Question: If an individual has accumulated frequent flyer miles with various airlines, is there a form from the airlines that the individual can fill out in advance, so that after the individual dies the accumulated frequent flyer miles can be transferred to a beneficiary?

Answer: No, there’s no single form, because airlines don’t follow a uniform policy regarding the disposition of deceased passengers’ frequent flyer miles. Some airlines, but not all, allow accumulated miles to be handed down, in a process that seems primarily handled after the fact by the recipient, not in advance by the donor. Generally, the recipient must supply a copy of the donor’s death certificate and the person’s mileage account number. Details differ, though, even among airlines that honor such bequests. Plus, informal policies may not be spelled out on an airline’s website. So it’s best to check directly with your loyalty programs.

In a followup email, you said that you are most interested in Alaska, United and Hawaiian airlines, so we checked the policies of those three:

>> Alaska Airlines: The airline’s unofficial “memorial miles” program transfers accumulated miles to a beneficiary or beneficiaries, in 1,000-mile increments, with no fee. So, if you had 10,001 miles in your Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan account, your recipient would receive 10,000. The recipient must provide the airline with a copy of the deceased Mileage Plan member’s death certificate and Mileage Plan number, plus their own name and Mileage Plan number. Miles can be divided into multiple accounts. The required information may be submitted by mail, fax or email. Email is preferred, to mileage.plan@alaskaair.com. Put “Memorial Miles” in the subject line. Call the airline toll-free at 800-654-5669 for more information. This informal policy is not mentioned on the airline’s website (we checked the Mileage Plan’s terms and conditions) but a customer-service agent filled us in when we called.

>> United Airlines: The rules for United’s MileagePlus Program state that “in the event of the death or divorce of a member, United may, in its sole discretion, credit all or a portion of such member’s accrued mileage to authorized persons upon receipt of documentation satisfactory to United and payment of applicable fees.” (See No. 7 under the subhead “General conditions,” 808ne.ws/uam). We called the airline to find out about the documentation and fees. There’s no fee if the mileage transfer is due to a death; required documents include a death certificate and a release form, the agent said. A beneficiary calls MileagePlus to start the transfer process (1-800-421-4655) and must know the decedent’s MileagePlus account number.

>> Hawaiian Airlines: “Accrued mileage does not constitute property of the member and therefore may not be transferred (i) upon death, (ii) as part of a domestic relations matter, or (iii) otherwise by operation of law,” per the “Terms and Conditions” of the HawaiianMiles program (see No. 21 under the subsection “Earning Miles,” 808ne.ws/himi). You may call the HawaiianMiles service center at 1-877-426-4537 to ask if there are any exceptions.

As for what you can do in advance, it makes sense to specify your beneficiary in your will; even though airlines won’t be obligated to the bequest, potential heirs will know your intentions. Also, make sure your beneficiary can access your mileage programs once you die (they’d need the airline, account name, account number and password). Then they might be able to handle this valuable transfer online, directly, depending on the rules of the airline involved.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.