How to notify Waitrose when someone dies

Dealing with a loved one’s Waitrose accounts after a death typically involves two separate conversations: one with Waitrose itself to close the myWaitrose loyalty account and cancel any grocery deliveries, and a separate one with John Lewis Money to handle the Partnership Card. The two organisations are part of the same John Lewis Partnership but handle these matters through different teams and different processes.

This guide focuses on the Waitrose side – the myWaitrose loyalty membership, the grocery account, the Delivery Pass subscription, and gift cards. For the Partnership Card, which is issued by NewDay Ltd and managed through John Lewis Money, see our John Lewis bereavement guide.

Quick reference:

• Waitrose customer services (myWaitrose, grocery account): 0800 188 884
• Hours: Monday–Friday 8am–10pm, Saturday 8am–9pm, Sunday 9am–7pm
• Email: customerserviceteam@waitrose.co.uk
• Partnership Card (NewDay/John Lewis Money): 0330 175 9829 – see John Lewis guide
• Tell Us Once: does not cover Waitrose

What Waitrose accounts to check for

Before making any calls, it is worth going through the deceased’s papers and email accounts to identify what they actually held. A Waitrose connection can mean any or all of the following:

Notifying Waitrose covers the first four in that list. The Partnership Card, despite carrying the Waitrose name, is a credit product managed separately by John Lewis Money through NewDay Ltd. If you are in any doubt, call Waitrose first – they can confirm what accounts they hold and direct you to the right team for the card.

Notifying Waitrose – how to do it

By phone

The single point of contact for Waitrose bereavement is customer services on 0800 188 884 – a freephone number, so there is no charge from UK landlines or most UK mobile networks. Lines are open:

• Monday–Friday: 8am–10pm
• Saturday: 8am–9pm
• Sunday: 9am–7pm

When you call, explain that you are notifying them of a bereavement and need to close the deceased’s myWaitrose account and any associated accounts. The team can handle the myWaitrose closure, the grocery account, the Delivery Pass cancellation, and any pending orders in a single call, provided you have the right information to hand.

By email

If you prefer to communicate in writing, you can email customerserviceteam@waitrose.co.uk. Include the deceased’s full name, their myWaitrose card number or registered email address, the date of death, and your own contact details. Attach a scan or photograph of the death certificate. Response times by email can be longer than by phone, so calling is preferable if you need to cancel pending orders or deliveries promptly.

What you will need to hand

Before contacting Waitrose, gather the following:

You do not typically need a grant of probate or letters of administration to close a myWaitrose account – it is a loyalty membership, not a financial account. If there is a credit balance or refund due from a Delivery Pass subscription, the team will advise on how this is processed.

The myWaitrose loyalty account

myWaitrose is Waitrose’s free loyalty scheme. Membership is separate from the Partnership Card – the deceased may have held one without ever having the other. The main benefits of myWaitrose include personalised discount vouchers (refreshed weekly), a free hot drink in Waitrose cafés when you bring your own cup, and the “Little Treats” programme, which awards vouchers for free products or discounts when spending thresholds are met in a given month.

What happens to vouchers and rewards

Any personalised vouchers that were available in the account at the time of death are tied to that membership and are non-transferable in standard use. When you notify Waitrose and request account closure, ask the customer services team what vouchers remain active – some may still be usable for estate administration purposes (for example, purchasing food or household items during the period of clearing the property). Waitrose staff have some discretion to assist in bereavement circumstances, so it is worth asking.

Little Treats rewards that have already been added to the account but not yet redeemed are in the same position – they cannot normally be transferred, but are worth querying directly with the team. Once the account is closed, they are forfeited.

Closing the account

When the account is closed, the following are also lost:

• All stored vouchers and discount offers
• The free hot drink entitlement
• Order history and account preferences
• Any saved address or payment details stored in the grocery account

If the deceased used myWaitrose for in-store purchases only, there is no recurring financial commitment tied to the account itself. The closure is administrative rather than financial, and should be straightforward.

Online grocery account and Delivery Pass

If the deceased placed grocery orders online – for home delivery or click-and-collect – the grocery account needs to be closed to stop any standing orders or repeat purchases from processing.

When you call customer services, ask about:

• Any upcoming delivery slots that have been booked
• Recurring or “favourites” orders that may be set to auto-populate a basket
• Any outstanding refunds from orders that were placed but not delivered

Delivery Pass is Waitrose’s paid subscription service for unlimited or reduced-cost grocery deliveries. It runs on a monthly or annual basis. When Waitrose closes the account, the Delivery Pass subscription is cancelled automatically. If the subscription was paid annually and there is unused time remaining, ask the bereavement team whether a pro-rata refund is payable to the estate – this is not guaranteed, but is worth raising.

