A woman shared her gripes with American Airlines after the passing of her father. TikToker Nurse Shark (@nurseshark007) said her 83-year-old mother was told she needed to wait six months to have her husband’s airline miles transferred.
TikTokers who commented on the video, which accrued over 615,000 views, seemed divided on the issue.
Miles of the deceased
The TikToker’s post begins with a text overlay that delineates the situation: “American Airlines policy regarding a deceased person’s frequent flier miles.”
“So my mom called American Airlines today because my father passed away a couple of weeks ago,” she says. “And my mom saw that my dad has 70,000 unused frequent flier miles. So she asked the representative if she could have those miles transferred to her account.”
According to the TikToker, an employee of the company initially told her this wouldn’t be an issue. “And the rep said, ‘Sure no problem, but there’s a waiting period,’” she says. “My mom said, ‘OK no problem, I’ll wait.’”
But the TikToker says there was an issue with the time period. According to her, the employee told them they’d have to wait 180 days to receive the miles.
“My mother said, ‘You mean I have to wait six months to get access to the miles?’ And the lady said, ‘Yes,’” the creator recalls. “My mother said, ‘You know, I’m 83 years old. I could die before I get a chance to use those miles.” But according to the employee, that was the airline’s policy.
A long waiting period
According to the TikToker, the representative went on to say there wasn’t any way around this rule.
“Hopefully I’ll live another six months to be able to use my deceased husband’s frequent flier miles,” the creator recalls her mother saying. “I think the policy is a little bit absurd, but I will wait the six months.”
Closing out her video, Nurse Shark asked American Airlines to comment on the situation online. Additionally, the TikToker highlighted the absurdity of the ruling, stating that a zombified version of her dad won’t come back to use the miles.
“Just want to know what y’all think about that,” she says. Six months to use your husband’s frequent flier miles? I mean, he’s not alive. It’s not like he’s gonna come back from the dead.”
@nurseshark007 #americanairlines #frequentflier #airlines #fyp #airlinemiles #travelguidenurseshark007 ♬ original sound – 🦈🇨🇭Nurseshark007🇨🇭🦈
Others have confirmed this wait period
Dan Whitmer, a Rewards Programs Analyst, echoed this 6-month wait time in a Wallet Hub answers post. He detailed several steps fliers need to take in order to initiate the transfer. This includes a “declaration supporting the request for transfer.”
Furthermore, a copy of the “member’s death certificate” must be provided to the airline, along with other qualifiers. Whitmer went on to write that this process may even take longer than six months: “And American Airlines might extend the duration based on the circumstances.”
According to American Airlines’ website’s official documentation, however, a deceased member’s points are non-transferable. It would appear that in instances where AA employees offer transfers, it’s performed on a discretionary basis: “Unless otherwise permitted by American Airlines, upon the death of an AAdvantage® member. Such AAdvantage® member’s account will be terminated and their AAdvantage® miles and Loyalty Points forfeited.”
Not the norm
According to View from the Wing, another popular airline, Delta doesn’t allow folks to transfer miles from deceased family members: “At Delta Air Lines, your SkyMiles aren’t worth very much – and they expire when you do. Like Delta, Southwest says points don’t expire but that isn’t really true. They get to wipe out the liability on their books for future travel when you pass away. Both airlines literally make money when you die. American Airlines has long been willing to transfer your miles to a loved one. It’s been on an exception basis, and at times in the past there’s been a nominal processing fee to handle it.”
The Points Guy says that United has adopted a similar stance to awarding deceased member miles as American. I.e., that it’s done on a case-by-case basis. In the site’s piece about posthumous points, the author writes hotel points are usually the easiest to transfer. Folks who have loved ones with credit card points balances should also check in with the credit card company.
TikTokers post their own methods
One user who replied to Nurse Shark’s post shared their workaround. “My mom had miles left on her account after she passed,” they wrote. “I just kept her login info and booked tickets with her miles directly from her account.”
One person thought American Airlines’ willingness to transfer the points at all was a miracle. “They’re earned by the person. The fact that they transfer at all is a blessing,” they wrote. “Most estate/probate process takes more than 6 months anyways so it’s not that absurd.”
Another remarked that they understood the airline’s policy. “Delta and southwest both say non transferable. I kinda understand it, it’s not like it was something directly paid for. It’s rewards program, and can’t be included in a will,” one said.
Someone else said they were able to get their deceased husband’s points quickly from another airline. “I got my husband’s 800,000 Miles from United when he passed in 3 days,” they said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to American Airlines via email and Nurse Shark via TikTok comment.
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