How to notify British Airways when someone dies

When someone dies with a British Airways Executive Club account, there are three separate matters to deal with: the loyalty account and Avios points, any unused flights or bookings, and the question of bereavement flights for people needing to travel to funerals. Each of these works differently, and acting promptly matters – particularly for Avios, which the official terms say are cancelled on death, though BA regularly makes exceptions in practice.

Quick reference:

• Executive Club phone: 0344 493 0747
• Executive Club postal address: British Airways Executive Club, PO Box 1125, Uxbridge, UB8 9XR
• Contact page: britishairways.com/travel/contact-executive-club
• Compassionate cancellations line: 0203 684 9677 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)
• Bereavement fares: British Airways does not offer these
• Avios on death: officially cancelled, but BA transfers them in practice with probate documentation
• Refund for unused flights: available – call the compassionate line with the death certificate

How to notify British Airways of a death

British Airways handles two distinct matters when someone dies: the Executive Club loyalty account, and any flight bookings or tickets. These go through different teams.

Notifying the Executive Club

To close the deceased’s loyalty account and begin a request to transfer Avios, contact the Executive Club directly.

By phone: Call 0344 493 0747. This is the main Executive Club line. There is no dedicated bereavement department – you will speak to a general Executive Club agent who will escalate to the relevant team. Ask them to note the death and initiate the bereavement process. They will send you a link to upload your documents securely.

By post: Write to British Airways Executive Club, PO Box 1125, Uxbridge, UB8 9XR. Include a copy of the death certificate and a covering letter explaining your relationship to the deceased and what you are requesting.

When you call or write, have the following ready:

Notifying customer services about flights

If the deceased had upcoming flights booked, or if you need to cancel flights for compassionate reasons (for example, you were due to travel with the deceased), contact BA’s dedicated compassionate line:

Compassionate cancellations: 0203 684 9677 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm)

This line handles changes and refunds in bereavement circumstances. Do not try to manage these through ba.com’s standard cancellation flow – it does not accommodate compassionate requests, and phone is the only way to put your case.

If you booked through a travel agent or third-party site, contact them directly rather than BA.

What happens to Avios when someone dies

This is often the most pressing question, and the answer is complicated by a gap between BA’s official terms and their actual practice.

The official position

The British Airways Club terms and conditions, Clause 3.12.2, state:

“Upon the death of a member, any Avios, tier points and lifetime tier points accumulated by that member but unused at the time of death shall be cancelled.”

In other words, the written rule is that all points are forfeited at death.

What happens in practice

Despite the formal terms, British Airways regularly agrees to transfer Avios to family members when approached properly with documentation. Solicitors who handle estates containing Avios balances report that BA transfers the points when presented with a Grant of Probate and the details of a residuary beneficiary’s own BA account. A formal letter from a solicitor – rather than an informal family request – appears to be the most reliable route.

Some families have also had Avios transferred directly by calling the Executive Club, providing a death certificate, and supplying their own BA account details – without needing probate. This tends to work where the amounts are smaller or where accounts were previously linked in a Household Account. BA is not legally obliged to transfer points, but they appear willing to do so as a goodwill gesture when asked properly.

The key steps:

1. Call the Executive Club on 0344 493 0747 and inform them of the death
2. Upload the death certificate via the secure link they provide
3. If requesting a transfer, also provide the Grant of Probate (once available) and the details of the account you would like the points transferred to
4. If instructed by a solicitor, a formal letter with the probate documentation significantly improves the outcome

Avios expiry during probate

Avios expire after 36 consecutive months of inactivity (no earning, spending, purchasing, or transferring). If probate is taking time, there is a practical workaround: purchasing even a small number of Avios to the deceased’s account counts as account activity and resets the expiry clock. The purchased Avios do not need to be spent – the transaction alone extends the account’s active status.

If the Avios balance is substantial (hundreds of pounds of flight value or more), this step is worth taking while probate progresses.

Household Account members

If the deceased was part of a British Airways Household Account – a pooled account that allows points to be shared between members – the surviving members can continue to use the pooled balance until it reaches zero. The Household Account can then be disbanded. Points already in the surviving members’ individual accounts are not affected. However, the deceased’s individual points outside the pool are subject to the standard rules above.

British Airways bereavement fares

British Airways does not offer bereavement fares or discounted tickets for emergency travel to funerals.

This was confirmed by British Airways directly: in a public response, BA stated they do not offer bereavement fares. The airline does not publish a special rate for people travelling to attend a funeral or deal with a family emergency.

If you need to book last-minute flights for a funeral, the standard advice is:

• Book as early as possible once dates are confirmed, as this remains the single most effective way to reduce the cost
• Check flexible or fully refundable fare options – these allow cancellation if plans change, which matters when funeral dates can shift
• Review your home insurance or travel insurance, as some policies include “travelling to a funeral” cover
• If you have Avios, an Avios reward booking can be a cost-effective way to cover urgent travel

The compassionate line (0203 684 9677) can discuss booking options, but cannot offer a reduced fare that does not exist.

