Co-op funeral plan review

Protect your loved ones from just £19.11* per month with a Co-op funeral plan arranged through Reassured.

Co-op prepaid funeral plan key features:

  • Award-winning funeral plan provider
  • Funeral Planning Authority (FPA) approved
  • Wide network of funeral directors in the UK
  • Funeral costs guaranteed with the 'Co-op Commitment'
  • Four different plans to suit different budgets
  • Flexible payment options

There’s no difference in cost when arranging a funeral plan through us or through the provider themselves.

Reassured is a fee-free broker that helps you get quick, personalised quotes - saving you the hassle.

Continue reading for a comprehensive review of Co-op funeral plans...

What is a Co-op funeral plan?

The Co-operative, better known as the Co-op, is one of the largest brands in the UK offering award-winning funeral plans.

A funeral plan allows you to plan and pay for your funeral in advance.

And at the same time protecting your loved ones from having to plan your funeral and/or bear the financial burden.

With a Co-op funeral plan, you can:

  • Avoid rising funeral costs
  • Arrange your own funeral
  • Spread the cost of your funeral

At Reassured we can help you arrange a Co-op funeral plan to cover the full cost of your funeral at a price within your budget.

Read our comprehensive article on the pros and cons of a prepaid funeral plan.
Compare Co-op Prepaid Funeral Plans »

Rising funeral costs in the UK

The average cost of a funeral has risen a staggering +128% over the past 16 years[1].

In 2021, we pay on average £4,184 for just a basic funeral.

By 2025, funeral costs could continue to rise a further 20%; up to £5,044.

But with a funeral plan in place, you can lock-in today’s funeral cost.

This is because funeral plan providers, including the Co-op, guarantee to carry out all the agreed services in your plan at no extra cost to your loved ones when the time comes - no matter how much prices rise in the future.

Get in touch with Reassured to arrange your Co-op funeral plan and freeze the cost of your funeral today.

Please note:
As of 07/05/21 Reassured stopped selling Dignity funeral plans and Simplicity Cremations plans.

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

Co-op funeral plan prices

Co-op funeral plan prices are tiered as per the level of service you require.

This makes it easier to find a funeral plan suited to your budget.

There are four Co-op funeral plans, each including all the essential funeral services:

  1. Simple Plan - £3,020 or from £19.11 per month*
  2. Bronze Plan - £3,470 or from £21.96 per month*
  3. Silver Plan - £3,870 or from £24.49 per month*
  4. Gold Plan - £4,170 or from £26.39 per month*

Contact our award-winning team to compare Co-op funeral plans.

Fully guaranteed funeral plans with Co-op

Funeral plans are often criticised for not covering the full cost of third-party fees, such as minister fees, cremation fees and doctors’ fees.

Many funeral plans will only cover the full cost of the funeral directors’ fees, requiring your loved ones to cover the remaining expenses.

However, the Gold and Silver Co-op funeral plans are fully guaranteed, meaning that all third-party costs are included.

No other funeral plan provider, including Golden Charter, guarantees this level of coverage as standard.

This allows your family to focus on grieving rather than financial concerns at an already difficult time.

Compare Funeral Plans » Find Your Best Deal

The Co-op Commitment

All Co-op funeral plans arranged through Reassured and paid for by monthly instalments over 2-25 years, come with the Co-op Commitment.

This is an additional level of protection to ensure that if you choose to spread the cost of your funeral plan, if anything were to happen to you during this time, your funeral costs are still guaranteed.

So if you were to pass away after the first 12 monthly payments, but before the plan has been paid in full, then all the services agreed in your plan will still be carried out.

Giving you peace of mind that your loved ones are still protected from the expense of your funeral.

Co-op funeral plans reviews and ratings

The Co-op is a highly rated funeral plan provider, and their funeral plans are some of the best on the market.

Co-op funeral plans have achieved a 5 star Defaqto rating for their Gold funeral plan and a 5 star Fairer Finance rating for their Gold and Silver funeral plans.

To arrange your Co-op funeral plan, get in touch with our friendly team today.

Co-op funeral services

Each Co-op funeral plan includes essential funeral director services.

These include:

  • Support and guidance from the funeral director
  • Help with all necessary funeral arrangements
  • 24-hour transfer to a suitable place of resting within a 50-mile radius
  • Care of the deceased including private chapel and visitation for loved ones (embalming not included)
  • A coffin or casket
  • Funeral advice
  • Free bereavement assistance for family

Continue reading to learn about the key features of each funeral plan.

