Golden Charter / Our Funeral Plans

Our funeral plans

Which funeral plan is right for you? As everyone has different needs when it comes to funeral planning, we make sure our plans are as flexible as possible.

All of our funeral plans can also be paid over 12 months at no extra cost, or paid over a longer period with an additional instalment charge. For more information on what’s included and what’s not included with each of our funeral plans just click on the learn more links above for each plan.

* The pay monthly price of our Basic Plan is based on a 50 year old paying by the instalment payment option with a £49 deposit over 10 years. An instalment charge is included in the overall cost of your funeral plan and is based on your age at the outset of your plan and the payment term you select.

** the pay monthly prices are based on a 50 year old paying by the instalment payment option with a £49 deposit over 15 years. An instalment charge is included in the overall cost of your funeral plan and is based on your age at the outset of your plan and the payment term you select.

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What's included in our funeral plans?

All of the following features are included in our funeral plans as standard and at no extra cost. Please note, features marked with a * are not included within the Basic Plan.

  • Provision of professional services and making all arrangements for the funeral

  • Advice on the certification and registration of the death and related documentation

  • The coffin*

  • Collection and transportation of the deceased to the funeral director's premises within a 25 mile radius (collection time frame is dependent on the plan you choose)

  • Care of the deceased prior to burial or cremation

  • Use of chapel of rest or service rooms*

  • Family viewing at any pre-arranged time (Costs may apply if out-of-hours viewing is required.)

  • Arrangement of the funeral service at a local cemetery or crematorium*

  • Funeral held on a normal weekday, during working hours*

  • Hearse to local crematorium or cemetery*

  • Provision of sufficient staff to attend to the coffin as required (e.g. pallbearers)

  • Built-in allowance towards third party costs (amount dependent on the plan you choose)

  • 24 hour funeral director telephone support for the bereaved

  • Transportation to the funeral director’s premises if death occurs whilst on holiday in mainland UK

What's not included in our funeral plans?

The following features are not included in our funeral plans as standard, but you can express your wishes when you purchase and add on as appropriate.

  • Embalming

  • Burial plot (our plans don’t include the purchase of a burial plot. Should you choose burial, the plans include an allowance towards the opening of a new or existing grave)

  • Headstone or memorial

  • Catering / wake

  • Medical certificates

  • Minister or officiant fees

  • Flowers

  • Order of service

  • Newspaper / online notices

Payment options

When it comes to paying for your funeral plan we offer three different, flexible payment options, designed to cater for every budget.
1

Single payment option

With a one-off, single payment your funeral plan will be activated right away, giving you immediate cover for instant peace of mind.

2

12 monthly payment option (at no extra cost)

Pay a deposit from only £49, then make 12 monthly payments at no extra cost. You're fully covered once all payments are made.

3

Instalment payments

Pay a deposit from as little as £49, then spread the cost of your plan between 2 and 15 years (2 and 10 years for the Basic Plan)*. An instalment charge is included based on the term you select and is included in the overall cost of your funeral plan. If you die at any time after you’ve made at least 12 payments, the benefit of your plan will be provided, with no further sums to be paid.

*For the instalment payment option you must be aged under 78 at the start date of your plan and pay the total cost by your 80th birthday. Please refer to the Key Features and Terms and Conditions document for eligibility of each payment option.

Additional information

Other funeral costs you need to think about

Whilst the cost of the funeral director’s services are included in your plan, there are other costs you need to consider.

Third party costs

All our plans include an allowance towards third party costs. These are costs for essential, non-funeral director services required to carry out a cremation or burial. Funeral directors cannot control these costs and these fees need to be paid at the time of the funeral. These costs are paid by us or by the selected funeral director to other suppliers or professionals to carry out funeral services.

All our plans include an allowance towards third party costs. Our Basic Plan includes a £500 built-in allowance, our Value Plan includes an £800 allowance whilst our Standard, Select and Premier Plans include a £1,100 allowance. This allowance can be used towards cremation fees, burial or interment fees as well as the minister or Officiant’s fee to conduct the service. The built-in allowance will not be used towards certain third party costs such as doctor’s fees (if applicable) or the purchase of the burial plot.

The value of the allowance included in your plan may grow over time. There will only be more to pay at the time of the funeral if the third party costs exceed the allowance when you buy your plan, or if the costs increase by more than the growth of your plan.

Please refer to our Key Features and Terms & Conditions (PDF) document for more information.

Optional services

You can choose to add extra services such as flowers, newspaper notices, a reception, catering and orders of service. These costs are not covered by your plan, you can choose to add these as an additional cost or your funeral director can help to organise these at the time.

Our Fees

The retail price of your funeral plan is representative of the equivalent cost of a funeral today plus an arrangement fee of £325 which we retain to help cover the costs of setting up your plan. In addition, from the retail price paid, we retain £250 as a contribution towards the costs we incur in the marketing of your funeral plan.

Got questions? Talk to us!

Get in touch if you have any questions, or if you’d prefer to buy your plan over the phone. Our team of friendly, UK-based advisers are waiting to help you.

Give us a call

9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday

0808 169 4534

Send us an email

We’ll always reply within 2 working days

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