Are Avalon funeral plans any good?

Avalon have been arranging funeral plans for more than 25 years and are highly rated by their customers.

They are also award-winning, being named Best Funeral Plan Provider at the Personal Finance Awards 2020/21.

However, whether Avalon are the right provider for you will depend on your needs and budget.

Reassured has written this comprehensive review of Avalon funeral plans to help you with this decision.

At Reassured, we can’t provide Avalon funeral plans quotes. However, we can provide quotes for alternative funeral plans starting from just £19.11* a month.

Get in touch with a member of our award-winning team to get your free personalised quotes.

Or, continue reading this Avalon funeral plans review to find out if they are a good choice for you.

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Avalon funeral plans

Avalon funeral plans key features:

  • Approved by the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA)
  • A wide network of independent funeral directors in the UK & N. Ireland
  • Free collection of the deceased anywhere in the UK & N.Ireland
  • Funeral services guaranteed with the Avalon Promise
  • Prepaid direct cremation option available
  • Expat plans available in Europe
  • Five different levels of service at varying costs

Avalon funeral plans drawbacks:

  • Fixed contribution towards third-party costs
  • Minimum deposit of £60 for each plan
  • Cancellation fee is £395
  • Standard plan doesn’t include visitation to the chapel of rest
  • Some of the most expensive funeral plans on the market

Avalon offer five different funeral plans packages, tiered in price and level of service.

The right plan for you will depend on the type of funeral you’d like to have, and your budget.

An Avalon funeral plan for traditional funeral costs from £3,645 or from £27.49† per month.

This makes Avalon one of the most expensive funeral plan providers.

Get in touch with Reassured to compare funeral plans from as little as £19.11 a month.

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Avalon funeral plans reviews

As of February 2021, Avalon have been rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with over 2,500 customer reviews.

88% of Avalon funeral plan customers believe that they provide a 5-star service.

In comparison, Reassured have over 48,000 reviews with an overall rating of ‘Excellent’.

89% of our customers would rate our service as 5 stars; find out what they are saying about us on the Reasured profile.

Who are Avalon funeral plans?

Avalon funeral plans have been established for over 25 years and have arranged plans for more than 85,000 customers.

They have been voted 'Best Funeral Plan Provider' two years in a row by the Personal Finance Awards.

Avalon has a network of over 1,800 independent funeral directors, which is more than other leading providers.

What makes Avalon funeral plans different is that they have a head office in Spain and offer expat funeral plans for British citizens living in:

  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Canary Islands
  • Balearic Islands
  • Cyprus
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How does an Avalon funeral plan work?

An Avalon funeral plan allows you to plan your funeral in advance, giving you peace of mind that your loved ones won’t have this obligation when the time comes.

You can select a plan that includes the services you want, and you can pay for this in full or by monthly instalments.

Paying for your funeral in advance means you can lock in key funeral costs at today’s prices.

Avalon, like other providers, will guarantee to carry out the services included in your plan when you pass away, potentially saving your loved ones thousands of pounds in the future.

What’s included in an Avalon funeral plan?

Avalon funeral plans (for a traditional funeral) include all the following services:

  • Support and guidance from the funeral director
  • Advice on certification and registration
  • Transfer the deceased to the funeral home from anywhere in the UK and N.Ireland
  • Care of the deceased at the place of rest until the funeral, (embalming to preserve the body at no extra cost)
  • A coffin or casket
  • Provision of a hearse to carry the deceased directly to the crematorium or cemetery
  • Funeral staff to carry out the service
  • Free LifeLocker online tool
  • 24-hour bereavement service
  • An allowance towards third-party costs, (amount dependent on plan)
See our planning a funeral 9-step guide for more detail of all the elements of a funeral.

Avalon funeral plans overview

As mentioned above, all Avalon funeral plans cover the essential funeral services.

Here is a comparison of the services provided with each funeral plan.

