diff --git a/lightning/src/blinded_path/payment.rs b/lightning/src/blinded_path/payment.rs
index d28066ec413..0ed09a366d8 100644
--- a/lightning/src/blinded_path/payment.rs
+++ b/lightning/src/blinded_path/payment.rs
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ impl Readable for BlindedPaymentTlvs {
 				short_channel_id,
 				payment_relay: payment_relay.ok_or(DecodeError::InvalidValue)?,
 				payment_constraints: payment_constraints.0.unwrap(),
-				features: features.ok_or(DecodeError::InvalidValue)?,
+				features: features.unwrap_or_else(BlindedHopFeatures::empty),
 			}))
 		} else {
 			if payment_relay.is_some() || features.is_some() { return Err(DecodeError::InvalidValue) }
diff --git a/pending_changelog/blinded-hop-features-optional.txt b/pending_changelog/blinded-hop-features-optional.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f8967f127a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pending_changelog/blinded-hop-features-optional.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+## Bug Fixes
+
+* LDK previously would fail to forward an intermediate blinded payment
+	if the blinded hop features were absent, potentially breaking
+	interoperability.