H&M points are forfeited on death – but gift cards still spend

H&M is one of the UK’s largest fashion retailers, with stores in most major towns and millions of registered online customers. When someone dies, their H&M account may hold loyalty points, gift card balances, and active or pending orders – all of which need to be considered as part of estate administration. This guide covers every element of a deceased person’s H&M relationship: the membership and loyalty points, gift cards, active orders and returns, account closure, H&M Home, and what to do if the deceased used Klarna at H&M’s checkout.

Quick reference:

• Phone: 0344 736 9000 (calls charged at standard national rate)
• Contact page: hm.com/en_gb/customer-service/contact.html
• H&M membership points: personal and non-transferable per H&M’s terms – points expire 12 months from the membership start date
• Gift cards: valid for 2 years from purchase; usable in-store or online; not exchangeable for cash
• Returns window: 30 days from receipt (14 days for sale items)
• Klarna debt: does not disappear on death – must be notified separately

Does H&M have a bereavement team?

H&M does not publish a dedicated bereavement team, a bereavement email address, or a specific phone line for deceased customer accounts. There is no “notify H&M of a death” form on their website. This is different from financial institutions and some larger retailers, and it means the process goes through standard customer service.

Phone: Call 0344 736 9000. This is H&M UK’s main customer service line. Calls are charged at standard national rate and are typically cheaper from a mobile than a premium-rate number would be. When you get through, explain that you are calling to close a deceased person’s account and to discuss their membership, any gift card balance, and any pending orders. Ask to speak to a senior agent if you need anything outside the usual script.

Online contact: Use the contact form at hm.com/en_gb/customer-service/contact.html. Select the relevant category – “My H&M Account” or “Orders” is the most appropriate – and explain the situation in the message. Note: the contact form does not appear to have a “bereavement” category, so you may need to use a general category and explain the circumstances clearly.

What to say: Keep it simple and factual. Something like: “I am contacting on behalf of the estate of [full name], who passed away on [date]. I would like to close their H&M account, understand the status of any membership points and gift card balance, and confirm any pending orders. Can you advise on the process?”

H&M may request a copy of the death certificate before closing the account. In practice, for a simple retail account with no financial product attached, some agents will close the account on the basis of a verbal notification – but having a digital copy of the death certificate ready to email or upload speeds things up.

H&M membership (loyalty points)

H&M operates a free loyalty programme called H&M Membership (previously called H&M Club). Members earn 1 point for every £1 spent in-store or online. Points convert to H&M vouchers at a rate of 100 points = £3. Points are reset to zero every 12 months from the membership start date, and vouchers expire 6 months after issue.

The membership has two tiers:

• Core – the standard free tier, available to all members
• H&M Plus – reached after earning 300 points in a membership year; adds free standard delivery with no minimum spend

What happens to points when someone dies?

H&M’s membership terms state that points are personal and non-transferable. (Source: H&M Membership Terms & Conditions, last verified May 2026.) H&M does not publish any process for transferring or cashing out points on behalf of a deceased member’s estate – the points will be forfeited when the account is closed.

From an estate administration perspective: unless the deceased had accumulated enough points to redeem a substantial voucher, the value is likely to be modest. At 100 points = £3, even a large accumulation of 500 points represents only £15 in vouchers. It is worth checking the account balance before closure to understand whether any redeemable vouchers exist.

Checking the balance: If you have access to the deceased’s email address and password (or can reset the password via email), you can log into the account at hm.com and view the membership dashboard. The current points balance and any unredeemed vouchers will be shown there.

Unredeemed vouchers: If the deceased held a valid, unexpired H&M voucher (i.e. points had already been converted), ask H&M customer service whether the voucher balance can be used on a final order or refunded to the estate. There is no guaranteed outcome, but the ask is worth making before the account is closed, since vouchers may have monetary value as estate assets.

