Next’s bereavement administration is more involved than closing a typical retailer account. Most customers hold only a standard online account – but a significant number also hold a nextpay credit account, which is a regulated credit product, and some hold the nextunlimited delivery subscription. These are handled differently, and the credit side carries real implications for the estate. This guide explains how to notify Next, what happens to each product, and what to watch out for.
Quick reference:
- Bereavement team (dedicated line): 0333 777 4500 – Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm
- General customer service: 0333 777 8000 – Mon–Fri 8am–9pm, Sat–Sun 8am–7pm
- Online notification: estate-notify.co.uk/next (NotifyNOW service)
- Pay in 3 credit line: 0333 777 8174 – Mon–Fri 8am–9pm, Sat–Sun 8am–7pm
- Gift card balance: 0333 777 8800
How to contact Next
Next has a dedicated bereavement team available on 0333 777 4500. Hours are Monday to Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 9am–6pm, and Sunday 10am–5pm. This is the correct first point of contact for most bereavement matters – they can handle the nextpay credit account, stop interest accruing, and guide you through the estate settlement process. (Source: Next Help Centre – Letting us know an account holder has passed away.)
For straightforward matters – a standard online account, gift cards, or the nextunlimited subscription – Next’s main customer service line (0333 777 8000) can also assist. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am–9pm, Saturday to Sunday 8am–7pm.
Online notification: Next has partnered with NotifyNOW, operated by Phillips & Cohen Associates UK Ltd, which allows you to notify Next and other companies in a single submission. The form is at estate-notify.co.uk/next. You’ll need details about the deceased and yourself, and to upload proof of death. Once Next receives the submission, they will contact you directly.
NotifyNOW is a convenience rather than a requirement. If there is an outstanding nextpay credit balance, calling the dedicated bereavement line directly is the faster route to freeze the account and stop interest.
nextpay – the credit account
nextpay is Next’s primary credit product. It is an unsecured personal credit facility, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, and offered by Next Retail Limited (which is itself authorised and regulated by the FCA for consumer credit). (Source: Next Help Centre – FCA Regulation.)
Customers can hold a credit limit of varying amounts, spend up to that limit on next.co.uk and in-store, and pay off the balance monthly. Interest is charged on any amount not paid in full. Some customers are also issued a physical nextpay card for in-store use.
What happens when the account holder dies
When you notify Next’s bereavement team, they will freeze the nextpay account. This stops the account being used and – critically – stops further interest and charges accruing from the date you notify them. The sooner you call, the less interest accumulates.
The outstanding balance becomes a debt of the estate. The executor or administrator must settle it from the estate’s assets before distributing anything to beneficiaries. The account holder’s family members are not personally liable for the debt unless they were joint account holders or guarantors on the original credit agreement. An additional cardholder is not the same as a joint borrower – if you are unsure which applies, ask the bereavement team to clarify the account structure. (Source: National Debtline – Debts after death in England and Wales.)
If the estate cannot cover the balance: Unsecured creditors, including Next, are paid pro-rata where there are insufficient assets to settle all debts in full. If there are no assets at all, the debt may be written off. Do not pay some creditors preferentially before others in an insolvent estate – seek advice from a solicitor first.
Before Next can release a credit balance or settle the nextpay account formally, they will typically require a grant of probate or letters of administration. You can make the initial notification without probate in hand; Next will acknowledge the death and pause the account while you gather the necessary documents.
Pay in 3
Pay in 3 is a separate credit product from nextpay. It allows customers to split a purchase into three interest-free monthly payments. It is also regulated by the FCA, and offered by Next Retail Limited. If the deceased had an outstanding Pay in 3 balance, notify Next via the Pay in 3 credit line on 0333 777 8174, or use the main bereavement number (0333 777 4500) and ask them to include it. The remaining instalments become a debt of the estate in the same way as a nextpay balance. (Source: Next Help Centre – Contact Us.)
