In the first days after a death, life can feel split into two tracks that run side by side. One is grief: the quiet shock, the sudden moments when you reach for your phone to share something and remember you cannot. The other is logistics: phone calls, paperwork, decisions that feel too practical for a heart that is still catching up. For many families, those tracks meet in unexpected places—like a credit card statement that arrives in the mail, or a recurring charge that keeps posting because a subscription never learned the news.
If your loved one had an American Express card, closing the account is one of those practical steps that can protect the estate, reduce identity-theft risk, and prevent new charges while you handle everything else. And “everything else” often includes decisions about memorialization—choices like cremation urns, pet urns, or cremation jewelry that can help a family feel close to someone they miss. It can be a relief to remember you do not have to do all of it at once. You can take the next right step, then the next.
At the same time, it may help to know you are not alone in choosing cremation and navigating what comes after. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to reach 63.4% in 2025, with long-term projections continuing upward. The Cremation Association of North America also tracks cremation statistics annually, reflecting how common it has become for modern families to plan around ashes, keepsakes, and flexible memorial options.
When money decisions and memorial decisions overlap
A credit card can sit quietly in the background of a person’s life—until it suddenly becomes one of the first financial accounts you have to touch after they’re gone. It may be tied to automatic bills, travel points, medical co-pays, charitable donations, or monthly streaming services. It may even have been used to pay for end-of-life expenses, including cremation arrangements or a memorial service.
That is why closing an account is not only about stopping spending. It is also about creating a clean picture of what the estate owes, what payments are still pending, and what you can confidently plan for. Families often ask, “how much does cremation cost?” because they are trying to be both loving and responsible. If you are pricing options right now, Funeral.com’s guide on how much cremation costs can help you understand common fees and why totals vary from place to place.
Memorial items can be part of that planning, too. Some families choose a full-size urn as a centerpiece; others find comfort in sharing ashes between siblings using keepsake urns or small cremation urns; others want something wearable like cremation jewelry or cremation necklaces. All of those choices can be meaningful—and none of them need to be rushed. If you are at the stage of learning what is even possible, the Funeral.com Journal’s Cremation Urns 101 is a gentle place to start.
What American Express typically requires after a cardmember dies
American Express can help with canceling a deceased cardmember’s account and addressing any remaining balance, but they generally need to work with someone who has authority to act for the estate. Their official guidance for families is published on the American Express page for managing deceased card member accounts, including phone contact information and next steps.
In practical terms, families usually have two immediate goals: stop new charges and start the documentation process that allows the account to be closed or otherwise resolved. If you are the executor or administrator, you may already have letters testamentary or letters of administration in progress. If you are not, you may still be able to notify American Express of the death and ask what documentation they need for your specific situation, but you should expect limits on what they can change until the right person is confirmed.
Before you call: a calm way to gather what you need
You do not need a perfect binder before you pick up the phone. But a little preparation can make the conversation faster and reduce the number of times you have to repeat the story.
- Basic account information if available (card number, the cardmember’s name as it appears on the account, and the billing address).
- A copy of the death certificate or proof of death (American Express will tell you what form is acceptable in your case).
- Documentation of your authority if you are acting for the estate (executor/administrator paperwork when available).
- A list of recent charges you do not recognize, plus any recurring subscriptions you know were tied to the card.
While you are collecting paperwork, it can also help to take a quick look at any memorial plans that might require coordination. For example, if the family is considering keeping ashes at home, you may want to plan for a secure container and a safe placement—especially if children or pets are in the home. Funeral.com’s guide to keeping ashes at home walks through practical considerations that families often wish they had known earlier.
How to prevent new charges while the account is being resolved
One of the most stressful surprises after a death is seeing new activity on a card you assumed would “freeze” automatically. The reality is simpler: if a card number remains active in a merchant’s system, charges may continue until the account is formally closed, the card is blocked, or the merchant subscription is canceled.
When you contact American Express, be direct about the goal of preventing new charges. Ask what steps they can take immediately, and what they need from you to make that change. If you are also dealing with authorized user cards, bring that up early. Many families do not realize how quickly the loss of a primary cardholder can affect everyone attached to the account.
As a general consumer principle, authorized users are typically not responsible for a primary cardholder’s debt, but their ability to use the card may end when the primary cardholder dies and the issuer closes the account. NerdWallet explains this dynamic in their overview of what happens to authorized users when a primary cardholder dies. The safest approach is to treat all cards on the account as “stop using immediately,” then ask American Express to confirm the correct handling for your situation.
Canceling the account versus settling the balance
For many families, the fear is not the phone call—it is the question of money. If there is a remaining balance, what happens next? In most cases, the balance becomes part of the estate’s obligations, to be handled according to state probate rules and the estate’s assets. American Express may discuss payment options and the process for cancellation as part of their deceased cardmember workflow, as described on their official deceased cardmember page.
If you are the executor, you can ask for a final statement, confirm where future correspondence should go, and clarify how disputes are handled if you see a charge you believe is fraudulent or simply wrong. If you are not the executor, you can still keep a careful record of what you observe—dates, amounts, merchant names—so you can share it with whoever is handling the estate.
