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This may be a morbid question, but let's treat it as a thought experiment: how can I keep my website running for posterity after I die?

Say I have enough ad revenue from the site to pay for web hosting. This revenue goes to my bank account every month. From there, I'd set auto-pay for my credit card. The credit card pays my web hosting provider (let's assume they don't go out of business).

How long do various credit cards continue to work after you die? Do CC companies even care to find out you've kicked the bucket? If you just go offline for a while (imagine trekking India for a year), presumably your accounts should keep working. But what if you die? What signals are sent by coroners or whoever gets involved?

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    My guess is that you would need to create an estate in your will, set up by lawyers in advance, which would have an 'executor' (manager) with the authority to make transactions to fit your requests. The estate could own the website, earn the ad revenue, and make payments for hosting. I doubt that a credit card company would extend credit to the estate unless you have a very profitable website; prepayments may be required instead. I am not sure enough about this to post as an answer; it may prod someone who knows more to post one. – Grade 'Eh' Bacon Feb 8 '17 at 21:22
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    Instead of using a CC, you may be better off setting up an auto-debit from your bank account so you don't have to worry about the CC expiration date and CVN codes changing. – TTT Feb 8 '17 at 21:52
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    @TTT +1 for the expiration and CV code comment! – Michael Feb 8 '17 at 22:14
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    Coroners file death certificates which are public record. However, it is well known that agencies and banks don't frequently check this information and accounts can sit idle for years. This has lead to numerous instances of fraud and should be mitigated on your part by establishing an estate with executor as mentioned by Bacon. – BobbyScon Feb 9 '17 at 1:02
  • What is the exact question? You would like to set-up an arrangement for something to run after you die? Or You would like to know how long Cards are active if payments are made on time? Or Who is responsible to informing Financial institutions [Banks, Card Institutions, etc] about a persons death? – Dheer Feb 9 '17 at 2:56
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how can I keep my website running for posterity after I die?

If this is the real problem, incorporate a non-profit corporation or have a lawyer set up a foundation. Those will survive after your death and their bank accounts with them.

You might even find someone willing to do this for you. It sounds like a neat business. Collect the ad revenue, charge a fee, pay the web hosting. Heck, this is a decent deal for a web host. Provide the web hosting; collect the ad revenue.

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Generally speaking the bank accounts and credit card accounts remain open. Banks and the credit card companies don't monitor public records on a daily basis. Instead, whoever is handling your estate will need to obtain copies of your death certificate and they will then search your paper records to identify all accounts (reason to get your act together - there are books on the subject). The executor will work with the banks and card companies to make sure all your charges and payments clear (common to have them open for months or even a year) and to make close or transfer autopays. They will make sure to notify the credit agencies to flag your accounts so no new accounts can be created. MANY copies of the death certicates are needed.

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