Next Total Platform orders and brands
Next is no longer just a clothing and homewares retailer. Through its Total Platform – a shared logistics, warehousing and e-commerce infrastructure – Next distributes products for a large number of other brands. As of early 2026, these include Reiss, FatFace, Joules, Cath Kidston, Made.com, Lipsy, Seraphine, Russell & Bromley, Laura Ashley homewares, Victoria’s Secret UK, and Gap UK, among others.
This matters in practice: an executor managing a deceased person’s Next account may see pending orders, returns credits, or refunds associated with brand names they do not immediately recognise. These are all processed through the Next account, not separate accounts. You do not need to contact Reiss or FatFace independently for orders placed through next.co.uk – the Next bereavement team can manage them all.
When you contact Next to close the account, confirm that you want any pending orders and refunds to be resolved, regardless of which brand the item was from.
Online account and pending orders
A standard Next online account – used for shopping on next.co.uk, tracking orders, and managing purchases across the Total Platform brands – can be closed by contacting the bereavement team or general customer service. You’ll need to provide the deceased’s name and the email address associated with the account.
Pending orders: Next will not automatically cancel a pending order when it learns of a death. If there is an order in transit, the bereavement team can advise whether it should be allowed to complete and then returned, or whether it can be cancelled before dispatch. Explain the circumstances when you call.
Click-and-collect orders: Next holds click-and-collect parcels in store for 10 days. After that, uncollected parcels are returned and a refund is processed. If the deceased placed a click-and-collect order before they died, contact Next promptly – you may be able to collect it (if appropriate) or let it return for a refund.
Pending refunds: If the deceased recently returned an item, there may be a refund in process. Refunds are typically credited back to the original payment method. Flag this with the bereavement team so they can trace the transaction and ensure it is handled appropriately.
nextunlimited – the delivery subscription
nextunlimited is Next’s annual delivery pass, providing unlimited next-day home delivery on eligible orders. It costs £24.50 per year (or £3.50 per month on the monthly plan) and auto-renews unless cancelled. (Source: Next Help Centre – nextunlimited information.)
If the deceased held a nextunlimited subscription, it will continue to auto-renew until it is cancelled. To cancel it, contact Next customer service on 0333 777 8000 and ask them to close the subscription when they close the account.
There is no published bereavement-specific refund policy for nextunlimited. The standard cooling-off policy allows a full refund within 14 days of purchase if the subscription has not been used. Outside that window, the subscription runs to the end of the current billing period. Ask the bereavement team whether a pro-rata refund is available given the circumstances – they have discretion in bereavement cases.
For general guidance on cancelling subscriptions after a death, see our guide to what happens to subscriptions when someone dies.
Gift cards and eVouchers
Next gift cards are not tied to a specific person – they can be used by anyone who holds the card. This means they retain their value after a death and can be treated as an asset of the estate.
Checking the balance: You can check the remaining balance on a Next gift card on the Next website, in any Next store, or by calling 0333 777 8800.
Expiry: Standard Next gift cards expire 24 months after the last transaction (a purchase or a balance check). If you find a Next gift card among the deceased’s belongings, check the balance promptly – using the card to make a purchase, or even simply checking the balance online, resets the 24-month expiry clock. (Source: Next Terms & Conditions.)
If the estate is small, a Next gift card balance is worth noting as a real asset.
eVouchers and promotional codes: Vouchers with an expiry date may be lost if not used in time. Check any promotional codes or paper vouchers found among the deceased’s papers as soon as possible.
Documents you’ll need
Having documents ready before you contact Next speeds up the process. You can make an initial notification without all documentation in hand – Next will freeze the account and wait while you gather paperwork. Settlement of any nextpay or Pay in 3 balance cannot happen until formal legal authority is in place.
| Document | When needed |
|---|---|
| Death certificate (original or certified copy) | Required – Next needs this to formally process the notification |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | Required before Next can settle any outstanding nextpay or Pay in 3 balance |
| Your own ID and contact details | To verify your identity and establish your authority to act |
| nextpay account number (if known) | Helpful but not essential – the bereavement team can locate the account by name and address |
If you are unsure whether probate is required, see our guide on whether you need probate.
