M&S covers more financial ground than most people realise. A single person may have held a Sparks loyalty account, an M&S Bank credit card, a savings account, and possibly an older M&S store card. Each needs to be handled separately, through different teams. This guide explains the right route for each one, what documents to have ready, and what to expect once you’ve been in touch.
Quick reference:
- M&S Bank Bereavement Support team (credit card, current account): 0345 300 6139 | Savings & investments: 0345 266 0450 | bereavement support page
- Sparks loyalty account: 0333 014 8000 (Mon–Sun 8am–8pm)
- Probate may be needed if: M&S Bank sole account balances exceed £5,000
- Typical timeline: 1–4 weeks for simple cases
M&S Bank – how to notify them
M&S Bank was transferred from HSBC to Marks & Spencer Financial Services plc in 2023. If you have contact details from an older source – or found a number on a third-party site that references HSBC handling M&S accounts – disregard them. M&S Bank now operates independently, with its own bereavement team.
Phone: Call 0345 300 6139 for credit card or current account bereavement queries – this is M&S Bank’s dedicated Bereavement Support team, published directly on M&S Bank’s own bereavement guide, with lines open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays). If the person held a savings or investment account, call 0345 266 0450 instead (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays). Don’t use the general credit card servicing number (0345 900 0900) – that line handles account management, balance transfers and disputes, and doesn’t appear as a bereavement contact anywhere in M&S Bank’s own bereavement guidance.
Online: M&S Bank offers an online deceased notification form through their bereavement support page. This is the quickest route if you have a copy of the death certificate ready to upload. Once submitted, M&S Bank will ensure all relevant internal teams are updated – you shouldn’t need to notify each product separately if they’re all held under M&S Bank.
Post: M&S Bank, PO Box 325, Wymondham, NR18 8GW.
When you first make contact, M&S Bank will freeze all sole accounts in the deceased’s name. No money can be withdrawn. Credits to the account continue to be accepted. Direct debits and standing orders are cancelled by law on receipt of the death certificate – including any automatic payments the deceased had set up.
M&S Bank also accepts notifications through the Death Notification Service (deathnotificationservice.co.uk), a free service that lets you notify multiple financial institutions with one submission. This is useful if the estate involves several banks – though you will still need to liaise directly with M&S Bank to close accounts and release funds.
Sparks loyalty account
Sparks is M&S’s free loyalty scheme. Membership is separate from M&S Bank – a person could hold a Sparks account without having any banking relationship with M&S at all.
To close a deceased person’s Sparks account, contact M&S customer services on 0333 014 8000 (Monday–Sunday, 8am–8pm). You can also use the online contact form at marksandspencer.com/help-and-support/contact/sparks.
What you’ll need: the deceased’s Sparks card number (or the email address used to register), plus their full name and your own contact details.
What happens to points and vouchers: The traditional points system was phased out in 2020, so there are no points to redeem in that sense. If the deceased had any outstanding Sparks vouchers or rewards, these can be discussed with the customer services team. M&S can transfer loyalty benefits to another M&S account holder, but only if that person holds their own M&S card. Any unredeemed vouchers that have expired cannot be reinstated.
Sparks accounts are managed by M&S retail, not M&S Bank – so notifying M&S Bank about financial accounts does not automatically close the Sparks account, and vice versa.
M&S Bank credit card
When M&S Bank receives formal notification of a death, the credit card account is cancelled and all cards – including any additional cardholder cards – are immediately stopped.
Interest charges are frozen from the date of death. Any outstanding balance on the card at that point becomes a debt of the estate. The executor or administrator is responsible for settling this from estate funds – they are not personally liable unless they were a joint account holder.
Joint credit cards: If the deceased held a joint M&S Bank credit card, the surviving account holder should contact M&S Bank as soon as possible. The account will be converted to a sole account in the survivor’s name. The full outstanding balance becomes the surviving cardholder’s responsibility.
For more on how credit card debt is handled after a death, including what happens if the estate can’t cover the balance, see our guide to credit card debt after death.
M&S Bank savings accounts
M&S Bank offers a range of savings products: an Everyday Savings Account, Cash ISA, and Fixed Rate Savings bonds. For a bereavement specifically, M&S Bank’s own bereavement guide routes all savings and investment products to one dedicated number: 0345 266 0450 (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm) – not the general product-servicing numbers below, which are for day-to-day account management rather than bereavement.
| Product | General servicing phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday Savings Account | 0345 900 0900 | Mon–Sun 8am–8pm |
| Cash ISA | 0800 028 2824 | Mon–Fri 8am–6pm |
| Fixed Rate Savings | 0808 001 1111 | Mon–Fri 8am–6pm |
Once M&S Bank is notified of the death, savings accounts are frozen. The bereavement team will contact you to explain the next steps, which will depend on the total value of the estate and whether probate is required.
Probate threshold: M&S Bank’s published guidance states that probate may be required where the deceased’s sole-name assets exceed £5,000, but the bank takes an individual approach – every case is reviewed by the bereavement team rather than being decided on value alone. If the deceased owned property solely in their name, probate will always be required before M&S Bank can release funds. See our guide on whether you need probate if you’re unsure.