Gift cards and store credit

H&M sells physical gift cards (available in-store) and digital gift cards (available online). Key terms, verified against H&M’s gift card terms (last verified May 2026):

• Validity: 2 years from the date of last activation or purchase
• Cash exchange: Gift cards cannot be exchanged for cash
• Remaining balance: If a card expires, the remaining balance cannot be refunded or reactivated
• Zero balance rule: If the balance reaches zero for three consecutive months, the card becomes invalid

Bearer instruments: Unlike H&M membership points – which are tied to a named account – H&M gift cards are bearer instruments. Anyone who holds the card (or the card number and PIN for a digital card) can use it. This means an executor or family member can use an H&M gift card found among the deceased’s possessions, provided it is still within its 2-year validity period and has a remaining balance.

How to check a gift card balance: H&M allows balance checks online at hm.com/en_gb/customer-service/gift-card.html, or by visiting any H&M store. You will need the card number and PIN.

Estate administration note: Gift cards with a remaining balance are assets of the estate. Document the balance as part of your estate inventory. If the card will expire before the estate is fully administered, consider redeeming the balance on something useful – H&M’s gift cards can be used across all H&M stores and on H&M Home.

If you contact H&M about a gift card and the card has expired, the standard position is that H&M will not reinstate it. In exceptional circumstances – particularly where a card was purchased recently before death – it may be worth escalating to a senior agent, but there is no formal process to request this.

Active orders and returns

If the deceased had placed an order that was in transit or had not yet been dispatched at the time of death, you will need to decide what to do with it.

Checking order status: Log into the account (or contact customer service) to check whether orders are pending, dispatched, or delivered. The order history is in the account dashboard at hm.com.

Options for pending orders:

• Accept delivery: The items will be delivered to the registered address and become part of the estate. They can be returned within the standard returns window.
• Cancel before dispatch: If an order has not yet been dispatched, H&M may be able to cancel it. Contact customer service as quickly as possible – once an order is in the logistics system, cancellation becomes difficult.
• Return after delivery: H&M’s standard returns window is 30 days from receipt for full-price items, and 14 days for sale items and Designer Collection pieces. (Source: H&M Returns Policy, last verified May 2026.)

Returns process:

• In-store: bring the item to any H&M store with the QR code from the despatch confirmation email. In-store returns are free.
• By post: use H&M’s returns portal (accessed through the account). A £2.95 return fee is deducted from the refund for postal returns (as of 2025). This does not apply to faulty items.

Refunds: Refunds go back to the original payment method. Card refunds can take up to 5 working days; PayPal refunds up to 30 days. If the original payment card has been cancelled, speak to the bank – they can usually redirect the refund to the estate.

If the returns window has passed: In a bereavement context, it is reasonable to contact H&M customer service and explain the circumstances. There is no published policy guaranteeing an extended window, but many agents will exercise discretion. The maximum you can expect is an extension, not a guaranteed refund.

Closing the account

Closing the H&M account prevents further use of the login, removes stored payment details, and stops marketing communications. It also causes any remaining membership points to be forfeited.

Before closing the account, check:

• Order history is noted for any warranty or returns needs
• Any remaining points balance is understood (redeemable vouchers, if any, have been used or noted)
• Any gift card numbers and PINs are recorded separately
• All pending or in-transit orders have been handled

How to close the account:

H&M offers a self-service account deletion option. If you have access to the account, navigate to the account settings at hm.com/en_gb/customer-service/leavehm.html and follow the steps to cancel the account.

If you do not have access, contact H&M customer service by phone (0344 736 9000) or via the contact form and ask them to close the account. Provide the deceased’s full name, registered email address, and be prepared to share a copy of the death certificate.

GDPR and data deletion: Under UK GDPR, the deceased’s estate has the right to request erasure of personal data held by H&M. You can contact H&M’s data protection team via the customer service route. H&M’s privacy policy states that H&M retains some data for legal and financial reasons even after account closure – for example, order history may be retained for accounting purposes. (Source: H&M Privacy Policy, last verified May 2026.) If you want a formal erasure request logged, ask for this specifically when closing the account.

