After someone dies, the to-do list can feel both endless and strangely quiet. One minute you’re choosing flowers or answering texts you don’t have the energy for, and the next you’re staring at a bank statement that shows a familiar name attached to a charge you can’t explain. Retail accounts are often part of that moment. A Best Buy account can hold more than a login: it may include saved payment methods, stored addresses, purchase history, protection plan benefits, and paid memberships that renew automatically.
In grief, it’s easy to assume an account can wait. But with accounts like My Best Buy, the practical priority is usually the same: stop renewals, prevent new purchases, and gather the documentation you’ll need so customer support can help you close or restrict the account as part of the estate. This guide walks you through a calm path, whether you have login access or you don’t, and how to protect the family from unwanted charges along the way.
Start with the goal: stop renewals and prevent new purchases
When families say they want to “delete” an account, what they often mean is “I need this to stop creating problems.” With Best Buy, the most urgent risks are typically auto-renewing memberships and subscriptions, plus the possibility that a saved card can be used for new purchases if someone gains access to the email or device.
Best Buy’s membership tiers may be free or paid. Their official My Best Buy FAQs explain the difference between the free My Best Buy tier and paid memberships like Plus and Total, including annual pricing. If you’re trying to understand what the account might include, that page is a helpful starting point: My Best Buy Memberships™ FAQs.
For paid memberships, the key phrase to keep in mind is cancel Best Buy membership after death. Best Buy’s membership FAQ page states that auto-renewing memberships can be canceled by managing subscriptions in the BestBuy.com account or by calling customer support, and it explains refund timing and proration rules for canceling within or after a certain window. That matters because you may be able to stop the next renewal and, depending on timing, recover some costs for the estate: Best Buy Membership FAQs.
If you’re managing many accounts at once, it can help to use a simple “protect, then close” approach: secure access first, stop recurring charges second, and then work toward formal closure. Funeral.com’s guide to digital accounts after a death is designed around that exact order, because it reduces mistakes when your brain is already overloaded.
Gather what you’ll need before you contact Best Buy
If you can log in, you may be able to handle much of this yourself. If you can’t, support will usually ask for enough information to locate the account and confirm you have the authority to act. Either way, having a few details in front of you makes the process smoother and keeps you from repeating the story on multiple calls.
- A copy of the death certificate (or at least the date of death while you request official copies)
- Your relationship and legal authority (executor, administrator, or authorized representative)
- The email address and phone number tied to the Best Buy account (if known)
- Any membership information (My Best Buy member ID if available, renewal dates, or recent receipts)
- Recent order numbers or protection plan details, if your request relates to an active service or return
If you’re still collecting paperwork, Funeral.com’s guide to important papers to organize before and after a death can help you build a single “working folder” so you aren’t searching the house for a login one day and a death certificate the next.
If you have login access: secure the account, then cancel memberships
When you have access, the best path is to assume the account may contain both stored payment methods and active renewals. You’re trying to accomplish three things: lock down access, stop recurring charges, and preserve records you might need for the estate.
Change the password and secure the email first
Before you do anything else, make sure the email address linked to the account is secure. A Best Buy account is only as safe as the email inbox that can reset it. Update the email password, enable two-factor authentication if available, and consider logging out of other devices. Best Buy’s Privacy Hub includes general security reminders, including using strong, unique passwords and not sharing them.
This step may feel unrelated to grief, but it’s part of preventing a second kind of pain: identity misuse. The federal government’s IdentityTheft.gov resource exists because account takeover and fraud can happen quickly, especially when mail is forwarded, devices are sold, or family members are trying to “help” by guessing passwords.
Cancel auto-renewing memberships and subscriptions
Next, look for memberships and subscriptions inside the BestBuy.com account. If the person had paid benefits, you may see a plan like Best Buy Total membership after death (or Plus). Best Buy’s official membership FAQ explains that these memberships are auto-renewing and describes cancellation through account management or customer support, plus how refunds may be handled depending on timing: Best Buy Membership FAQs.
It can be tempting to cancel everything immediately, but pause if there are open repairs, returns, or services scheduled. My Best Buy Total includes certain support and protection benefits that apply only while the membership is active. Best Buy’s FAQ notes that the membership itself is not a protection plan, but members may receive protection coverage for eligible purchases while the membership is active, subject to terms. If the estate needs a repair or service first, you may want to resolve that before ending the plan: Best Buy Membership FAQs.
Across the marketplace, consumers have pushed for clearer cancellation options. The Federal Trade Commission has announced rules intended to make it easier to end recurring subscriptions by requiring cancellation to be as easy as sign-up in many contexts. That doesn’t replace Best Buy’s policies, but it can help you feel confident insisting on a clear cancellation path if you’re being bounced around: Federal Trade Commission.
Remove saved payments and double-check for stored wallet details
Once the renewals are stopped, take a moment to look for stored payment methods and addresses. Families often search for remove saved payment Best Buy because they want to prevent new purchases. If you’re able to remove stored cards, do so. If you can’t, at least change the password and secure the email so the account can’t be used to place orders.
Then, download or screenshot anything you may need later: receipts for warranty claims, confirmation emails, membership renewal confirmations, and any open orders. It’s much easier to save records now than to reconstruct them months later when an estate question arises.
