I think it should have been if either participant is a paid subscription. For example, if a parent has a free account and I have a paid - the parent should be allowed to give me emergency access despite their account being free. This also solves the billing problem, since this feature is often used after the owner is incapacitated.
Proton’s current suggested solution is to just make sure a credit card is added so the credit card can be auto-charged after death as “usually isn’t cancelled immediately”, but this is at minimum an odd solution. In some jurisdictions this could even be considered fraudulent behavior by the estate as the contractual agreement between bank and cardholder does terminate on cardholders’ expiration.
u/Proton_Team:
EDIT: Whoever gets emergency access can continue paying for your account if they wish to do so. If that person takes too long to renew the payment method, your account may be downgraded. You can also avoid this problem by leaving a credit card on file as that usually isn’t cancelled immediately
Discover:
Stop all use of the credit card(s). Credit cards are no longer valid when the sole primary cardmember has passed away. No one should use the card, even the executor of the estate, even if it’s for what seems like a legitimate purpose (like paying for funeral costs).
What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die? | Discover