And while it can feel strange to talk about memorial items in the same breath as balance questions, families often do because they are planning in real time. If you are trying to budget memorialization decisions, it may help to understand that urn pricing spans a wide range based on size, material, and design. Funeral.com’s collection of cremation urns for ashes shows the breadth of styles available, from traditional metal and wood to artful glass and ceramic options.
Choosing an urn when grief makes decisions feel impossible
An urn can feel like a symbolic decision—almost too heavy with meaning—when you are still in the earliest days of loss. But it can also be practical. If your plan is to keep the ashes at home for a while, you may want a durable, secure container that fits your space. If the plan is eventual burial or placement in a niche, you may need to match cemetery or columbarium requirements. If the plan involves travel or a ceremony outdoors, you may want a different kind of container entirely.
Many families start by asking, “What size do we need?” Adult remains are typically placed in a full-size urn, while smaller options are chosen for sharing or for partial remains. If you are considering a more compact tribute, Funeral.com offers a dedicated collection of small cremation urns that are designed for smaller capacities and smaller spaces without feeling less meaningful.
Some families choose to share ashes among siblings, children, or close friends. That is where keepsake urns can gently reduce conflict and pressure, especially when different family members have different preferences about burial, scattering, or home placement. If that sounds like your family, you can browse keepsake urns and read the plain-language explanation in the Journal: Keepsake Urns Explained.
When the loss is a pet: the same love, a different kind of quiet
Pet loss often arrives with its own kind of silence: the missing paws on the floor, the untouched food bowl, the leash that hangs where it always hung. Families sometimes minimize that grief because it is “only a pet,” but anyone who has loved an animal knows it is not “only” anything. If you are making memorial decisions for a pet, you deserve the same patience and care you would offer yourself after any loss.
Funeral.com’s collection of pet urns for ashes includes a wide range of styles for dogs, cats, and other companions. If you want a memorial that captures personality—posture, breed, a familiar expression—there is also a collection of pet figurine cremation urns that blend sculpture and tribute. And if your family wants to share a small portion while scattering the rest or keeping a larger urn at home, pet keepsake cremation urns can make that sharing feel intentional, not improvised.
If you are unsure where to begin, the Funeral.com Journal’s Pet Urns 101 is written for families who are grieving and trying to make decisions without second-guessing every detail.
Wearing remembrance: what cremation jewelry really is
For some people, a memorial at home is comforting. For others, it is too still. They want a way to carry love into everyday life—on a walk, on a commute, during a hard meeting, at a wedding where the missing person should have been. That is often where cremation jewelry comes in.
Not all memorial jewelry is the same. Some pieces are designed to hold a tiny portion of ashes inside a secure compartment; others use resin or inlay techniques where ashes are mixed into a material but not “held” in the same way. If you are exploring this option, the Journal’s guide on how cremation jewelry works explains capacity, closures, and what families should look for if they plan to wear a piece daily.
On the product side, you can browse Funeral.com’s collection of cremation jewelry, including a focused selection of cremation necklaces that are designed to be both meaningful and wearable. The right choice is the one that fits your life—quiet, secure, and aligned with how you want to remember.
Scattering, water burial, and the question of “what to do with ashes”
Even if cremation is common, families still reach the same tender question: what to do with ashes? Sometimes the answer is “not yet.” Sometimes it is “we want a ceremony.” Sometimes it is “we want to keep them close.” Sometimes it is “we want to return them to nature.”
If you are considering a ceremony on water, you may hear terms like water burial or “burial at sea.” Planning can feel intimidating because families do not want to do something disrespectful or illegal, especially in a public place. Funeral.com’s guide to biodegradable ocean and water burial urns walks through how these urns work and what a water ceremony often looks like in real life.
And if your plan is a home memorial, remember that “home” can mean a shelf, a display area with photos, a quiet corner of a bedroom, or a place you can visit without asking permission. If you want more guidance on that choice, keeping ashes at home is one of the most-read topics for a reason: it speaks to the real questions families have, including safety, respect, and how to talk about the ashes with children and visitors.
Back to the American Express account: a simple step-by-step mindset
When you feel overwhelmed, it helps to narrow the focus. Closing an American Express account after someone dies is usually a process of clear communication and documentation, not a test you can fail. The safest approach is to treat it as a short sequence.
- Notify American Express of the death using their deceased cardmember process and ask how they will prevent new charges right away.
- Ask what documents they require and where to send them (proof of death and proof of authority when applicable).
- Confirm how authorized user cards are handled, and make sure the family understands they should not continue using them.
- Request clarity on any remaining balance, statements, and the process for resolving the account through the estate.
- Keep a written log of dates, names, and reference numbers so you do not have to rely on memory during grief.
Then give yourself permission to return to the human parts of the day: sitting with family, choosing a photo, writing down a story before it fades, or simply resting. Funeral planning is not only paperwork. It is also the slow work of honoring a life with dignity, even when your energy is limited. The “right” choices—whether for cremation urns for ashes, pet cremation urns, keepsake urns, or cremation jewelry—are the ones that bring comfort without adding pressure.