Plan Upfront cost Monthly cost Third-party costs contribution Coffin Limousine Collection of body Use of chapel of rest Flower list
Standard Plan £3,645 £27.49 Up to £1,000 Simple No Anywhere in the UK and N.Ireland No No
Plus Plan £3,995 £30.02 Up to £1,000 Quality veneer Yes x 1 Anywhere in the UK and N.Ireland Yes - during working hours No
Premium plan £4,245 £31.78 Up to £1,000 High quality veneer Yes x 2 Anywhere in the UK and N.I Yes - during working hours Yes

The Standard Avalon funeral plan

Cost: £3,645 or from £27.49 per month.

The Standard funeral plan comes with a simple wood effect coffin.

Doesn’t include use of the chapel of rest (for family to visit the deceased) and doesn’t include use of a limousine for the funeral procession.

The Plus Avalon funeral plan

Cost: £3,995 or from £30.02 per month.

Comes with a quality veneer coffin, visit to the chapel of rest and one limousine for your family.

The Premium Avalon funeral plan

Cost: £4,295 or from £31.78 per month.

Comes with a high-quality veneer coffin, visit to the chapel of rest, two limousines for your family and a list of which guests sent flowers.

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Avalon funeral plans third-party costs

Third-party costs are those that must be paid on top of funeral director fees when the funeral takes place.

These include doctors’ fees, minister fees, and the fees to carry out the burial or cremation.

Whilst Avalon contributes up to £1,000 towards third party costs, this amount may insufficient when the time comes.

Particularly for a burial funeral, as burials fees can reach several thousands of pounds.

Third-party costs are also expected to increase in line with rising funeral costs, (which have risen 128% in the last 16 years[1]).

Meaning that the Avalon contribution could be worth less in the future, and your loved ones may have to pay the shortfall for this.

However, at Reassured, we can help you arrange a funeral plan that guarantees to cover essential third-party fees; locked in at today’s price (so there’ll be nothing for your loved ones to pay when the time comes).

Get in touch with a member of our award-winning team and secure your fully guaranteed funeral plan today.

Avalon funeral plans payment options

There are a few ways to pay for an Avalon funeral plan.

  • In full with one upfront payment
  • £60 minimum deposit, followed by 12 interest-free monthly payments
  • £60 minimum deposit, followed by monthly instalments between 2 - 25 years, (incurs 5.2% interest)

If you opt to pay by monthly instalments over a number of years, you must have paid all the instalments by your 80th or 90th birthday (depending on your age).

If you’re aged between 18 and 77, and you opt to pay by monthly instalments, you could qualify for the Avalon Promise.

Funeral plans purchased through Reassured offer similar payment options, none of which require a deposit.

Payment options for a funeral plan arranged through us:

  • In full with one upfront payment
  • 12 monthly payments
  • Monthly instalments over 2 – 25 years (instalment charges apply)

The Avalon Promise

The Avalon Promise provides additional protection in the case that you pass away before the plan has been paid in full.

If you pass away after the first 12 months of the plan, and all payments are up to date, Avalon will still cover the cost of your chosen funeral services (excluding the shortfall from third-party fees).

This is a great benefit, which isn’t unique to Avalon funeral plans.

Funeral plans purchased through Reassured also provide this guarantee.

Meaning that the funeral services included in your plan will still be carried out by the plan provider, even if you pass away before the plan has been paid in full.

As long as the plan has been in place for at least 12 months and your payments are up to date.

Also, if you pass away within the first 12 months of one of our plans from the result of an accident, and your payments are up to date, then your funeral will still be covered.

Get in touch with Reassured today to arrange your funeral plan and protect your family from funeral costs.

What is not included in an Avalon funeral plan?

As explained previously, Avalon funeral plans don’t guarantee to cover the full cost of third-party fees.

This is the doctor fees, minister fees and cremation or burial fees.

Instead, they provide an allowance to cover some of the costs, and your loved ones may have to pay the remaining balance when the time comes.

Also, whilst they provide an allowance towards burial fees, Avalon funeral plans don’t cover the total cost of a burial plot.

This is because the cost of burial plots vary greatly across the UK.

Other elements not included in an Avalon funeral plan are the flowers, memorial, obituary, catering, and the wake.

There may also be extra charges if your loved ones choose to change the funeral director (within the Avalon network), or were to have the funeral at the weekend.

Unless you have a repatriation funeral plan, an Avalon funeral plan won’t cover the cost of the repatriation back to the UK or N.Ireland.

