B&Q is the UK’s largest DIY and home improvement retailer, with more than 270 stores across the country and a substantial online operation at diy.com. For many households – and particularly for estates involving tradespeople or anyone who had a kitchen, bathroom, or major installation project under way – there is more to deal with than a simple shopping account.
The deceased may have held a B&Q Club loyalty card, a TradePoint trade account, outstanding orders for large fitted products, a B&Q finance agreement, or gift cards. Each of these sits in a different part of the business and needs separate attention. This guide works through each one in order of priority.
Quick reference:
- B&Q customer services: 0333 014 3098 – Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 10am–4pm
- B&Q home delivery enquiries: 0333 014 3357
- TradePoint general enquiries: 0333 004 9999 – Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 10am–4pm
- B&Q FlexiPlan (Creation Consumer Finance): 0333 032 7740 – Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 9am–5pm
- No dedicated online bereavement form – phone is the primary channel
How to contact B&Q
B&Q does not publish a dedicated bereavement page or a separate bereavement phone line. The main customer service line handles estate-related notifications.
Phone: Call 0333 014 3098. Lines are open Monday to Saturday 8am–8pm, and Sunday 10am–4pm. When you connect, explain that you are calling following the death of an account holder and ask the agent to note the bereavement on any relevant accounts.
Online contact form: B&Q offers a general contact form at diy.com/customer-support/contact-us. This is suitable for non-urgent correspondence; B&Q aims to respond within 48 hours. For bereavement notifications involving outstanding orders or large sums, calling is more efficient.
By post: Write to:
B&Q House
Chestnut Avenue
Chandler’s Ford
Eastleigh
Hampshire
SO53 3LE
Include a copy of the death certificate (a photocopy is acceptable for initial contact – you do not need to send an original), a covering letter with the deceased’s name, date of birth, date of death, and usual address, and your own name and contact details.
What to have ready
Before contacting B&Q, gather:
- The deceased’s full name and date of birth
- The date of death
- The email address registered to their B&Q account, if known
- Any order reference numbers for outstanding or recent orders
- Their B&Q Club card number (printed on the back of the physical card) or the email address linked to the account
- Their TradePoint membership number, if applicable
You do not need all of this before making the first call. A name and date of death is usually enough for the customer service team to locate accounts.
Large orders and installations in progress
This is the most financially significant section for many estates. B&Q sells fitted kitchens, bathrooms, and flooring – purchases that can run to several thousand pounds, often with substantial deposits paid upfront and installation work scheduled weeks or months in advance.
If the deceased had a kitchen, bathroom, or major flooring project under way – or had paid a deposit that had not yet been fulfilled – the estate may have a significant claim. Acting quickly matters.
What to do
Contact B&Q customer services on 0333 014 3098 as soon as possible after the death and explain the situation. Ask them to:
- Locate any outstanding orders linked to the deceased’s account
- Place a hold on any scheduled delivery or installation appointments
- Confirm what deposit or payment has been made to date
- Advise on cancellation and refund options
Your legal rights
Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, consumers have a 14-day right to cancel distance or off-premises contracts from the date of delivery or, where services have not started, from the date of contract. However, this right does not apply to bespoke or made-to-measure products – goods cut, personalised, or manufactured to specific dimensions.
In practice, a fitted kitchen or bathroom that has been ordered but not yet manufactured falls into a grey area. B&Q’s terms confirm that cancellation rights do not apply to “products cut, made to measure or mixed to your requirements, or otherwise customised.” That said, if installation has not yet begun and materials have not been cut to size, there may be room to negotiate a partial or full refund of any deposit paid.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, if B&Q has not yet performed any services and cannot demonstrate that reasonable costs have been incurred, the estate has grounds to seek a full deposit refund. Where a dispute arises, the estate can escalate to the Retail Ombudsman or seek advice from a solicitor.
For estates where the deposit is substantial – £3,000 or more is not unusual for a fitted kitchen – this is worth pursuing with professional advice.
Click-and-collect orders
If the deceased placed a click-and-collect order that was not collected, B&Q holds items in store for seven days. After that, the order is automatically cancelled and a refund is issued to the original payment method. If you become aware of an uncollected order before the seven-day window expires, contact B&Q on 0333 014 3357 to discuss the refund options without waiting for the automatic cancellation.
TradePoint trade accounts
TradePoint is B&Q’s trade membership programme, operating across more than 180 UK stores and online at trade-point.co.uk. It is designed for tradespeople – electricians, plumbers, plasterers, joiners, tilers, roofers, decorators, landscapers, and builders – and offers discounts and exclusive pricing based on monthly spend.
Many sole traders and small builders hold active TradePoint accounts. At the time of death, a TradePoint account may have:
- An outstanding loyalty discount tier (based on the previous month’s spend)
- Pending or undelivered orders placed through trade-point.co.uk
- A linked Trade UK credit account (a separate credit facility available to some TradePoint members – see below)
Closing a TradePoint account
There is no published online process for closing a TradePoint account in a bereavement situation. Contact TradePoint directly:
Phone: 0333 004 9999 (general enquiries) – Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 10am–4pm
Email: info@trade-point.co.uk
Explain that the account holder has died and ask them to close the account. Have the membership number ready if possible (it should appear on any TradePoint receipt, email confirmation, or the membership card). You will also need the deceased’s name and date of death.
As with the main B&Q account, a copy of the death certificate may be requested before the account is formally closed. Any outstanding orders at the time of death should be discussed with the team – the same refund principles as above apply.
