How to Notify SMARTY After a Death in the UK

How to Notify SMARTY After a Death in the UK

To close a SMARTY account after someone dies, SMARTY asks family, next of kin, a solicitor or a friend to email a copy of the death certificate to proofs@support.smarty.co.uk. SMARTY says it aims to respond within a day, but it cannot transfer ownership of the deceased customer's account to another person.

That sounds simple. The part families often miss is that the mobile number may still be needed for banking, email and other account access before the line is closed.

SMARTY bereavement process at a glance

SMARTY's public guidance says:

Question	SMARTY guidance
Who can ask for closure?	A family member, next of kin, solicitor or friend.
What document is needed?	A copy of the customer's death certificate.
Where should it be sent?	Email proofs@support.smarty.co.uk.
How quickly do they aim to respond?	SMARTY says the team will aim to respond within a day.
Can the account be transferred?	SMARTY says it cannot transfer ownership to another person's name.

If you are handling several organisations at once, put SMARTY on your notification list alongside the bank, insurer, employer, pension provider and utility companies.

What to include in your email

Keep the email brief and factual. Include enough information for SMARTY to find the account without adding unnecessary personal detail.

You could write:

Subject: Bereavement notification — SMARTY account for [full name]

Hello, I need to notify SMARTY that [full name] has died and ask for their account to be closed. Their mobile number was [number]. Their date of death was [date]. I am [your name], [relationship/role]. I have attached a copy of the death certificate. Please confirm what will happen next, whether any balance remains, and when the line will be disconnected.

Attach a clear scan or photograph of the death certificate if you have one. If you only have an interim certificate because the coroner is involved, explain that and ask whether SMARTY can accept it or what they need next.

Check whether the number is needed before closure

SMARTY says it cannot transfer ownership of the account. That means families should treat account closure as a point of no return unless SMARTY tells you otherwise.

Before sending the closure request, check whether the number is used for:

• online banking verification codes
• email account recovery
• pension or investment logins
• HMRC or Government Gateway access
• cloud photo libraries
• Apple, Google, Microsoft or social media accounts
• WhatsApp groups or family contact lists
• delivery, shopping or subscription accounts

This does not mean you should delay forever. It means you should make a quick access plan. If the executor needs to recover an email account or contact a bank, the mobile number may help for a short period.

If the phone is part of a family group

Some families use one person as the organiser for several low-cost mobile plans. If the person who died was the one who managed the logins, passwords or payment card, the practical issue may be wider than one SIM.

Check:

• whose name each mobile plan is in
• whose bank card pays for each plan
• whether other family members rely on the same online account or login
• whether any children, older relatives or vulnerable people could lose service unexpectedly
• whether other numbers need to be moved to separate accounts

SMARTY's bereavement page is about closing the deceased customer's account. It does not promise an ownership transfer. If another family member still needs their own service, it may be cleaner to set up a separate account in that person's own name rather than trying to keep the old arrangement alive.

Payments, refunds and final balances

Mobile accounts are small compared with mortgages, pensions or insurance, but they still form part of the estate admin. A final charge, refund or unused credit should be recorded.

When SMARTY replies, ask for confirmation of:

• the closure date
• whether any further payment will be taken
• whether the direct debit or card payment has stopped
• whether any refund or balance applies
• whether you need to take any action with the bank

If a payment has already been taken after the date of death, do not assume it is wrong. There may be a billing cycle. Ask SMARTY to explain it and keep the reply with the estate papers.

Any refund paid to the estate should normally be treated like other estate money. If there is an executor or administrator, make sure they know about it.

Protecting messages and contacts

Before the number closes, consider whether there is anything on the phone that the family needs to preserve. This may include contact details for friends, practical messages about care, photos, voicemails, calendar alerts or information about subscriptions.

Stay proportionate. A phone can contain deeply private material. The person dealing with the estate should only access what they are legally and ethically entitled to access, and only for a clear reason.

If the phone is unlocked and the family has authority to deal with practical matters, it can be helpful to note:

• important contacts who still need to be told
• evidence of recurring payments
• app names linked to paid subscriptions
• messages from banks, insurers or care providers
• photographs or documents needed for funeral or memorial arrangements

Do not wipe or factory-reset the phone until you are confident all important information has been dealt with.

If you need accessibility or vulnerability support

SMARTY has a dedicated accessibility route for customers with additional needs or vulnerable situations. Its public accessibility guidance lists smartyaccessibilityservices@smarty.co.uk and 0333 338 1047 for that team, with weekday hours.

The bereavement closure request itself should go to proofs@support.smarty.co.uk, but the accessibility route may be useful if the person dealing with the admin needs communication support, accessible formats, or help because the situation is particularly difficult.

Where this fits in the wider death admin list

A mobile account is rarely the first legal task, but it is often one of the first practical ones because it affects access to everything else.

A sensible order is:

1. make sure the phone and SIM are safe
2. check whether the number is needed for urgent account access
3. notify key banks and email providers if needed
4. email SMARTY with the death certificate and account details
5. record the closure confirmation and any money issue
6. remove the payment instruction once the account is settled

GetPassage is designed for exactly this kind of admin trail: small tasks across many organisations that are easy to lose track of while grieving. Even a simple spreadsheet is better than trying to remember everything.

The bottom line

Email SMARTY at proofs@support.smarty.co.uk with a copy of the death certificate and the account details. Ask for written confirmation of closure, payment status and any balance. Before doing that, check whether the mobile number is still needed for security codes or account recovery, because SMARTY says ownership cannot be transferred to someone else.