How good are Avalon funeral plans?

Avalon is an award-winning funeral plan provider, and their funeral plans do have many benefits.

Avalon funeral plans are good because they offer:

  • Unlimited mileage for transfer of the deceased
  • A network of over 1,800 funeral directors in the UK
  • The Avalon Promise to cover your funeral costs

Avalon funeral plan customers also benefit from the free Avalon LifeLocker tool.

With a LifeLocker account, you can record your life and legacy to share with loved ones.

You can write your life story, create your bucket list, upload photos, store important documents plus more.

Whilst this is a capturing incentive, it may need to be utilised fully to justify the cost of the Avalon funeral plan (as they are the most expensive on the market).

Avalon funeral plans are also good for British citizens who require funeral cover but live in Europe.

Avalon offer expat funeral plans for customers living in Spain, Portugal, and Cyprus.

These cost around the same as a funeral plan for the UK.

One perk of the expat funeral plan is that Avalon offer dual certification.

This essentially means that if you share your time between two European countries (where Avalon operate), you can have an Avalon funeral in either location.

Avalon funeral plans also offer a repatriation plan if you pass away overseas and wish to be buried or cremated in the UK, (though this plan is significantly more expensive).

Certainly, these options are ideal (and convenient) for expats wanting to protect their loved ones.

However, for those residing solely in the UK, our broker service could be the solution to help you find a funeral plan most suited to your budget and your needs.

Contact our award-winning friendly team today to compare quotes from £19.11 per month.

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Avalon funeral plans cremation only

The cheapest Avalon funeral plan for no-fuss direct cremation costs £1,895 or from £17.76 per month.

A direct cremation is when the body of the deceased is taken directly to the crematorium, and a traditional funeral service isn’t held.

Loved ones won’t need to attend the crematorium in this scenario, except to collect the ashes after the cremation has taken place.

Avalon also offer a cremation with service funeral plan, which costs £2,695 or from £26.06 per month.

This is a direct cremation, but on this occasion your loved ones can organise a funeral service held at the crematorium.

Who owns Avalon funeral plans?

Avalon funeral plans is a trading name of Avalon Trustee Company Limited.

Other mutual companies include Avalon Europe Limited and Avalon Direct Limited.

It is a private limited company with share capital owned by private equity firms and other investors.

Avalon funeral trust

The Avalon funeral trust holds the funeral plan funds until they are ready to be used.

The trust is separate from Avalon funeral plans and managed by independent trustees.

They ensure that there are enough funds in the trust to ensure that customers of Avalon funeral plans receive the funeral they paid for.

FPA approved funeral plans will have this form of protection in place.

Funeral plans arranged through Reassured are fully FPA approved so you have peace of mind your money is protected.

Avalon funeral plans complaints

To make a complaint with Avalon funeral plans in the UK, you can contact them in the following ways.

  • Tel: 0161 486 2020
  • Post: Avalon Funeral Plans, Brooke Court, Lower Meadow Road, Handforth Dean, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 3ND
  • Email: compliance@avalon-trustee.co.uk

Avalon funeral plans review summary

Avalon funeral plans provide many benefits, however, whether an Avalon funeral plan is right for you will depend on your own personal circumstances.

Their prices start from £3,645 or from £27.49 a month for a traditional funeral.

For the most expensive plans on the market, the services included in each plan aren’t exceptional to those of other funeral plans. Also, Avalon only offers a contribution of up to £1,000 towards third-party fees.

It may be that Avalon funeral plans are able to charge more for their plans as they are award-winning, and offer the unique online LifeLocker tool.

Compare funeral plans for the best deal

Compare multiple funeral plans to help you decide which plan is best for you.

Our award-winning, FCA regulated broker service can compare funeral plans on your behalf, completely free of charge.

All our funeral plans are fully FPA approved, so you know that your money is protected.

Get in touch with one of our friendly team members today to compare quotes, lock-in today’s funeral costs and protect your loved ones.

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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

†Based on a 50-year-old purchasing a Standard Funeral Plan at £3,645 with 25 years payment term (total amount repayable £8,305.50

Avalon pricing and information are taken from their website, and correct as of June 2021

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