There are obvious things that people think about when making a Will – such as who inherits the house, savings, and precious personal belongings – but sometimes things that are just as valuable get overlooked, and consequently can be lost along the way.

People in Britain earn over £5.7 billion a year in rewards from loyalty schemes – but without proper planning, these can disappear when someone dies.

According to the Loyalty After Death report produced by the TopCashback website, which surveyed 2,000 shoppers, most people save their loyalty points and over two-thirds neglect to tell anyone which schemes they belong to.  As a result, large sums of money go to waste when people die. 

Different providers have different arrangements regarding passing on these rewards to your loved ones, so it’s a good idea to be aware of the rules associated with your own stash:

Nectar, Tesco, Co-op and Morrison’s make it relatively easy for reward points to be transferred by written request, but other schemes may require more complicated paperwork (e.g., Avios flights, TopCashback request death certificates) and others such as Boots Advantage points and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles can be bequeathed but only if they are mentioned in the deceased’s Will.

However, if you’re a member of British Airways Executive Club, Costa coffee or Ikea’s schemes, you should spend your points while you can, as unfortunately when you die, they die with you.

This week is Dying Matters Awareness Week (www.dyingmatters.org) with events going on around the country to encourage more people to talk openly about the realities of dying, death and bereavement.   Open discussion and proper planning will give you peace of mind that when the time comes for your loved ones to grieve, you’ve saved them from additional and unnecessary stress.

If you have any questions or concerns about your Will or want advice regarding later life planning, then write to me at law@anvoner.co.uk and I will do my best to put your mind at rest.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here