Top funeral plan providers in the UK 2021

  1. Co-op Funeralcare
  2. Dignity Funeral Services
  3. Age Co Funeral Plans
  4. SunLife
  5. Golden Charter
  6. Golden Leaves
  7. Avalon Funeral Plans
  8. Open Prepaid Funeral Plans
  9. Memoria
  10. Safe Hands Plans

The funeral plan providers listed above offer FPA approved funeral plans for cremation or burial with full funeral service.

Continue reading to learn more about the different funeral plan providers and which may be the best for you…

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What is a funeral plan provider?

A funeral plan provider is any company that sells funeral plans which allow you to prepay for your funeral.

There are currently 28 Funeral Planning Authority (FPA) registered providers, which include a mix of local independent funeral directors, and larger companies with a network of funeral directors across the UK.

When purchasing a funeral plan, either the funeral plan provider or one of their appointed funeral directors will carry out your plan when the time comes.

You can also buy an FPA approved funeral plan through an intermediary such as Reassured.

Compare funeral plans using an FCA regulated broker

As mentioned, funeral plans can be arranged directly through a funeral plan provider, but they can also be arranged through a broker, such as Reassured.

There’s no difference in cost; we simply compare a number of options, saving you time and hassle.

We can provide you with all the information you need, allowing you to make a fully informed decision as to which is the most suitable funeral plan for you and your family.

Our service doesn’t stop there as we guide you through the steps of setting up your plan.

At Reassured, we want to ensure that you’re completely confident in your buying journey.

And the best bit is, we don’t charge a fee for our award-winning service.

Who is the best funeral plan provider?

The best funeral plan provider is one that has a plan that best meets your needs and your budget.

However, with so many choices out there it can be tricky to decipher which one this is exactly.

Also, the best funeral plan provider isn’t necessarily the cheapest.

This is because the cheapest providers don’t always offer the best value for money.

For example, the plans offered may not include essential third-party fees or their prices may vary according to where you live.

At Reassured, we can help narrow down your options so that you can find the ideal funeral plan for you and your family.

We believe the best funeral plan provider will offer the most comprehensive protection for your loved ones when the time comes.

All our funeral plans guarantee to cover the cost of the services included in your plan, no matter how much funeral costs rise.

This means the total cost of your plan is locked in at today’s rate.

We compare highly rated plans, including Co-op who have won 'Best Funeral Plan Provider' by Moneynet for three years running.

Co-op Funeralcare

'Triple Gold Award for Best Funeral Plan Provider'
Moneynet Personal Finance Awards 2018/19/20

Avalon

'Best Funeral Plan Provider'
The Money Pages Personal Finance Awards 2019/20

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Compare funeral plan providers

All funeral plan providers include the essential funeral services in each of their funeral plans.

This includes for example:

  • Funeral director services (guidance and advice on the arrangements)
  • Collection and care of the deceased
  • Coffin
  • Hearse or alternative vehicle
  • Personnel for the funeral
  • Bereavement service

However, the features and benefits of plans differ between providers.

Which is why it’s important to compare multiple funeral plan providers to identify the one that can offer you best value for money.

We can help you do this quickly and easily with the table below:

