Having reviewed market leading direct cremation providers, we have teamed up with Golden Leaves as the services included in their plans are fixed at today's prices and completely guaranteed. This guarantee includes collection 24 hours a day from anywhere in the UK, doctor’s fees and return of the ashes if required. Plus unlike some direct cremation providers, Golden Leaves offer a more local service as they use crematoriums throughout the UK.

This review details the pros and cons.

Who is Golden Leaves?

Golden Leaves was founded in 1984, although its roots go back to 1875. They helped shape the regulatory body the Funeral Planning Authority and are one of the few companies to offer funeral planning services both in the UK and Europe.

As founding members of the National Association for Pre-paid Funeral Plans, Golden Leaves is the only independent funeral planning company to hold the BSI IS0:9001, the world’s widely adopted quality business excellence standard and management system.

What direct cremation plans do they offer?

All the services included in the Golden Leaves Copper Plan for a direct cremation are completely guaranteed. This includes

• The services of a Funeral Director
• Help and guidance on registration and documentation
• Collection 24 hours a day from anywhere in mainland UK
• Care of deceased prior to funeral
• Simple coffin
• Guaranteed cremation and doctor’s fees
• Provision of a simple Urn
• Ashes returned to family by private driver or scattered in Garden of Remembrance at the Crematorium

Payment Options

The cheapest way to pay for your Golden Leaves direct cremation funeral plan is either with a single payment, or over 12 months as you won’t incur any additional fees.

If you prefer to spread your costs over a longer period, instalment options are available from 1 to 5 years with a £250 deposit. Additional fees are added for all instalment options longer than a year but these would be made clear to you at the outset.

Will there be more for my family to pay when the time comes?

All of the services included in the plan are completely guaranteed. That means there will be nothing more to pay for collection, the cremation, doctor’s fees or return of the ashes.

How can I be sure my money is safe?

When you buy a Golden Leaves Direct Cremation funeral plan your money is held in the Golden Leaves Trust fund which is a completely separate entity. Therefore if anything were to happen to Golden Leaves, the trust fund with your money in it remains intact and ready to pay for your direct cremation funeral services.

In addition Golden Leaves are registered with and regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority so have had to demonstrate that they abide by their rules and strict code of conduct.

Can I cancel the plan?

All Golden Leaves plans come with a 30 day ‘cooling off’ period which gives you the chance to review all of the details and if you change your mind, you receive a full refund.

If you cancel after this period you would receive your money back minus 20% of the total value of the plan.

What happens if I move address?

If you move, the plan moves with you; you just need to let Golden Leaves know your new address.

Golden Leaves reviews

Golden Leaves achieve an excellent rating on Trustpilot, one of the UKs leading independent review websites with over 2,211 reviews from their customers awarding them an average score of 4.7 out of 5