Funeral expenses: M&S Bank can pay funeral costs directly to the funeral director from the deceased’s account before the estate is formally settled. This covers funeral director fees, wake costs, flowers, and repatriation. You’ll need to provide original invoices – estimates are only accepted for deposits.
For more on what happens to savings accounts generally, see our guide to savings accounts after death.
M&S Bank current account
M&S Bank closed its current account product to new customers. If the deceased held one of these legacy accounts, contact the Bereavement Support team on 0345 300 6139 – the bereavement process is the same as for savings accounts.
M&S store card (closed July 2024)
M&S’s store card products – the M&S Chargecard, Budgetcard, and Personal Reserve – were closed in July 2024. These accounts no longer exist. If you come across paperwork suggesting the deceased held one of these, there is nothing to notify or close. Any outstanding balance at the time of closure would have been settled through the bank’s standard process.
What documents you’ll need
Having documents ready before you call speeds up the process. M&S Bank will work with you if you don’t have everything immediately – you can make the initial notification and provide documents separately – but the estate cannot be settled until they’re all received.
| Document | When needed |
|---|---|
| Death certificate (original or certified copy) | Required for all M&S Bank products |
| Will | If one exists |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | If sole account balances exceed M&S Bank’s individual threshold |
| Photo ID for executor/administrator (passport or driving licence) | Required to verify your identity |
| Proof of address for executor/administrator | Required to verify your identity |
| Funeral invoice | If requesting direct payment of funeral costs from the account |
For Sparks account closure, you only need the account number or registered email address – no formal documents are required.
How long it takes
Simple estates – where the total sole-name balance at M&S Bank is modest, no property is involved, and documents are in hand – typically take one to two weeks to process. The bereavement team will contact you to explain the timeline once they have formally assessed the case.
More complex cases, particularly those requiring a grant of probate, will take longer. Probate itself currently takes four to eight weeks to obtain, and M&S Bank cannot release funds until the original grant is received. Realistically, allow two to four months for anything that goes through probate.
Fixed Rate Savings accounts may have specific early-closure conditions – ask the bereavement team about this when you call, as there may be a notice period or early-access terms that affect timing.
Tips and things to watch out for
Don’t call the general credit card number for bereavement. M&S Bank’s main servicing line (0345 900 0900) handles day-to-day credit card management – balance transfers, disputes, payments – and doesn’t appear anywhere on M&S Bank’s own bereavement guidance. It’s also widely repeated by comparison and bereavement notification sites, and by older sources still referencing the period when HSBC administered M&S Bank accounts. The correct dedicated number is the Bereavement Support team on 0345 300 6139, published directly on bank.marksandspencer.com.
M&S Bank and Sparks are separate. Notifying one does not notify the other. If the deceased had both, you need to contact both teams – a five-minute call to the Sparks line (0333 014 8000) is all it takes.
Direct debits don’t stop automatically straight away. By law, M&S Bank must cancel direct debits on receipt of the death certificate. Until that certificate is received, payments may continue to leave the account. If the deceased had bills paid from an M&S Bank account, it’s worth flagging this when you call to confirm what’s active.
The probate threshold is a starting point, not a hard rule. M&S Bank states that probate may be required above £5,000, but the bank reviews each case individually. Don’t assume that a small balance means probate won’t be needed – and don’t assume a large balance will automatically require it. The bereavement team will advise you.
Credit on the account. If the deceased’s M&S Bank account was in credit, M&S Bank can release funds to cover funeral expenses before the estate is settled. Ask about this when you call – it can ease cash-flow pressure during a difficult time.
Summary
| M&S service | Contact | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| M&S Bank (credit card, current account) | 0345 300 6139 or online form | Accounts frozen; interest stopped; estate settles balance |
| M&S Bank (savings, investments) | 0345 266 0450 | Accounts frozen; interest stopped; estate settles balance |
| Sparks loyalty account | 0333 014 8000 | Points/vouchers transferred or account closed |
| M&S store card | Closed July 2024 – no action needed | N/A |
M&S Bank’s Bereavement Support team (0345 300 6139 for credit card and current accounts, 0345 266 0450 for savings and investments) are dedicated lines, separate from general account servicing. M&S Bank’s own bereavement guide gives Mon–Fri 9am–5pm for the credit card/current account line and Mon–Fri 8am–5pm for the savings/investments line (both excluding bank holidays). The Sparks team is reachable seven days a week, 8am–8pm, on 0333 014 8000.
For other major retailer loyalty accounts, see our guides on how to notify Boots when someone dies (Advantage Card, Opticians, and Hearingcare), how to notify Tesco when someone dies (Clubcard and Tesco Bank), and how to notify H&M when someone dies (membership points and gift cards).
Sources
- M&S Bank bereavement guide (PDF) – bank.marksandspencer.com/pdf/bereavement-guide.pdf, verified July 2026
- M&S Bank bereavement support page – bank.marksandspencer.com/help/life-events/bereavement-support, verified July 2026
- M&S Bank general contact details – bank.marksandspencer.com/contact-us
- Sparks loyalty support – marksandspencer.com/help-and-support/contact/sparks
- Credit card debt after death – afterlossguide.co.uk/what-happens-to/credit-card-debt/
- Probate application guidance – gov.uk/applying-for-probate