  Co op insurer logo white Dignity Golden Charter Golden Leaves Avalon Funeral Plans
Prices From £3,020^ From £3,095 From £2,895 From £2,533 From £3,645
Will funeral director services be guaranteed at today's price? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Will crematorium fees be covered in full or will there be a contribution towards these? Crematorium fees are either covered in full or there's a contribution towards these, depending on the plan Crematorium fees are covered in full There's a contribution towards these There's a contribution towards these for select plans only There's a contribution towards these
Will burial fees be covered in full or will there be a contribution towards these? Burial fees are either covered in full or there's a contribution towards these, depending on the plan There's a contribution towards these There's a contribution towards these There's a contribution towards these for select plans only There's a contribution towards these
Will your funeral costs still be covered if you pass away before all your payments are complete? Yes - Co-op Commitment. If you pay by instalments and pass away after the first 12 months of the plan Yes - Dignity Promise. If you pay by instalments and pass away after the first 12 months of the plan No - Your family or your estate would have to cover the outstanding balance of the plan No - Your family or your estate would have to cover the outstanding balance of the plan Yes - Avalon Promise. If you pay by instalments and pass away after the first 12 months of the plan
Do you have a choice of funeral director? Yes - Use any local Co-op funeral director No - Dignity will nominate a funeral director and the one they choose could change after you pass away Yes - But it's not guaranteed that you'll be allocated the funeral director of your choice No - Golden Leaves will nominate a local independent funeral director No - Avalon will nominate a local independent funeral director
Can the deceased be collected at any time? Is there a maximum collection mileage? Yes - 24/7 collection available within 50 miles Yes - 24/7 collection available within 50 miles No - Select plans only, within 25 miles No - Select plans only, collection within 25 miles Timings are not specified. Collection within the UK or mainland Ireland
What is their Fairer Finance star rating? 5 stars (Gold and Silver plans) The only plans in the UK to receive the 5 star rating 4 stars (Amber, Diamond and Pearl plans) 3 stars (Premier and Select plans) 3 stars (Platinum plan) 2 stars (Standard, Plus and Premium plans)

^Co-op price includes a £75 discount only available to Co-op members. The information in this table was taken from the separate providers' websites and is accurate as of 04/03/2021

Who are the safest funeral plan providers?

Funeral Planning Authority (FPA) registered providers are the safest providers to arrange your funeral plan with, (5% of plans are still not registered).

This is because, as a member of the FPA, a standard of care and protection for funeral plan customers must be upheld.

You can be confident that an FPA registered provider will keep your money safe in a separate Funeral Trust Fund or life insurance policy until you need it.

All funeral plans arranged through Reassured are fully FPA approved.

We are also an FCA regulated broker which means our service must always abide by their strict code of practice.

We provide an impartial service at no obligation to you at all, so why not get in touch today to make the most of it.

Beat rising funeral costs with a funeral plan

The average cost of a funeral today is £4,184, which is a 128% increase since 2004[1].

This rising trend is expected to continue, which means by 2025, a funeral could cost our loved ones more than £5,000.

However, it’s possible to freeze today’s price of a funeral because funeral plan providers will guarantee to carry out the services included in your plan when the time comes, at no extra cost to your loved ones, even if prices have risen in the future.

Read our article analysing the breakdown of funeral costs in the UK »

Which is the cheapest funeral plan provider?

Funeral plan providers tend to offer a choice of three or four different funeral plans at different prices.

This means it can be difficult to determine which is the cheapest out of all the options available.

Some funeral plan providers offer cremation only plans too, which is for a direct cremation without funeral service.

This is the cheapest type of funeral plan, but it does mean your loved ones would have to arrange and pay for a separate service when the time comes.

Sometimes, the cheapest funeral plan provider won’t offer the best value-for-money funeral plans.

For example, Golden Leaves offer one of the cheapest plans with a full funeral, which starts from £2,533.

However, this price can be deceptive as the final amount is variable depending on where you live in the UK.

This price is also for a cremation funeral type only and doesn’t cover the cost of any essential third-party fees.

Your family would have to cover this cost until funds from your estate can be released following probate.

On the other hand, Co-op funeral plans start from just £3,870** for cremation or burial and guarantee to include all third-party fees.

So that when the time comes, whether that be in 20 or 30 years' time, your loved ones won’t have anything else to pay.

Co-op prices aren’t variable to where you live either, so there aren’t any unexpected price increases.

How much does a funeral cost in your area?

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This calculator uses data from the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2021 and should only be used as a guide.

Spread the cost of your plan

Funeral plan providers give you the option to spread the cost of your funeral plan with them so it’s more affordable.

For example, Co-op allows you to pay:

  • In full
  • By instalments over 6 or 12 months (no additional charges)
  • By instalments over 2 - 25 years (plus charges and plan must be paid by 80th birthday)

Funeral plans purchased through Reassured start from just £19.11 per month or £3,020 in full.

Co-op funeral plan calculator

Spread the cost of your funeral plan with monthly payments, or pay in full. Calculate how much your funeral plan will cost, by filling in the details below.

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*Co-op members save up to £125 on their Co-op funeral plan. Simply provide your 18 digit membership number when buying your plan.

