How to cancel Ocado when someone dies

When someone dies, their Ocado account keeps running. The Smart Pass subscription auto-renews. Scheduled deliveries arrive. Any saved credit in the Ocado Wallet sits unclaimed. None of this pauses automatically – Ocado has no way of knowing a customer has died unless you tell them.

The good news is that there is no complex legal process involved. Ocado is not a bank or a pension – there is no probate threshold, no court paperwork, and no dedicated bereavement department. What you are really doing is cancelling a grocery subscription, securing any remaining credit, and tying up a few loose ends around pending orders and stored payment details. This guide covers all of it.

Quick reference:

How to notify Ocado and close the account

Ocado does not have a dedicated bereavement team. Account closure for deceased customers is handled by the general Customer Hub – the same team that handles day-to-day enquiries. This is not as impersonal as it sounds: in practice, the advisors have discretion to act on verbal authority for straightforward account closures.

If you can access the account

If you have the deceased’s email address and can reset the password, this is the most efficient route. Log in and work through the following:

1. Cancel the Smart Pass subscription (see below for how)
2. Check the Ocado Wallet balance – make note of the amount
3. Cancel any scheduled or outstanding orders
4. Remove stored payment cards

Once you have secured the Wallet balance and cancelled the Smart Pass, contact Ocado to formally notify them of the death and request account closure. Even if you have resolved everything through the account, notifying Ocado ensures no future charges can appear and that the account is properly flagged.

If you cannot access the account

Contact Ocado directly. The quickest routes are by phone (0345 656 1234) or via WhatsApp (07458 154 453). Both are available seven days a week from 7am to midnight.

Tell the advisor:

• That you are contacting on behalf of a deceased customer
• The email address or name associated with the account, and the delivery address
• The date of death
• What you need: cancellation of the Smart Pass, information about the Wallet balance, and closure of the account

Ocado will not need to see a death certificate to cancel a subscription – advisors can act on your verbal notification for straightforward cases. However, if there is a Wallet balance to refund to the estate, they may ask for a death certificate and confirmation of your authority before releasing funds. Have a copy ready.

If your query is not urgent, the contact form at ocado.com/content/get-in-touch is an option, though phone or chat is faster for time-sensitive matters such as an imminent Smart Pass renewal or a scheduled delivery.

(Source: Ocado – get in touch, last verified May 2026.)

What happens to the Smart Pass subscription

Smart Pass is Ocado’s delivery subscription. It waives delivery charges on eligible orders and auto-renews monthly or annually. Pricing varies by tier – plans typically run from around £3.99 to £9.99 per month, though the exact rate depends on when the subscription was taken out and whether a promotional rate applies. You can check the rate in the account under My Ocado → Smart Pass.

Smart Pass does not pause or cancel when someone dies. It will keep renewing until you cancel it.

To cancel with account access

1. Sign in to the Ocado account
2. Go to My Ocado → Smart Pass
3. Select the option to cancel auto-renewal
4. A confirmation screen will show the date the current membership runs to

Cancelling auto-renewal stops any future charges. The Smart Pass remains active until the end of the already-paid period – you do not lose access partway through.

To cancel without account access

Call 0345 656 1234 or message via WhatsApp. Tell the advisor you are dealing with a bereavement and need to cancel the Smart Pass. They can cancel it without you needing login credentials.

What about a refund?

Ocado’s standard cancellation terms offer a full refund within 14 days of activation, provided the membership has not been used. Outside that window, there is no automatic prorated refund for unused Smart Pass time.

That said, if a payment was taken after the date of death – because the death was not notified before the renewal date – it is reasonable to contact Ocado and ask for a goodwill refund of that specific payment. Explain the circumstances and provide the date of death. Many companies will process this without argument. If you cannot get a satisfactory response by phone, the contact form creates a written record and can be escalated if needed.

(Source: Ocado – Smart Pass terms and conditions, last verified May 2026.)

What happens to the Ocado Wallet balance

The Ocado Wallet is a credit balance held within the account. It can be topped up manually or may contain refund credits – for example, if a previous order had a quality issue and the refund was applied as account credit rather than returned to a card.

Unlike the Smart Pass – which is a service, not an asset – any credit sitting in the Ocado Wallet is a cash value that belongs to the estate. It should not simply be abandoned when the account is closed.

Before the account is closed, check whether there is a Wallet balance. If you have account access, log in and look under My Ocado for any stored credit. If you do not have access, ask the Ocado advisor when you call.