Refunds on unused flights

If the deceased had booked flights that were never used – whether as the passenger or as part of a booking that also included others – British Airways deals with this compassionately.

Flights booked by or for the deceased

Call the compassionate cancellations line on 0203 684 9677 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm) and explain the situation. BA will ask for a copy of the death certificate and will review the booking. In practice, BA has refunded otherwise non-refundable fares in bereavement circumstances, and forum discussions from multiple travellers confirm that “a copy of the death certificate” is typically sufficient to secure a full or substantial refund.

Even with non-refundable economy fares, the airport taxes and charges component is always refundable – these are not part of the base fare. The ticket price itself is where the refund is at BA’s discretion, but the compassionate team does exercise that discretion.

Avios redemption tickets

Avios bookings are cancellable at any time. The Avios are refunded to the account (minus any applicable cancellation fees), and the cash taxes and charges are refunded to the original payment method. In bereavement circumstances, call the compassionate line to request that cancellation fees are waived – this is a reasonable ask and BA has agreed to it in reported cases.

Companion vouchers

If the booking used a British Airways Companion Voucher (earned through the BA Premium Credit Card), the position is less clear-cut. Voucher terms impose restrictions, and some of these may not be flexible even in bereavement. Raise this with the compassionate team and escalate in writing if they are unable to help.

If you had travel insurance

Travel insurance will typically cover unused flights where a close family member has died, even if the deceased was not on the booking. Check the policy terms for the definition of “close family member” and any documentation requirements. Travel insurance claims run alongside any goodwill refund from BA – you cannot double-recover, but if BA refunds the ticket, you may be able to claim expenses (such as rebooking costs) through the insurer instead.

What documents you will need

A death certificate is the document issued by the register office after the death is formally registered. If the death is subject to a coroner’s investigation, an interim death certificate is usually acceptable as a starting point while the full certificate is awaited.

A Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration, if there is no will) is issued by the Probate Registry and gives legal authority to administer the estate. For small Avios balances, BA may act without it. For larger balances, it makes the transfer considerably more likely. See our guide to applying for probate for the full process.

Additional certified copies of the death certificate cost £12.50 each in England and Wales, ordered from the General Register Office at gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate. Order several when registering the death.

Things to watch out for

Act before the Avios expire. The 36-month inactivity clock runs from the last activity on the account. If the deceased was not a regular traveller and had not used the account for a while, the balance may be closer to expiry than you think. Log in or call to check the last activity date, and take the purchasing workaround if needed.

Phone is essential – online channels do not work for compassionate requests. BA’s website has no mechanism for flagging compassionate circumstances. If you try to cancel non-refundable tickets online without explanation, you will receive the standard terms. The compassionate line exists precisely to handle these situations by phone, so use it.

Bereavement fares do not exist. Despite what some websites claim, BA has confirmed it does not offer them. Any site suggesting otherwise is out of date or incorrect.

Voucher and companion bookings are harder to flex. Standard tickets on bereavement grounds are usually straightforward. Companion voucher bookings, group bookings, and third-party bookings are more complicated. Manage expectations and escalate in writing if the phone agent cannot help.

Avios are not part of the estate for inheritance tax. Loyalty points are generally regarded as contractual rights rather than property, and HMRC does not expect Avios to be declared as estate assets for inheritance tax purposes. This position may evolve – if the estate is complex, take advice from a solicitor. For broader guidance on digital and loyalty assets, see our guide to what happens to digital assets when someone dies.

If you booked through a third party. Flight bookings made via a travel agent, comparison site, or holiday company must be handled through that intermediary – BA cannot action changes or refunds on tickets it does not hold directly.

Summary

When someone dies with a British Airways account, the key actions are:

1. Call the Executive Club on 0344 493 0747 to notify them of the death and begin the Avios process
2. Call the compassionate cancellations line on 0203 684 9677 for any unused flight bookings
3. Gather the death certificate early – it is needed for both processes
4. Pursue probate documentation if the Avios balance is significant – it is the most reliable route to a transfer
5. Act before Avios expire – 36 months of inactivity is the limit; purchasing a small number of points resets the clock

British Airways does not offer bereavement fares, but it does handle compassionate cancellations and refunds with flexibility that the standard terms do not reflect. The compassionate team has genuine discretion, and a phone call with a death certificate is usually enough to secure a reasonable outcome on flights.

For related guidance, see our what to do when someone dies hub, our guide to what happens to digital assets when someone dies (which covers loyalty points and airline miles as part of the digital estate), our guide to applying for probate, and if you are reviewing insurance policies, our guide to what happens to life insurance when someone dies. If the deceased also had a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account, see our guide to notifying Virgin Atlantic when someone dies. For easyJet bookings, see our guide to notifying easyJet when someone dies. For Ryanair bookings, see our guide to cancelling a Ryanair booking when someone dies. If the deceased had a TUI package holiday booked, see our guide to cancelling a TUI holiday when someone dies. If they also had a Booking.com account or pending reservations, see our guide to cancelling a Booking.com account when someone dies. If they had an Airbnb account or host listings, see our guide to closing an Airbnb account when someone dies.