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Funeral plan providers that guarantee your funeral services

Some funeral plan providers will guarantee to carry out your funeral services, even if you pass away before completing your funeral plan payments.

If you choose to pay by instalments for 2 or more years and you’ve paid at least the first 12 months of the plan, then you’d be eligible for this benefit.

Giving you peace of mind that, if the unexpected happens, your family wouldn’t have to cover the remaining cost of the plan.

Funeral plan providers that offer this benefit include:

  • Co-op Funeralcare ('Co-op Commitment')
  • Avalon Funeral Plans ('Avalon Promise')
  • Dignity ('Dignity Promise')

Make the most of this additional protection by getting in touch with Reassured today.

Types of funeral plan providers

On the surface it may seem that all funeral plan providers work in the same way, however, this isn’t necessarily the case.

The different types include:

  • Independent funeral directors offering funeral plans to local citizens
  • Funeral plan providers that own a network of funeral homes and/or crematoria across the UK, such as Co-op
  • Funeral plan providers that sub-contract independent funeral directors nationwide to carry out their plans, such as Golden Leaves
  • Funeral plan providers that are owned by their funeral directors, such as Golden Charter
  • Then there are funeral plan providers that have their own funeral homes and/or crematoria but also a network of independent funeral directors nationwide, such as Dignity

The difference is that if you use a funeral plan provider that operates with independent funeral directors, the cost of their funeral plans may vary depending on where you live.

The plan provider is also more likely to nominate a funeral director on your behalf.

Therefore, if you have a preferred funeral director, it’s sensible to ensure that they will accept the plan you want to purchase.

Reassured work with a leading provider that owns more than 1,200 funeral homes nationwide and carry out their own plans.

This means you can expect their high standard of service from beginning to end.

Arrange your funeral plan through Reassured and ensure that your loved ones are well taken care of when the time comes.

What happens if your funeral plan company goes bust?

If your funeral plan provider is registered with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA), then your money is protected in the unlikely circumstance they go bust.

This is because, as mentioned, the FPA ensure that the funds you pay into your plan are held safely in a Trust (managed by trustees) or a life insurance policy until you require them.

The FPA will help find an alternative funeral director to carry out your funeral as planned, or the funds will be returned to your estate.

As mentioned, all funeral plans arranged through Reassured are approved by the FPA, giving you peace of mind that your money is safe.

Funeral plan providers for over 50

Some funeral plan providers offer funeral plans for over 50s only.

Except for the age restriction, these funeral plans are the same as any other.

Age Co and SunLife sell funeral plans for over 50, which makes sense as they both provide financial products and services to people in later life.

Funeral plans are ideal for those over 50 who would like to leave behind a legacy to loved ones but have struggled to secure affordable life insurance due to personal factors.

Or you may wish to take out a funeral plan separate to your life insurance policy so that you can protect the pay-out from rising funeral costs.

Many people take out an over 50s plan to cover the total cost of dying.

An over 50s plan guarantees a cash lump sum pay out when you pass away, which can be used to cover your funeral costs.

Like a funeral plan, no medical questions are asked.

Premiums are calculated based on your age and the terms of the policy.

Reassured can also help compare quotes for over 50s plans that guarantee acceptance to UK residents aged 50 - 85.

Get in touch so we can help you assess all the options available.

Secure your plan with an award-winning funeral plan provider

At Reassured, we compare a range of funeral plans on your behalf without charging you a fee.

We’re an FCA-regulated, award-winning broker with over 10 years experience helping people arrange the financial protection of their loved ones.

So, get in touch with our dedicated team today.

Compare Funeral Plans with Reassured »

Sources:

[1] SunLife (2021), Cost of Dying Report, sunlife.co.uk/costofdying2021

*£19.11 per month pricing includes a £75 discount only available to Co-operative members and is based on a 50-year-old purchasing a Co-operative Simple Funeral Plan at £3,020 over the maximum term available of 25 years (total amount repayable £5,733.40) as of 1st March 2021

**£3,870 is the price of a Co-operative Silver Funeral Plan with a £125 discount only available to Co-operative members, as of March 2021

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