@Misty61
I am very sorry for your loss. Can you access the account? If you cannot please tell us and we can tell you how to gather the necessary info to be able to verify the account.
You may want to maintain the account on the lowest plan until you are sure there are no accounts with your mother-in-law's phone number attached for 2FA are left unaccessed and/or closed. ( Although thus may be unlikely if she wasn't tech savvy?) You could also suspend the account via lost/stolen (before renewal at midnight eastern) if you want to maintain voicemail access or by removing autopay and reactivate before day 89/90 for 30 days service and suspend again so you keep access to the phone number if necessary.
I still run across the odd account after 5 years that my late partner had that I have needed to close or access that I needed to reset the password to do so and maintaining the phone number has made it hassle free. You may also want to consider passing the account along to another family member or friend who could use a rewards earning account that lowers their monthly bill possibly to $0? Or you may have someone who had a special connection with your mother-in-law like a grandchild or neighbour or friend who might find comfort in having the account/phone # as a bequest?
Another community member also maintained a voicemail message for years finding comfort from this last message from their mother. I too had maintained the voicemail greeting from my late partner for a few years taking comfort hearing his voice "answering" his phone. You may want to record/transfer the greeting before canceling service. You will have 90 days to reactivate if you want or need to once you remove or replace the payment card or disable autopay.
Alternatively you could donate the account.....I actively seek $$ rewards accounts to pass on to members of society with low or fixed incomes who would really appreciate being able to stay connected with a mobile account that they can afford to budget for with their limited funds. If this is something you would consider please feel free to contact me via private message. It is a relatively easy process and it will help someone else in need improve their daily quality of life.
Or maybe you just need a sympathetic ear or advice on dealing with the details that need to be taken care of after a death if a family member? My private mail box is always open in that regard.
