Prepaid funeral plans - how they compare

Most prepaid plans give you the option to choose either a burial or cremation funeral. The way the plan works for each service may differ however. For example, leading funeral plan providers such as Golden Leaves and Dignity guarantee the cremation fees, but make a contribution towards burial fees.

If you are looking for a funeral plan and you live in Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and the Canaries, or you have a second home in any of these countries, then we have a European funeral plan that will provide cover for arranging a funeral either there, or here in the UK.

Quite simply if you think some time on the future you may choose to move to, or buy a second home abroad, then this plan will give you the flexibility, no matter whether you are drinking sangria in Spain or tea in Torquay.

Research carried out by SunLife shows average funeral costs in the UK at *£4,056; this figure does not include flowers, memorials, wakes, notices or probate fees. To see the impact inflation could have on the average cost of a funeral in years to come if costs continue to rise at a similar rate, take a look at our funeral calculator.

Yes, funeral plans usually provide national coverage throughout the UK, so it doesn’t matter where you live – there will always be a funeral director local to you..

A funeral Plan freezes your costs at today’s prices so there will be nothing more to pay for the guaranteed services included, no matter when it is in the future, be it 20 or even 30 years time. If you have chosen a ‘contribution style’ funeral plan, there could be more to pay for the cremation and minister’s fees; depending on how much these costs have increased compared to the allowance included in your plan.

When the time comes, instead of your family receiving a cash lump sum, your plan provider will pay the funeral director directly so your family won’t have the worry. There will be nothing more to pay for the funeral services that are guaranteed in the plan.    

An over 50 life insurance plan is a completely different type of policy that pays out a cash sum that families often use to help pay for funeral costs. This is why when people talk about funeral insurance, they often get confused between a funeral plan and an over 50s plan.

An over 50 life insurance plan as mentioned pays out a cash sum when you die that can be used to help with funeral costs, pay outstanding bills or left as a gift to family members. If it is used to help pay for the funeral, then the family will still have to make the arrangements and as inflation reduces the cash sum paid out over time, there could be more for them to pay – it all depends on the cash sum paid out versus funeral costs at that time.

A funeral plan on the other hand freezes your funeral costs at today’s prices so guarantees your family will never have anything more to pay for the services included.

The plan provider will arrange for the services of a funeral director who is in your area.

All plans provided by national funeral planning companies are flexible and portable, so if you move, the plan moves with you. You simply contact your funeral planning company to let them know your new address and they will move the plan to a funeral director local to your new home.

Yes, you may wish to add your “wishes” to the plan so that your next of kin knows what you want when the time comes, for example, music, hymns, reception or you can fully bespoke a plan.

We help you compare funeral plans UK wide providing information, guides and funeral plan reviews so you can be fully informed prior to making your decision. We have chosen to work with Golden Leaves as our trusted partner as we believe they offer excellent value for money, guaranteeing not only the cost of a funeral director but also the cremation and ministers fees at today's prices.

The Funeral Planning Authority or FPA as they are also referred to are the regulatory body for funeral plans, their role being to ensure registered members comply with their strictest of rules and strict code of practise as to the service you receive and how your money is held.

In order to register with the Funeral Planning authority, plan providers must demonstrate they comply with these rules; something they have to do on an ongoing basis as they have to re-register annually.

Yes you can buy funeral insurance for someone else. You will be able to specify this when applying for the plan by adding yourself as plan representative. As the plan purchaser and representative, all correspondence will be sent directly to you if you wish.

No you don’t. Your application will be accepted regardless of your state of health.

No, most providers will allow you to buy a plan from the age of 18, but some have a minimum age requirement of 50.

Yes, we can arrange this for you.

The costs will depend on your requirements, as some people will just require an eco-friendly coffin whereas others prefer a fully carbon neutral service. Green funeral plans are increasing in popularity but generally are more expensive.

• Is the funeral plan provider regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority?
• Are my funeral directors costs guaranteed?
• Are the cremation fees guaranteed at today's prices
• If paying monthly, how much extra will I pay in additional charges or interest
• How is my money stored and how safe is it?

In addition to Over50choices there are a few other websites that allow you to compare funeral plans uk wide, but the large comparison sites; Go Compare, Confused, Money and Martin Lewis' Moneysavingexpert as of yet are not providing this service.

Don’t forget, if you are looking at funeral insurance you may also want to compare over 50 life insurance which many people use to help with funeral costs.

We have chosen to partner with Golden Leaves as we believe their funeral plans offer flexibility, security and reassurance for the family with no hidden costs.

Other plan providers regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority are worth considering however the main thing is to ensure you understand how the plan works and what services are guaranteed.

Yes, most funeral planning companies offer payments over 12 months at no extra cost and then instalment options of up to 25 years depending on your age. Understandably most funeral plan providers will have a threshold by which the payments should be complete.

Some funeral planning companies will require you to complete the payments before providing the funeral services, so your family would pay the balance if you died before your monthly payments were complete.

Others provide cover once you have been paying into the plan for a specific period, such as a year.

However, Golden Leaves are the only company to provide immediate cover, once you have paid a deposit of just £49. So if you chose a 6 year plan but died after 6 months, the services included in the plan would be provided with no charge to your family.

Defaqto is an independent financial information business. They collect product data from the whole of market and make it comparable to help consumers, like you, make better decisions. They are not customer reviews, in our case we ask Trustpilot to independently ask customers for these.

They have reviewed the funeral plan market in the UK and rated funeral plans on a scale of 1 to 5 based on quality and comprehensiveness of the features and benefits of each plan.

A 4 or 5 Star Rating indicates that a product represents one of the best quality offerings in the market. A 1 Star Rating indicates a basic plan with a low level of features and benefits.

The cheapest funeral plan you can have is a direct cremation, which costs between £1,300 to £1,800.

A direct cremation is a cremation but without a funeral service - there are no mourners in attendance. This is a more affordable and cheaper option than a traditional funeral, although the majority of people choosing this low cost option do so as they prefer a simple no frills option without the fuss of family and friends attending.

If you prefer a more traditional plan, many providers now offer budget funeral plans that have certain restrictions such as the time of the funeral service. So you can take advantage of the benefits of a prepaid plan whilst sticking to a budget. 

If you die whilst abroad your repatriation cover on your travel insurance if you have it would get you back home and then the funeral director will provide the funeral services as outlined in your prepaid plan.

Alternatively if the family decide to have the funeral abroad, they can cancel the plan and receive a full refund minus the cancellation fee.