My dad was a points expert. Here’s what we still got wrong before his death 

I like to say I was born into the points and miles hobby.

My dad, a Million Miler on both United Airlines and American Airlines, signed me up for my frequent flier accounts when I was 2 years old, introduced me to lie-flat business class when I was growing up and had a curated list of credit card applications waiting for me as soon as I joined the workforce.

Considering his passion for points and miles and his dedication to advanced planning, it was no surprise that he started preparing a transition plan for his travel rewards years before there was any indication he needed to.

Every so often, during my visits home to Chicago, he’d slip me paper copies of his account spreadsheet and TPG’s “What happens to your points and miles after you die?“

But even with our lengthy head start on preparation and our combined expertise in points, miles and credit cards, there were details we overlooked and obstacles that surprised us when it ultimately came time to settle his affairs.

Here are four lessons we learned that can save you some headaches if you’re going through the same process for yourself or a loved one.

Check, re-check and share passwords

My dad definitely had the right idea when he compiled his airline and hotel loyalty account logins and passwords into a spreadsheet to share with me, preserving my ability to use his accounts to book travel for others after he died.

But what we almost didn’t realize in time was that his spreadsheet was missing some critical information.

He’d forgotten the login information to his credit card accounts, and without it, I would have had no access to hundreds of thousands of transferable points in valuable programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Thankfully, we got that corrected — but there were multiple other passwords my family and I realized we needed once it was too late.

The more you can think through the step-by-step process of transitioning rewards from one person to another, the better equipped you’ll be once the time comes to go through the process.

My other key tip here?

Check the passwords before handing them off to a trusted friend or family member. In his final weeks, my dad spent some time logging into each of his accounts to make sure the information he left me with was up-to-date, and it saved me some major complications in the long run. Having to go through password recovery for someone who has died can get tricky fast.

Be prepared for two-factor authentication

These days, logging into an account from a new device or browser almost always requires some form of two-factor authentication. (Honestly, it seems like half the time logging in from the same device and browser I use every day requires it, too).

My family and I had the presence of mind to keep my dad’s iPhone up and running after he died, which turned out to be essential in dealing with his travel rewards, among other things.

Because I handled most of it after returning home to Oregon, I didn’t have access to his computer in Chicago, which meant card issuers and loyalty programs were constantly texting me codes to confirm his identity whenever I logged in or tried to transfer points.

And it didn’t end there.

At one point, a code was sent to an email address I didn’t have access to, so I had to reset the password for that account, which required me to access another email account via an app on his phone. Another instance had me searching through his texts for his best friend’s birthdate, which was the answer to one of his airline account security questions.

Obviously, you can share security questions and email logins in advance as part of the larger password-sharing initiative, and I recommend you do. But keeping his phone nearby proved critical for me in several circumstances, too.

Have a plan for the points – and if you can, move them early

Of course, there’s a timing element to all of this. For one thing, the phone cost money each month we kept it on, which put pressure on me to make decisions and tie things up as quickly as possible during a busy and difficult time.

For another, credit card issuers will typically close an account immediately after a member’s death is reported, and in that case, you’ll usually be forced to either forfeit your loved one’s points completely or have them cashed out as a statement credit that sacrifices much of their value. You can delay that reporting, but doing so exposes you to annual fees that may hit for cards that are open but not in use.

That’s why it’s really useful to know in advance where the points in question will go.

In some cases, that was easy for me; my mom loves the wellness hotel brand Miraval, so I knew I’d be sending my dad’s Chase Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt, where I could then easily move them from his account to hers.

But figuring out what to do with his American Express Membership Rewards, for example, was more complicated.

Beyond which currencies will be most useful for booking travel, there are a couple of key considerations to weigh as you choose transfer partners.

Credit card issuers usually only allow you to transfer points to a loyalty account in the cardholder’s name, so in my case, it was essential to choose programs that let me seamlessly move points from my dad’s accounts to my mom’s.

That factor was in part why I ultimately selected Air Canada Aeroplan as the destination for his Membership Rewards, since once they were in his account, transferring them to her account was free and easy.

Aeroplan also has one of the most consumer-friendly estate policies I’ve seen for an airline loyalty program: It allows for multiple beneficiaries, which will make distributing the points to my sisters and me simpler if my mom has any remaining when she dies.

If circumstances permit, I recommend moving points between member accounts before a death actually occurs. Doing so will save you from having to jump through additional hoops, such as providing a member’s death certificate.

Just remember that, as a safety precaution, some programs require member accounts to be open for a certain period of time before receiving points from another member, so the sooner you can set up any new accounts you might need, the better.

Get authorized users credit cards in their name

Perhaps the biggest thing my dad and I failed to anticipate was what would happen to the authorized users on his credit cards when he died.

At that time, multiple members of my family were not and had never been primary account holders on their own credit cards, meaning that as soon as we reported my dad’s death, their only accounts would be closed.

Once we realized what would happen, I immediately helped them apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, one of TPG’s favorite credit cards for beginners. But despite having excellent credit scores and years of credit history as authorized users, they were both rejected on the initial go-around.

Eventually, through a combination of appeals, using the Chase Freedom Unlimited® as a stepping-stone product and opening checking accounts to build trust with Chase, we got them approved for Sapphire cards – but not before their authorized user accounts were closed.

Luckily, I was able to volunteer my card for big expenses during that period, but things would have been infinitely easier had they started their application journeys earlier.

If you or a loved one has never had their own card account, the time to change that is now. That way, you can avoid a situation where you’re left high and dry without a credit card.

Related: Best travel credit cards

Bottom line

While what happens in the event of a death is nobody’s favorite thing to think about, doing some planning and housekeeping now can make things exponentially easier for yourself and your loved ones down the road.

Though we hit a couple of snags along the way, ultimately, the work my dad did upfront on his points and miles transition plan made it possible for me to use his rewards after his death for a special trip to Helsinki, a place we always said we’d visit together and never got the chance to.

Whether you’re getting your own affairs in order or helping a friend or family member, it’s crucial to be as detailed as possible in the information you hand over and keep it up to date over time.

And, of course, a paper copy of “What happens to your points and miles after you die?” never hurts, either.