H&M Home

H&M Home is H&M’s homeware and furniture line. In the UK, H&M Home products are sold through the same H&M website (hm.com) and are accessible with the same account login – it is not a separate brand, store card, or loyalty scheme. Closing the main H&M account closes access to H&M Home purchases and order history as well.

One practical difference: most H&M Home items can be returned to any H&M store. However, furniture and lighting items can only be returned to H&M’s online warehouse – they cannot be returned in-store. If the deceased had ordered H&M Home furniture that arrived after their death and falls within the returns window, follow the online returns process rather than attempting an in-store return.

Klarna and buy-now-pay-later

H&M offers Klarna as a payment method at checkout for H&M members shopping online and in-store via the H&M app. Klarna’s options at H&M UK include paying later and paying over time. (Source: The Payments Association – H&M x Klarna, last verified May 2026.)

This matters at bereavement because: if the deceased used Klarna to buy from H&M, any outstanding Klarna instalments are a debt of the estate. The debt does not disappear on death, and closing the H&M account does not clear or cancel the Klarna balance. Klarna is a separate regulated lender and must be notified independently.

What to do:

1. Check the deceased’s email for Klarna purchase confirmations from H&M orders
2. Log into their Klarna account (if you have access) or contact Klarna directly
3. Notify Klarna of the death and ask for a statement of any outstanding balance

Klarna has a formal bereavement process. Outstanding Klarna balances are unsecured debts – surviving family members are not personally liable unless they were a co-borrower, which Klarna does not offer. The estate is responsible for settling what it can.

For the full process, see our guide to notifying Klarna when someone dies.

Quick-reference summary

Tips and things to watch out for

There is no dedicated bereavement route. H&M does not operate a bereavement line or a dedicated deceased customer process. Everything goes through standard customer service. This is not unusual for retailers, but it means you may need to be persistent, particularly if the first agent is unsure how to handle the request. Ask to speak with a senior agent or team leader if you hit a wall.

Points will be forfeited. H&M’s terms are explicit that membership points are personal and non-transferable. Do not expect to transfer them to another account. If the deceased had just converted points to a voucher, act on that voucher before the account closes.

Gift cards are different from points. A physical or digital H&M gift card found in the deceased’s possession can be used by anyone – it is not locked to their account. Check for physical cards in wallets or drawers, and check email inboxes for digital gift card confirmations.

The 2-year gift card clock is running. H&M gift cards expire 2 years from purchase (or last activation). If you find a card, check the balance promptly so you know whether it has any value remaining before the deadline passes.

Klarna debt is separate. Some families assume that when an H&M account is closed, any Klarna debts relating to H&M purchases are also resolved. They are not. Klarna is a separate lender. Always check for Klarna when dealing with any H&M account.

Tell Us Once does not cover H&M. The government’s Tell Us Once service notifies government departments automatically when you register a death, but it does not extend to private retailers. You must contact H&M directly.

Third-party notification services. Settld and Life Ledger allow families to notify multiple organisations from one submission. Check their current company lists to see whether H&M is included – coverage changes over time, and for a single straightforward account it may be faster to call H&M directly.

Where to go next

For the broader picture of estate administration, see our complete guide to what to do when someone dies.

If the deceased shopped regularly online, you may also need to deal with:

• Notifying ASOS when someone dies – fashion retailer with similar Klarna and account closure considerations
• Notifying Primark when someone dies – gift cards (bearer instruments), Click & Collect orders, and Klarna/Clearpay used in-store
• Notifying Sports Direct when someone dies – Frasers Group brand portfolio, Frasers Plus credit account, gift cards
• Notifying Marks & Spencer when someone dies – includes M&S Bank and Sparks loyalty account
• Notifying Amazon when someone dies – gift card balances and digital subscriptions
• Notifying Klarna when someone dies – full guide to settling BNPL debts after a death