Cancelling leisure & entertainment accounts after death
After the death of a loved one, cancelling leisure and entertainment accounts will probably be the last thing on your mind. But in today’s digital world, with over 90% of adults in the UK using the Internet, it is almost certain that your loved one will have several accounts, and it’s important that they are closed or transferred to prevent identity theft or fraud. You will also want to avoid incurring charges from accounts that automatically renew.
In some cases, your loved one may have been very organised and left notes on login details and passwords. However, this is not always the case and there are a number of leisure and entertainment accounts that will need to be cancelled after their death. When it comes to cancelling leisure and entertainment accounts, you can check their credit card and bank statements to find any standing orders or direct debits to find details of the accounts they have.
Email, shopping, business, leisure and entertainment accounts
Your loved one may have had a variety of accounts for emails, shopping, business, and entertainment. We have divided them into seven sections on our web page, there are too many online shops, services and tools to go through them all, so we have chosen some of the most common online accounts to close or manage.
- Internet software - Apple, Microsoft and Google
- Online shopping accounts - Amazon Prime, eBay and PayPal
- Newspapers and magazines – The Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Financial Times etc.
- Television and Film - HBO, Netflix and Disney, Sky
- Music – Spotify
- Books and Audio Books – Audible and Kindle
- Gaming – Xbox Live and PlayStation
Closing and transferring online accounts
There are a multitude of online accounts that your loved one may have had, which range from leisure and entertainment accounts to online shopping, online businesses including Amazon, PayPal, and eBay, and entertainment sites including Netflix, Apple TV and Sky. Gaming sites such as Xbox and PlayStation should also be closed. It is important that any account that has the deceased person’s credit card details is immediately closed or transferred to another person’s card.
Newspaper and magazine subscriptions
Often newspaper and magazine subscriptions can be cancelled by calling the customer service department and requesting cancellation. Many publications can also be cancelled online.
Memberships
Your loved one may have had paid memberships to gym and sports clubs. These could include golf, tennis and more. There may also be film, theatre, and museums subscriptions that required membership fees. You should call the organisation to cancel the membership providing details of the account or the member’s ID number.
Music, books and film downloads
In the past, things were much simpler and precious, physical record collections, books and videos were passed on. This is not so easy now with digital assets. When you purchase through iTunes, Spotify and Amazon, you are downloading music, e-books and films that are not owned by you.
How can we help you after a funeral?
In this guide, you will find a list of the more popular leisure and entertainment accounts that your loved one may have held, and advice on how to close them. However, it is by no means an exhaustive list. At the time of writing, the list was up to date, but it is worth bearing in mind that policies do change.
At CPJ Field, we know that taking care of your loved one’s affairs can be very stressful and overwhelming. As a 300-year-old family business, we are here to help you create a personalised funeral for the 21st century. If you are arranging a service for a loved one, we are here to help you. We continue to help our families after the funeral and beyond and offer many support services after a funeral.
For further assistance, please see our Guides & Advice section for after a funeral.
