How to close a loyalty account and what happens to points

How do you close a Marriott Bonvoy account?

Under the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, updated October 2026, there is one stated route: a member may cancel their Account at any time by sending written notice of cancellation to Member Support [4]. Accounts are individual and may not be shared, jointly held, sold, bartered or transferred except where the rules expressly allow it [4].

Once the cancellation takes effect, the member may no longer earn, redeem, transfer, convert or use Points, Miles, Awards, Elite Night Credits, Elite Status, Lifetime Elite Status, benefits or other programme value attached to the account [4]. The account, membership number, account access, unredeemed Points, Awards and other benefits, together with any achieved Elite Status or Lifetime Elite Status, are cancelled or forfeited immediately and may not be reinstated or transferred, except as expressly permitted by the programme or required by applicable law [4].

The rules add that cancellation may also affect pending or unused Awards, Free Night Awards, Nightly Upgrade Awards, benefits, reservations, transactions or other activity associated with the account, so bookings in progress are exposed as well [4].

What happens to points, awards and elite progress?

Marriott Bonvoy treats Points, Awards, Elite Status, Lifetime Elite Status, Elite Night Credits and related benefits as the sole property of the company rather than of the member, and they carry no cash value [4]. The effect of a member-initiated cancellation on each type of credit is set out in the table below.

Where an Award is cancelled after the applicable Points expiration date and the member has not completed Qualifying Activity to extend that date, the Points used for the Award will expire [4]. Points held in Lifetime Elite Status accounts are not currently subject to expiration, but the programme says it may apply an expiration policy to those accounts in the future [4].

Closure is not the only route to forfeiture. Marriott Bonvoy requires Qualifying Activity at least once every 24 months to retain accumulated Points, Awards and other benefits; that activity includes earning or redeeming Points or Miles, purchasing Points, completing a Qualifying Stay, or converting Points or Miles with designated partners, while gifting, transferring or receiving Points from another member does not count [4]. After 24 consecutive months without it, all accumulated Points, Awards and other benefits are forfeited and cannot be reinstated, and an account left inactive for five consecutive years may be deactivated [4]. The points expiration activity checklist covers that side of the rules in more detail.

When can a programme close an account itself?

Marriott Bonvoy gives itself broad powers: it may cancel, suspend, restrict or audit an Account, and cancel, suspend, restrict, withhold, reverse, deduct, adjust or forfeit Points, Miles, Awards, Elite Night Credits, Elite Status, Lifetime Elite Status, benefits, transactions or other value, with immediate effect and without written notice [4]. The triggers listed include breaking applicable law, the programme rules, partner terms or offer terms, providing incomplete or misleading information, failing to pay amounts owed, fraudulent, abusive or disruptive conduct, and misuse of the account or programme [4]. The programme describes those decisions as being at its sole discretion and final [4]. Membership also terminates automatically where a member files for bankruptcy or becomes subject to bankruptcy proceedings, subject to applicable law [4].

Duplicate accounts are handled separately: if more than one account is assigned to or used by the same individual, the programme may combine, merge, suspend or cancel them and adjust the associated Points, Awards, benefits, activity and transaction history [4].

Delta Air Lines sets its own grounds in its SkyMiles mileage credit rules. Delta reserves the right to de-activate or close an account where fraudulent activity occurs, where a member requests an account closure, where a member is deceased, or where a member does not respond to repeated communication attempts about the status of the account [7]. The same rules let Delta deduct mileage from a member's account at any time if mileage was credited in error [7].

Can you reopen the account or recover the points?

Reopening is possible in some cases, but the value does not come back with it. A Marriott Bonvoy member who voluntarily cancels an Account, or whose Account is deactivated for inactivity, may reapply at a later date; however, previously forfeited or expired Points, Awards, benefits, Elite Status, Lifetime Elite Status or other programme value will not be reinstated or transferred unless required by applicable law [4].

Where the programme cancels an account for cause, the member may not reapply for or open a new account except in limited circumstances at the programme's sole discretion, and any unauthorised account opened in that person's name afterwards, along with any Points, Awards, benefits or activity attached to it, may be forfeited upon discovery [4].

Delta's mileage credit rules state that under the SkyMiles Mileage Expiration policy miles do not expire, and the same document lists the four situations in which Delta reserves the right to de-activate or close an account, including a member's own request for closure [7].

Exceptions and limits

• Transfers on death or divorce. Points and Awards are not transferable except as expressly permitted, and limited transfers on death or divorce may be allowed only as expressly authorised by Marriott Bonvoy, subject to documentation and verification requirements, at its sole discretion and with final decisions [4].
• Programme termination. Marriott Bonvoy may terminate the programme in whole or in part with six months' advance notice to active members, or less notice where required or permitted by law; after the effective date members cannot accumulate Points or claim Awards, and unredeemed Points, Awards and benefits are forfeited after the applicable notice period unless the programme states otherwise or the law requires it [4].
• Members in Chinese mainland. Separate special terms apply to members with Chinese citizenship residing in Chinese mainland. Where an adjustment to the programme or to these programme rules is likely to have a material adverse impact on a member's core rights and interests, Marriott Bonvoy will, in compliance with applicable legal requirements, give prior notice in a reasonable manner, and a member who does not accept the change may cancel membership before the change takes effect by sending written notice of cancellation to Member Support; the effects of cancellation are described in the programme's cancellation section [4].
• Rules can change. Marriott Bonvoy may change, limit or cancel the programme rules, including the rules for earning, redeeming, adjusting or forfeiting Points and Miles, with or without notice, even where that affects the value of Points or the ability to obtain Awards or benefits [4].

Closing a programme account is not the same as cancelling a card: for that separate topic see card cancellation and transferable points when closing a card.

Frequently asked questions

Do you lose all your points if you close a Marriott Bonvoy account?

Yes, the rules provide that unredeemed Points, Awards and other benefits, plus any achieved Elite Status or Lifetime Elite Status, are cancelled or forfeited immediately on a member's cancellation and may not be reinstated or transferred, except as expressly permitted or required by law [4].

Can forfeited points be restored after the account is reopened?

A member who cancelled voluntarily may reapply at a later date, but previously forfeited or expired Points, Awards, benefits and Elite Status will not be reinstated or transferred unless the law requires it [4].

Do Delta SkyMiles miles expire if the account is closed?

Delta's Mileage Expiration policy states that miles do not expire, and Delta separately reserves the right to de-activate or close an account in four listed situations, including fraudulent activity and a member's own request for closure [7].

What happens to an award stay or free night certificate when the account is cancelled?

Marriott Bonvoy says cancellation may affect pending or unused Awards, Free Night Awards and Nightly Upgrade Awards, while an Award redeemed before the Points were forfeited remains valid unless it is cancelled after the Points expiration date [4].

Can a programme close an account without warning?

Marriott Bonvoy may cancel, suspend, restrict or audit an account, and forfeit associated value, with immediate effect and without written notice, in its sole discretion, in cases such as suspected fraud, misuse or breaches of its rules [4].

Related pages

Terms: qualifying activity, card cancellation, frequent flyer glossary. Guides: points expiration activity checklist, transferable points when closing a card.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. American Airlines AAdvantage, The British Airways Club, Cathay, KrisFlyer and other programmes are not covered here; the rules below are specific to the programmes named.

4. Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
7. Delta SkyMiles mileage credit rules and Mileage Expiration policy, checked 18 October 2026