If the deceased had an upcoming Waitrose Entertaining order – for a catered event or occasion – contact the team as soon as possible. These orders often have non-refundable deposits if cancelled after certain deadlines, so early notification matters.

Gift cards and vouchers

Waitrose gift cards and John Lewis gift cards operate on a combined balance system – a single card can be used in both Waitrose and John Lewis stores. Physical gift cards do not expire. If the deceased had Waitrose gift cards in their possession, these are assets of the estate.

Gift cards cannot be redeemed for cash. The terms and conditions are explicit: no cash refunds are given except where required by law. However, the estate executor can use any gift card balance to purchase goods – for example, food or household items needed during the process of administering the estate and clearing the property.

To check the balance on a Waitrose or John Lewis gift card, call customer services on 0800 188 884 or visit any Waitrose or John Lewis till. If you find e-gift cards (delivered by email), note that these typically expire 24 months from purchase or last use – check the balance promptly and contact the team if the card is close to expiry.

The Partnership Card

The Partnership Card carries the John Lewis Partnership branding and is accepted at both Waitrose and John Lewis stores. Despite its Waitrose association, the card is a credit product issued by NewDay Ltd – a separate financial institution. Waitrose customer services cannot handle the card notification.

If the deceased had a Partnership Card, contact the John Lewis Money bereavement team on 0330 175 9829 (Monday–Friday 9am–7pm, Saturday 9am–5pm). This is the time-sensitive notification – interest continues to accrue on any credit card balance until NewDay Ltd is formally notified of the death. Notifying Waitrose does not automatically stop this.

For a full guide to the Partnership Card bereavement process – including what documents NewDay require, what happens to any outstanding balance, and how joint cards are handled – see our John Lewis bereavement guide.

Tell Us Once – does it cover Waitrose?

No. The government’s Tell Us Once service notifies public sector organisations – HMRC, DWP, the Passport Office, the DVLA, local councils, and some public pension schemes. Private sector retailers and loyalty schemes, including Waitrose, are outside its scope.

You will need to contact Waitrose directly. The same applies to the Partnership Card (NewDay Ltd) and any other private sector accounts.

For a full list of what Tell Us Once covers and what you still need to handle separately, see our guide on what to do after someone dies.

How long does it take?

Closing a myWaitrose account and grocery account is typically straightforward and can be confirmed within a phone call. Account closure is usually processed within one to two weeks. If there are refunds due – from a Delivery Pass subscription or a pending order – these may take a little longer to be returned to the estate.

The Partnership Card (handled separately by NewDay Ltd) has its own timeline: initial account freeze is immediate on notification, but formal closure and settlement of any outstanding balance can take two to six weeks depending on the complexity of the estate. See the John Lewis bereavement guide for detail on that process.

Practical tips

Call first, email as a follow-up. The phone line is the quickest route to cancelling pending orders and confirming account closure. Email is useful for creating a paper trail if there are outstanding refunds or queries.

Check the inbox for delivery confirmations. Online grocery orders generate automatic email confirmations. Searching the deceased’s inbox for “Waitrose” will show whether any orders are pending – useful to know before you call.

Gift cards don’t expire but e-gift cards do. Physical Waitrose gift cards retain their balance indefinitely. E-gift cards expire 24 months from purchase or last use, so act promptly if you find any.

Notifying Waitrose and notifying the Partnership Card are separate actions. Many families assume that one call handles both. It does not. Waitrose customer services and John Lewis Money (NewDay Ltd) are different teams. If the Partnership Card is in the estate, that call needs to happen separately – and should happen first, since it stops interest accruing on any balance.

myWaitrose is not the same as my John Lewis. If the deceased shopped at both Waitrose and John Lewis and held both loyalty accounts, you will need to close them separately. Waitrose customer services handle myWaitrose; John Lewis customer services handle my John Lewis. See the John Lewis bereavement guide for the my John Lewis process.

Summary

The most important call is to John Lewis Money for the Partnership Card, if the deceased held one – stopping interest accruing on a credit card balance is time-sensitive in a way that closing a loyalty account is not. Once that is done, Waitrose customer services can handle everything else in a single call.

If the deceased had a complex estate – particularly one involving property, multiple accounts, or potential inheritance tax – you may find our guides on whether you need probate and direct debits after death useful for the broader picture.