If there is a balance:

• Use it against one final grocery order before the account closes (a practical option if other household members can still use delivery)
• Or ask Ocado to refund it to the original payment card or to the estate

Ocado may ask for a death certificate and evidence of your authority to act (such as a grant of probate or letter of administration, or confirmation as next of kin) before issuing a cash refund. For small amounts, advisors may process the refund on goodwill without formal documentation.

Do not close the account before resolving the Wallet balance – once the account is gone, claiming any residual credit becomes significantly harder.

Outstanding orders and scheduled deliveries

Check for the following before you close the account:

Orders in transit. If the deceased placed an order that is due for delivery, it will arrive as normal. You can accept the delivery and return any items under Ocado’s standard returns policy (non-perishable items within 28 days). If you want to cancel a delivery that has not yet been packed, contact Ocado as soon as possible – cancellation is possible up to a certain point before the delivery slot, but not after packing has started.

Standing delivery slots. Ocado customers often hold a regular weekly or fortnightly slot. This is not a financial commitment in itself – the slot only charges when an order is placed – but it is worth cancelling to ensure no accidental orders are placed and to free up the slot for another customer.

Recurring Smart Pass benefits tied to orders. If the deceased was using a Delivery Saver equivalent within the Smart Pass, cancelling the subscription automatically ends those delivery benefits. There are no further complications.

To cancel a pending delivery or standing slot, log in to the account and manage it through My Ocado → Orders, or call customer service directly.

(Source: Ocado – contact us, last verified May 2026.)

What documents you will need

For a straightforward account closure – cancelling the Smart Pass and shutting the account – Ocado will typically accept a verbal notification without requesting documentation. There is no regulated financial account to protect, so the process is more like cancelling a gym membership than dealing with a bank.

Documentation becomes relevant in two situations:

Death certificate: A scan or photograph is usually acceptable – you do not need to send an original. If you need additional certified copies for other organisations (banks, HMRC, pension providers), they cost £12.50 each in England and Wales, ordered from the General Register Office at gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate.

Proof of identity: A driving licence or passport is standard. If you are acting as executor, a copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration demonstrates your legal authority.

How long it takes

Cancelling an Ocado account is one of the quicker tasks in estate administration. If you can access the account, the Smart Pass cancellation and order review can be done in under 15 minutes.

Without account access, a phone call to Ocado customer service will typically resolve the cancellation on the same day. Refunds of the Wallet balance may take a few additional days to process once documentation has been provided.

The account itself may remain technically visible to Ocado’s systems for some time after closure is requested, but charges stop once the Smart Pass is cancelled.

Tips and things to watch out for

Check the renewal date before you call. Smart Pass renewals are charged automatically on the anniversary of the sign-up date. If a renewal is imminent – within a few days – act quickly. A charge taken after the date of death is harder to recover than one that never happened.

Look at bank statements for the billing amount. The Smart Pass charge appears as an Ocado debit. Knowing the exact amount (it will be on the last bank statement) helps confirm to Ocado which account you are dealing with, particularly if you do not have the email address.

Ocado accounts are individual. Unlike some supermarket loyalty accounts, Ocado accounts are tied to one email address and payment method. If the deceased was ordering for a household, other members of the household will need to set up their own Ocado accounts.

Promotional vouchers expire. Any promotional voucher codes stored in the account are typically non-refundable and non-transferable. Unless they can be used in one final order before account closure, they are lost when the account closes.

Stored card details. The account may have one or more payment cards saved. Once the account is closed, the card details are removed. If the card itself is still active and you are worried about unauthorised charges, remove the card from the account during your session, or contact the bank to cancel the card separately. For more on stopping recurring card charges, see our guide to what happens to direct debits and continuous payment authorities when someone dies.

No points or loyalty scheme to worry about. Ocado does not operate a traditional points-based loyalty scheme. Smart Points are tied to the Smart Pass subscription and have no cash value that survives account closure.

Summary and key contacts

Dealing with an Ocado account after a death is a straightforward process compared with banks, insurers, or pension providers. The main tasks are:

1. Cancel the Smart Pass to stop auto-renewal charges
2. Check and use or claim any Ocado Wallet balance
3. Deal with any pending orders or deliveries
4. Request formal account closure

All of this can be done in a single phone call or online session if you have account access. Ocado’s customer service team handles deceased customer requests through their general helpline.

Key contacts:

For the broader picture of subscription services to cancel after a death – including streaming, software, and other grocery delivery accounts – see our guide to what happens to subscriptions when someone dies.

If you are also dealing with other grocery or retail accounts, our guides to notifying Amazon when someone dies and notifying Sainsbury’s when someone dies cover similar practical steps for accounts with loyalty credit and delivery subscriptions.