If you don’t have login access: contact Best Buy and ask for account closure options
Not having access is common. Sometimes the person handled all purchases through an old email address no one can open. Sometimes they used a password manager no one can unlock. And sometimes, the family simply doesn’t want to guess. In those cases, your job is to speak to Best Buy with a clear request: stop renewals, restrict purchases, and close the account if possible once they verify your authority.
The safest entry point is Best Buy’s official contact page, which routes you to the right category (My Account, memberships, orders, or protection plans): Contact Best Buy.
When you reach support, be direct and calm. You can say: “I’m the executor/authorized representative. The account holder has died. I need to stop any auto-renewing memberships or subscriptions, prevent new purchases, and understand what documentation you need to close the account.” If you have the email address and phone number tied to the account, share those first. If you don’t, give the name and any recent order numbers you can find.
It may help to understand that rewards programs are usually not designed to be transferred. Best Buy’s My Best Buy Program Rules state that program membership and benefits may not be transferred or assigned and that reward certificates are not transferable. That’s why some families can’t “move” points to a spouse’s account, even if everyone agrees on the intent: My Best Buy Membership Program Rules.
If your main concern is privacy rather than points, you can also consult Best Buy’s Privacy Hub for how to contact their privacy team. In the “How to contact us” section, Best Buy lists phone, email, and mailing address for privacy-related questions and notes that access or deletion requests may have specific methods through linked pages: Best Buy Privacy Hub.
What to do about open orders, returns, and protection plans
Sometimes the account can’t be cleanly closed on day one because there’s an open loop: an appliance delivery, a pending return, or a protection plan the family needs for a repair. In those situations, think of the account as a tool you may need briefly. It can be reasonable to keep access long enough to finish the practical tasks, then close it.
If there’s a membership involved, remember that certain benefits may depend on active status. Best Buy’s membership FAQ specifically discusses how My Best Buy Total includes benefits like support and protection coverage for eligible purchases while the membership is active, and it points readers to the relevant terms and conditions. Use that as your guide when deciding whether to cancel immediately or after a service is complete: Best Buy Membership FAQs.
When you speak with support, ask them to note the account and tell you exactly what will happen if you cancel today. Will it terminate protection coverage? Will scheduled appointments be affected? You don’t need to debate the policy—you simply need to know what choice protects the estate best.
When you’re acting as an executor, authority matters more than urgency
Families are often surprised to learn that companies may not discuss account details without documentation, even when the situation feels obvious. That’s not meant to be cold; it’s meant to protect the deceased person’s privacy and prevent fraud.
In the U.S., many states have adopted laws based on the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which creates a framework for fiduciaries (like executors) to manage digital assets under specific rules and documentation. If you’re running into a wall with any online account, it can help to know that this area of law exists and that companies may require formal proof of authority: Uniform Law Commission.
If you’re early in the process and still trying to understand what comes first, Funeral.com’s step-by-step checklist for the first 48 hours can help you place “accounts and subscriptions” in the bigger picture. It’s not the only task, but it’s one that prevents unnecessary financial stress while you handle funeral planning and family decisions.
A gentle closing script you can use with support
If you freeze up on the phone, you’re not alone. Grief makes simple sentences disappear. Here’s a wording many families find workable:
“Hello. I’m calling because the account holder has died. I’m the executor/authorized representative. I need help stopping any auto-renewing memberships or subscriptions, preventing new purchases, and closing the account if that’s possible. I can provide a death certificate and documentation of authority. What do you need from me to proceed?”
Then write down the case number, the representative’s name, and what they tell you will happen next. If they say they can’t close the account but can stop renewals, that’s still a meaningful win. If they can’t do either until you submit documents, ask where and how to submit them, and what timeframe to expect. Keep the confirmation email or transcript if chat support provides one.
How this fits into funeral planning, even though it doesn’t feel like it
Closing a retail account isn’t a memorial. It doesn’t honor someone in the way a service or a keepsake does. But it’s part of protecting the people left behind—and that is a quiet form of care.
Many families find it helpful to group these tasks into one “administrative afternoon,” rather than letting them interrupt the tender parts of mourning. You might handle Best Buy, then your loved one’s phone carrier, then streaming services. If you need a wider roadmap, Funeral.com’s guide to closing accounts and subscriptions after a death is written for everyday bills and recurring charges, with a focus on reducing surprises and keeping good records.
And if you’re reading this because you’re planning ahead for your own family, consider making a small digital legacy note: where your accounts live, what renews automatically, and who should be allowed to close things. Funeral.com’s article on digital legacy planning can help you set up a system that doesn’t require sharing passwords today, but still gives someone a clear path later.
The reassurance most people need to hear
You don’t have to do this perfectly. You don’t have to close every account in the first week. If you can accomplish the core protections—stop the renewals, secure the email, and keep a record of what you did—you’ve already reduced the most common risks. Everything after that can be handled step by step, one call and one confirmation email at a time.
If you find yourself getting stuck, come back to the simplest question: “What would cause harm if I do nothing for 30 days?” With Best Buy, the answer is usually unwanted renewals or new purchases. Address those first. Then, when you’re ready, you can move toward full Best Buy account closure support as part of the estate.