Co-op funeral plan options:

The Co-op Simple funeral plan

  • Cost: £3,020 or from £19.11 per month
  • A simple coffin
  • Visitation to the chapel of rest during working hours
  • Time and date decided by Co-op
  • £950 contribution towards third-party fees
  • A suitable vehicle for the day of the funeral
  • Not included: A traditional hearse or limousine for the funeral procession and no pallbearers

The Co-op Bronze funeral plan

  • Cost: £3,470 or from £21.96 per month
  • A wood effect coffin, such as Maple
  • Visitation to the chapel of rest during working hours
  • Restricted time and date of the funeral
  • A traditional hearse and pallbearers
  • £1,100 contribution towards third-party fees
  • Not included: A limousine for the funeral procession

The Co-op Silver funeral plan

  • Cost: £3,870 or from £24.49 per month
  • A wood effect coffin, such as Cherry or Rosewood
  • Visitation to the chapel of rest by appointment at any time
  • Choice of time and day of the funeral
  • A traditional hearse and pallbearers
  • Flexibility to choose the route to service
  • One limousine for funeral procession
  • Third-party fees are fully covered

The Co-op Gold funeral plan

  • Cost: £4,170 or from £26.39 per month
  • A wood veneer coffin, such as Traditional or Light Oak
  • Visitation to the chapel of rest by appointment at any time
  • Choice of time and day for the funeral
  • Flexibility to choose the route to service
  • Two limousines
  • Memorial item e.g. Memorial Canvas
  • Third-party fees are fully covered

All of the above plans are available for both cremation or burial.

Due to the varying cost of burial plots in the UK, a burial plot would need to be purchased separately from a burial plan.

This can be discussed with your local funeral director who’ll be able to advise you once your plan is in place.

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.

Funeral plan cost:
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Total repayable:
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Membership discount:
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The humanist plan

Co-op provide a ‘Woodland’ plan which is available in the aforementioned tiers but adopts a humanist approach at no extra cost.

This is a non-religious ceremony focused on celebrating your life, whilst acknowledging the great sadness of saying goodbye.

If you feel you’d like to adopt this approach, this can be discussed either at the point of arranging your funeral plan or once a plan is in place.

Read our dedicated woodland funerals article for more information on this increasingly popular eco-option »

The memorial masonry plan

Want a particular headstone? Know how you want to be commemorated?

It’s possible to put these arrangements in place before you pass away.

It’s also possible to pre-pay the cost of your masonry headstone but this is an additional cost to that of your funeral plan.

This can be arranged via your funeral director and upon purchase of your plan, we can provide details of how to enquire about this service.

Co-op funeral plan payment options

There are three easy payment options when you take out a Co-op funeral plan through Reassured.

The payment methods are:

  • One upfront payment in full
  • 6 or 12 monthly payments
  • Low instalment plan over the course of 2-25 years

Choosing to pay via an instalment plan will incur instalment charges and will only be available to those of a certain age as all instalments must be paid by your 80th birthday.

Unlike many pre-paid funeral plans, Co-op will still deliver all of the services detailed within your plan if you die after 12 months of the plan being instated, but before all of the instalments have been paid.

Although, this is subject to all of the payments being up to date.

Co-op funeral plans offer a wide range of tiers, meaning there’s a plan to suit any budget.

At Reassured, we can compare these plans on your behalf and find you the best option to suit your needs at a price you can afford.

Purchasing a plan on behalf of someone else

Co-op funeral plans are available to purchase on behalf of yourself, family member or friend.

In the instance of purchasing a plan on behalf of someone else, the person named within the plan will receive all documentation and all decisions regarding funeral arrangements will remain theirs.

However, to obtain an instalment plan in this instance, all payments must be made by the 80th birthday of the person paying for the plan.

It’s imperative that the named individual is aware of the plan being set up in their name and the person paying for the plan is 18 or over.

Checking if someone has a funeral plan

If a family member has recently passed away and you’re unsure if they had a funeral plan, it’s best to do a few checks before planning the funeral.

