My dad was a point expert. This is what we still got wrong before his death.

I like to say that I was born into the points and miles hobby.

My dad, a Million Miler in both. united airlines and american airlinesHe signed me up for my frequent flyer accounts when I was 2, introduced me to lie-flat business class as a kid, and had a curated list of credit card applications waiting for me as soon as I joined the workforce.

Given her passion for points and miles and her dedication to advanced planning, it was no surprise that she began putting together a transition plan for her travel rewards years before there was any indication she needed one.

From time to time during my visits to Chicago, he would hand me printouts of his accounting spreadsheet and TPG.What happens to your points and miles after you die?“

But even with our long lead in preparation and our combined experience in points, miles and credit cards, there were details we overlooked and obstacles that surprised us when it finally came time to resolve your issues.

Here are four lessons we learned that may save you some headaches if you’re going through the same process for yourself or a loved one.

Verify, re-verify and share passwords

My dad definitely had the right idea when he compiled his airline and hotel loyalty account logins and passwords into a spreadsheet to share with me, preserving my ability to use their accounts to book travel for others after their death.

But what we almost didn’t realize in time was that their spreadsheet was missing critical information.

He had forgotten the login information for his credit card accounts, and without it, he would not have had access to hundreds of thousands of transferable points on valuable programs like Pursue ultimate rewards.

Fortunately, we fixed it, but there were many other passwords that my family and I realized we needed when it was too late.

The more you can think about the step-by-step process of transitioning rewards from one person to another, the better equipped you will be once the time comes to go through the process.

My other key tip here?

Verify passwords before giving them to a trusted friend or family member. In his final weeks, my dad spent some time logging into each of his accounts to make sure the information he left me was up to date, saving me some major complications in the long run. Having to go through password recovery for someone who has passed away can get complicated quickly.

Be prepared for two-factor authentication

These days, logging into an account from a new device or browser almost always requires some form of two-factor authentication. (Honestly, it seems like half the time logging in from the same device and browser I use every day takes it too.)

My family and I were determined to keep my dad’s iPhone running after his death, which turned out to be essential for meeting his travel rewards, among other things.

Because I took care of most of it after returning home to Oregon, I didn’t have access to her computer in Chicago, which meant that card issuers and loyalty programs were constantly texting me codes to confirm her identity every time I logged in or tried to transfer points.

And it didn’t end there.

At one point, a code was sent to an email address I didn’t have access to, so I had to reset the password for that account, forcing me to access another email account through an app on her phone. In another case, I searched through his text messages for his best friend’s date of birth, which was the answer to one of his airline account security questions.

Obviously, you can share security questions and logins via email in advance as part of a broader password sharing initiative, and I recommend that you do so. But keeping your phone close was also critical for me in several circumstances.

Have a plan for points and if you can, move them ahead of time

Of course, there is an element of timing in all of this. On the one hand, the phone was costing money every month we kept it on, which put pressure on me to make decisions and fix things as quickly as possible during a difficult and busy time.

On the other hand, credit card issuers typically close an account immediately after a member’s death is reported, and in that case, you’ll usually be forced to lose your loved one’s points entirely or charge them as a statement credit that sacrifices much of their value. You can delay reporting, but doing so exposes you to annual fees that can hit cards that are open but not in use.

That’s why it’s really useful to know in advance where the points in question will end up.

In some cases, that was easy for me; My mom loves the Miraval wellness hotel brand, so I knew she’d send my dad’s Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt Worldwhere you could then easily move them from your account to hers.

But figuring out what to do with your American Express Membership RewardsFor example, it was more complicated.

Beyond which currencies will be most useful for booking travel, there are a couple of key considerations to weigh when choosing transfer partners.

Credit card issuers typically only allow points to be transferred to a loyalty account in the name of the cardholder, so in my case, it was essential to choose programs that would allow me to seamlessly transfer points from my father’s accounts to my mother’s.

That factor was part of the reason I ultimately selected Air Canada airplane as a destination for your Membership Rewards, since once they were in your account, transferring them to your account was free and easy.

Aeroplan also has one of the most consumer-friendly wealth policies I’ve seen for an airline loyalty program: It allows multiple beneficiaries, which will make the distribution of points between me and my sisters easier if my mother has anything left when she dies.

If circumstances allow, I recommend moving points between member accounts before a death occurs. Doing so will save you from having to jump through additional hoops, such as providing a member’s death certificate.

Just remember that, as a security measure, some programs require member accounts to be open for a certain period of time before receiving points from another member, so the sooner you can set up any new accounts you may need, the better.

Get credit cards from authorized users in your name

Perhaps the most important thing that my father and I could not anticipate was what would happen to the authorized users on his credit cards when he died.

At the time, several members of my family were not and had never been primary account holders of their own credit cards, which meant that as soon as we reported my father’s death, their only accounts would be closed.

Once we realized what was going to happen, I immediately helped them apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card, one of TPG’s Favorite Credit Cards for Beginners. But despite having excellent credit scores and years of credit history as authorized users, they were both rejected in the first round.

Finally, through a combination of appeals, using Chase Freedom Unlimited® as a springboard product, and opening checking accounts to build trust in Chase, we got the Sapphire cards approved, but not before their authorized user accounts were closed.

Fortunately, I was able to volunteer my card for big spends during that period, but things would have been infinitely easier if they had started their application process sooner.

If you or a loved one has never had your own card account, now is the time to change it. That way, you can avoid a situation where you are left without a credit card.

Related: The best credit cards for travel

In a nutshell

While no one likes to think about what happens in the event of death, doing a little planning and cleaning now can make things exponentially easier for you and your loved ones in the future.

Although we had a couple of hiccups along the way, ultimately the work my dad did early on in his points and miles transition plan allowed me to use his rewards after his death for a special trip to Helsinki, a place we always said we would visit together and never had the chance to do.

Whether you’re getting your own affairs in order or helping a friend or family member, it’s crucial to be as detailed as possible in the information you provide and keep it up to date over time.

And, of course, a paper copy of “What happens to your points and miles after you die?“It never hurts either.