Trade UK credit accounts
Some TradePoint members hold a Trade UK credit account – a business credit line for purchasing trade materials. If the deceased held a Trade UK account, this is a separate credit agreement and must be handled independently.
Contact Trade UK at credit.trade.co.uk/Help/ContactUs for details of the account and closure process. Any outstanding balance on a Trade UK credit account becomes a liability of the deceased’s estate in the same way as any other business debt.
B&Q Club loyalty card
The B&Q Club loyalty card allows members to collect points on purchases and access member-exclusive offers and discounts. It is a free scheme open to any B&Q customer.
To notify B&Q Club of a death, you will need:
- The long card number from the back of the B&Q Club card (beneath the barcode), or
- The email address and full name associated with the account
Phone: Call 0333 014 3098 (main customer services) and ask to speak to the team dealing with B&Q Club accounts. B&Q Club will confirm the account has been closed once the death has been registered.
B&Q Club points have no direct cash value and cannot be transferred to another person or converted to cash. The balance is forfeited on account closure. If the deceased’s account held a significant number of points, it is worth raising this with the customer services team when you call – there is no published policy on converting or honouring points for estate purposes, but it is reasonable to ask.
Gift cards
B&Q gift cards are bearer instruments – they hold a monetary value and can be used by whoever possesses them, regardless of who purchased them. Any B&Q gift card found among the deceased’s possessions forms part of the estate.
Expiry policy
B&Q gift cards expire if they are not used to make a purchase, top up, or balance enquiry during any period of five consecutive years. A card also expires if it holds a zero balance for one year or more. Promotional gift cards may carry shorter expiry dates – check any accompanying paperwork. (Source: B&Q Gift Card Terms and Conditions.)
Using or cashing in gift cards
Gift cards cannot be redeemed for cash – B&Q’s terms are explicit on this point. The balance can be used to purchase goods at B&Q stores or on diy.com. In an estate context, the executor can use the balance to purchase items needed for estate administration or property clearance. Alternatively, the card can be passed to a beneficiary as part of the estate distribution.
If you are unsure of the balance on a card, check it in any B&Q store at the till, or call the customer service line with the card number.
B&Q finance
B&Q offers finance on larger purchases – most commonly on kitchen and bathroom orders – through its FlexiPlan scheme. B&Q acts as a credit broker; the lender is Creation Consumer Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Registration Number 311518).
FlexiPlan can be used for purchases of £75 or more, with terms of 3 to 60 months and a representative APR of 17.9% variable. Buy-now-pay-later options are also available for larger purchases.
If the deceased held a B&Q FlexiPlan account, contact Creation Consumer Finance directly to notify them of the death.
Phone: 0333 032 7740 – Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 9am–5pm, Sun closed
Online account manager: youraccount.diyflexiplan.com
Any outstanding balance on the account becomes a liability of the estate. Interest should be stopped from the date of death once the lender has been formally notified. You will likely be asked to provide a copy of the death certificate and, where the balance is significant, a grant of probate or letters of administration before the account can be formally settled.
Family members are not personally liable for a FlexiPlan balance unless they were joint account holders on the credit agreement. The debt sits with the estate. (Source: National Debtline – Debts after death.)
Look through the deceased’s bank statements for Direct Debit payments to “Creation Consumer Finance” or “B&Q FlexiPlan” if you are unsure whether an account exists. Search their email inbox for correspondence from creation.co.uk or diyflexiplan.com.
B&Q also offers PayPal Pay in 3 for online purchases – if the deceased had a PayPal account with an outstanding Pay in 3 instalment plan, this should be notified through PayPal separately. See our guide on how to notify PayPal when someone dies for details.
The Screwfix distinction
This is one of the most important practical points for estates involving tradespeople.
Screwfix and B&Q are both owned by Kingfisher plc, the FTSE-listed home improvement group. However, they are entirely separate retail businesses with separate customer databases, separate accounts, and separate processes. Notifying B&Q of a death does not notify Screwfix.
Many sole traders and small businesses use both – B&Q for larger or bulkier items, Screwfix for fixings, tools, and trade consumables. A tradesperson’s estate may therefore have open accounts at both.
If the deceased had a Screwfix account, you will need to notify Screwfix separately through their own customer service team. See our guide to notifying Screwfix when someone dies for the full process, including what to do with Trade Credit accounts and Click & Collect orders.
Other Kingfisher Group brands operating in continental Europe – including Castorama and Brico Dépôt – are not relevant for UK estates.
B&Q and Homebase: not the same company
Homebase and B&Q are frequently confused by people unfamiliar with the DIY retail sector. They are entirely separate businesses:
- B&Q is owned by Kingfisher plc (UK-listed FTSE 250 company).
- Homebase is a separate company, currently operated under private ownership, with a separate history and no corporate connection to B&Q.
If the deceased had accounts with both, they must be notified independently. This guide covers B&Q only.
Summary: key contacts
| Contact | Phone | Hours | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| B&Q customer services | 0333 014 3098 | Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 10am–4pm | General account closure, B&Q Club, orders |
| B&Q home delivery | 0333 014 3357 | Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 10am–4pm | Outstanding delivery queries |
| TradePoint general enquiries | 0333 004 9999 | Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 10am–4pm | TradePoint account closure |
| TradePoint email | info@trade-point.co.uk | – | TradePoint correspondence |
| Creation Consumer Finance (FlexiPlan) | 0333 032 7740 | Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 9am–5pm | Finance account closure |
For a full overview of what to do after someone dies – including priority actions in the first week – see our guide to what to do when someone dies.
For help with the probate process, including whether you need a grant of probate and how to apply, see our probate guide.