty program for the Wendy's quick-service restaurant chain. Members earn points on qualifying purchases through the Wendy's app or website and redeem them for menu items and discounts on future orders. Points are a promotional loyalty currency, not money or property: the Wendy's Rewards Terms and Conditions state they are non-transferable, have no cash value, expire 365 days after they are posted, and are forfeited if the account is closed. There is no way to transfer points to another person or to an estate, and no beneficiary designation.

Wendy's points are forfeited at death under the program's terms. The terms explicitly state that points 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

Wendy's Rewards points are forfeited at death because they are a non-transferable promotional currency that cannot pass to anyone else. The Wendy's Rewards Terms and Conditions state that points and Rewards "do not constitute property of any Member, are non-transferable, have no cash value, and cannot be redeemed for cash or gift cards" (Section 4.5), and that a Wendy's Rewards account "cannot be sold, transferred, or assigned" (Section 1.2). When an account is terminated by either Wendy's or the member, "all previously earned points and/or unused Rewards automatically terminate and become null and void" (Section 1.7(c)). Separately, points expire 365 days from the day they were posted, and no credit or cash is given for unused or expired points (Section 2.9). The terms contain no estate-transfer provision, no beneficiary designation, and no documented process for transferring a deceased member's points to family or to an estate. As a result, any remaining points have no realizable estate value: they cannot be inherited, sold, or converted to cash, and they lapse on expiration or when the account is closed.

Frequently asked questions