You can find out if they had a funeral plan by:

  • Contacting Co-op funeralcare - Pop into the local funeral home or give them a call. They’ll be able to find out if there is a funeral plan using just the name, date of birth and address
  • Funeral Planning Authority - A trace a funeral plan service is available, simply fill in the online form.
Co-op Funeral Plans » Get Your Best Quote

Co-op funeral directors

Upon purchasing a Co-op funeral plan, you’ll be able to register with a Co-op funeral home of your choosing and begin to make future arrangements.

The Co-op has over 1,000 funeral homes across the UK.

Once you’ve selected your preferred Co-op funeral home, they’ll work with you to ensure all of your wishes are carried out and all plans are in place.

Additionally, due to such a wide network of funeral homes, it’s possible to switch to a more conveniently located funeral home if you were to move home or change location, at no extra cost.

Co-op funeral plans for over 50s

Anyone over the age of 50 can take out a Co-op funeral plan without the worry of medical restrictions.

Acceptance is guaranteed and someone over 50 can spread the cost of their plan up to 25 years from just £19.11 a month.

The sooner you take out a plan, the better, as funeral costs continue to rise year on year.

Funeral plan vs life insurance

Often it’s asked what’s more suitable, a prepaid funeral plan or a life insurance policy.

The answer comes down to what it is you’re looking to protect.

Typically, it would be suggested beneficial to have both. For example, a funeral plan to cover the funeral director costs and lock in today’s price, alongside life insurance to cover all third-party fees.

But with a Co-op funeral plan, all third-party fees are already accounted for.

As a result, if you’re only looking to cover the cost of your funeral, it’s likely a Co-op funeral plan would suffice.

However, if you’re looking to protect your family from other costs, such as your mortgage or outstanding debt, life insurance may be more appropriate.

A funeral plan can only be used to cover the cost of your funeral, whereas life insurance can be used for anything your loved ones deem fit, including an inheritance.

Age may also be a deciding factor in this decision, with a funeral plan being a fixed price regardless of age.

In contrast, the older you are, the more expensive life insurance premiums generally become. Therefore, your budget may dictate which type of cover is available.

Upon a certain age, you may struggle to even get accepted for life insurance as most term-based policies only accept applicants up to a specific age.

In this instance, an over 50s plan with no medical questions may be more suitable. However, these are only available for those aged between 50-85 years.

A Co-op member? Save on your funeral plan

Co-op members can save £75 on the Simple funeral plan or £125 on the Bronze, Silver and Gold plans.

Also, members buying a Co-op funeral plan before 20th November will get up to £50 back to spend at Co-op.

If you’re not yet a member and would like to benefit from these offers, you can sign up on the Co-op website.

It takes a few minutes to enter in your details and £1 membership fee is required.

Compare funeral quotes, (get the best plan for you)

At Reassured we provide funeral plans at the same cost as Co-op themselves, but our independent brokerage service offers added benefits.

Our dedicated customer service team work to ensure you get the best funeral plan to meet your individual needs.

Ensuring your chosen funeral plan contains all the elements needed to fulfil your final wishes.

We complete the application for you, making sure all of the information is completed accurately and anything you don’t understand is clearly explained.

This ensures you’re confident in your decision making.

And the best bit is, our award-winning service is FEE-FREE.

So, contact Reassured today to make arrangements for your funeral and ensure your future peace of mind.

Compare Funeral Plans » Find Your Perfect Plan

Sources:

[1] SunLife (2020), Cost of Dying Report, sunlife.co.uk/costofdying2020

https://www.co-operativefuneralcare.co.uk/pre-paid-funeral-plans/

*£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

£21.96 per month pricing includes a £125 discount only available to Co-operative members and is based on a 50-year-old purchasing a Co-operative Bronze Funeral Plan at £3,470 over the maximum term available of 25 years (total amount repayable £6,589.90) as of 1st March 2021

£24.49 per month pricing includes a £125 discount only available to Co-operative members and is based on a 50-year-old purchasing a fully guaranteed, Co-operative Silver Funeral Plan at £3,870 over the maximum term available of 25 years (total amount repayable £7,347.90) as of 1st March 2021

£26.39 per month pricing includes a £125 discount only available to Co-operative members and is based on a 50-year-old purchasing a fully guaranteed, Co-operative Gold Funeral Plan at £4,170 over the maximum term available of 25 years (total amount repayable £7,917.90) as of 1st March 2021

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Our Providers

At Reassured, we will provide you with quotes from Co-op Funeral Care.

All of the funeral plans we provide are fully regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA) ensuring you and your money are protected.

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