What to do if there are outstanding credit balances
nextpay and Pay in 3 debt sits in the same legal category as any other unsecured consumer credit. The rules are straightforward:
- The debt must be paid from the estate’s assets before any inheritance is distributed to beneficiaries
- No family member is personally liable unless they co-signed the credit agreement as a joint borrower
- Interest and charges are frozen from the date Next is formally notified of the death
- If the estate is insolvent and cannot cover the balance, unsecured creditors – including Next – may not receive the full amount owed
For a fuller explanation of how unsecured debt works within an estate, see our guide to credit card debt after death.
How long it takes
Next does not publish a fixed processing timeline. Once you notify them, the bereavement team will confirm the next steps. Simple cases – a standard online account with no credit balance – can be resolved relatively quickly. Cases involving an outstanding nextpay or Pay in 3 balance will take longer, particularly where probate is required before the estate can settle the debt.
Probate in England and Wales currently takes between four and eight weeks in most straightforward cases, though complex estates take longer. Once probate is granted, the executor can formally engage Next to settle the balance. Inform the bereavement team if you are waiting on probate – they should not pursue the estate for payment while it is in administration. For more on timelines, see our guide to how long probate takes.
Tips and things to watch out for
Use the dedicated bereavement line, not general customer service, for credit accounts. The bereavement team (0333 777 4500) has the authority to freeze nextpay and Pay in 3 accounts, pause interest, and manage the estate process. General customer service agents do not have the same powers.
Notify Next as soon as possible if there is a nextpay or Pay in 3 balance. Interest stops from the date of notification, not from the date of death. Every day of delay adds to the estate’s liability.
Unrecognised brand names on the account are likely Next Total Platform orders. If you see pending orders from Reiss, FatFace, Joules, Cath Kidston, Laura Ashley, or similar brands in the deceased’s Next account, these are all handled by Next. You do not need to contact those brands separately.
Additional cardholders are not joint borrowers. If a second person had a nextpay card attached to the primary account, they are not automatically liable for the outstanding balance. Confirm the account structure with the bereavement team when you call.
Cancel the nextunlimited subscription. At £24.50 per year or £3.50 per month, it will keep renewing unless explicitly cancelled. Ask the bereavement team to cancel it when they close the online account.
Check for a 24-month gift card before it expires. Simply checking the balance online resets the expiry clock, buying more time to decide how to handle it.
NotifyNOW is optional, not the only route. The online form at estate-notify.co.uk/next is useful if you are notifying multiple companies at once. But calling the bereavement line directly is the fastest way to freeze a credit account.
Direct debits on the account. If the deceased was paying their nextpay balance by direct debit, the DD does not automatically cancel on death. Contact Next promptly and also review the direct debits on the bank account. For more on this, see our guide to direct debits after death.
Summary
| Next service | What to do | Who to contact |
|---|---|---|
| nextpay (credit account) | Call the bereavement team promptly to freeze the account and stop interest | 0333 777 4500 |
| Pay in 3 (buy-now-pay-later) | Notify of the death; remaining instalments become estate debt | 0333 777 8174 or 0333 777 4500 |
| Online account and Total Platform orders | Request closure; confirm pending orders and refunds are handled | 0333 777 4500 or 0333 777 8000 |
| nextunlimited subscription | Cancel to prevent auto-renewal | 0333 777 8000 |
| Gift cards | Check balance; treat as estate asset; note 24-month expiry | 0333 777 8800 or online |
Next’s bereavement team is reachable seven days a week on the dedicated line above. For a full checklist of organisations to notify after a death, including banks, utilities, and government departments, see our what to do after a death guide.
If the deceased also used Klarna or another buy-now-pay-later service for purchases through next.co.uk, those balances belong to the BNPL provider – not Next – and need to be reported separately. For other major catalogue and credit retailers, see our guides on how to notify Very when someone dies and how to notify Argos when someone dies.