Golden Leaves funeral plans

This is a comprehensive review of Golden Leaves prepaid funeral plans.

We look closely at the cost and features of their plans, focussing on the standard funeral plans they have available in the UK.

It’s important to mention that Golden Leaves funeral plans don’t cover all essential third-party fees, such as doctors’ fees and cremation or burial fees.

This means your loved ones would have to cover this cost when the time comes.

Reassured aren’t able to arrange Golden Leaves funeral plans. However, we can
arrange an alternative plan that does cover all third-party fees as standard.

Make the most of our award-winning broker service today by getting in touch and securing your FREE funeral plan quote.

Continue reading our Golden Leaves funeral plans review for everything you need to know about their standard funeral plans (previously known as From50 plans)...

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Golden Leaves key features

  • All funeral plans are regulated and approved by the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA)
  • Guaranteed cremation and minister fees on the Silver, Gold and Platinum plans
  • Indexed allowance towards third-party fees (for plans where an allowance is paid)
  • Funeral services are covered after one year if paying by fixed monthly payments
  • A range of funeral plans to choose from and flexible payment options
  • A network of funeral directors that must abide by Golden Leaves’ strict standards before being able to carry out their services
  • Plans can be tailored and additional services can be added
  • Free bereavement and counselling for loved ones

Golden Leaves drawbacks

  • The Bronze plan doesn’t cover any essential third-party fees
  • Doctors’ fees aren’t covered in any of the funeral plans
  • Cremation and minister fees aren’t guaranteed in two of the plans (Bronze and Zinc)
  • Only a contribution is provided towards the cost of burial fees (the amount will be in line with the national average cost of cremation fees)
  • Instalment plans require a deposit (minimum £250)
  • Fixed monthly payment plans require a £25 deposit
  • An additional payment may be required if you move to an area in the UK with higher funeral costs
  • High cancellation fees; 20% of the total value of the plan if you cancel after 30 days
  • If you pay by fixed monthly payments and cancel your plan after 30 days then you won’t receive a refund of any funds paid

Who are Golden Leaves?

Golden Leaves are a funeral plan provider that operates within the UK and overseas.

They offer a range of standard funeral plans, as well as green funeral plans, direct cremation plans and expatriate plans.

The services included in their plans are carried out by independent funeral directors in the UK and Europe, although it's unclear how many funeral directors this is.

Golden Leaves are founding members of The National Association for Pre-paid Funeral Plans (NAPFP) and The Funeral Planning Authority (FPA).

Their history dates back to 1874, however, Golden Leaves have been providing funeral plans since 1984.

In this review, we focus on Golden Leaves standard funeral plans for cremation or burial in the UK.

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Golden Leaves funeral plans reviews

Golden Leaves funeral plans have received over 1,414 reviews on Trustpilot with an overall rating of ‘Excellent’.

Fairer Finance have rated the Golden Leaves Platinum Plan with 3 stars, the Gold plan with 2 stars and the Silver, Bronze and Zinc plans as 1 star.

This is fairly low compared to other plans, for example, Co-op funeral plans have been rated 5 stars by Fairer Finance and 5 stars by Defaqto.

Reassured can help you arrange a funeral plan with the award-winning provider, Co-op.

Get in touch for your free personalised quote.

Golden Leaves funeral plans prices

Golden Leaves funeral plans seem to be the most affordable on the market, starting from just £17.09* a month.

However, this figure can be misleading as there are many factors that could impact the cost of the funeral plan you choose with them.

Firstly, Golden Leaves funeral plan prices are based on a national average.

It’s not guaranteed you’ll be able to pay this national average price unless this can be agreed with your local funeral director.

It’s worth bearing this in mind particularly if you live in a part of the country where funeral costs are considerably higher, such as London.

Secondly, the payment option you choose will determine how much you’ll pay in total for your plan.

This is because if you choose to pay by instalment plan for more than 12 months then an instalment fee will apply.

If you choose to pay in one lump sum or to spread the cost up to 12 months then you won’t need to pay an instalment fee.

Thirdly, if you choose to pay by fixed monthly payments then the amount you pay each month may depend on your age when taking out the plan.

You can arrange a funeral plan through Reassured without the worry of regionalised variations in pricing.

All our funeral plans are offered at a fixed price and you can spread the cost from just £20.38** a month.

Compare Golden Leaves funeral plans

Golden Leaves offer five different set funeral plans for either cremation or burial.

Each plan offers a slightly different level of service, but all plans include the following services:

  • Funeral director’s professional services
  • Advice on funeral registration, documentation and certification
  • Collection of the deceased within 25 miles in normal working hours
  • Care of the deceased prior to funeral
  • Use of chapel of rest and visitation for the family
  • A coffin
  • Funeral personnel such as pallbearers
  • Provision of a hearse
  • Thank you cards
  • Bereavement counselling

Here is a comparison of the services and features of their Bronze, Zinc, Silver, Gold and Platinum plans:

Bronze Zinc Silver Gold Platinum
Guaranteed cremation & minister fees
Allowance towards disbursements
Doctors' fees
Collection of deceased
Use of chapel of rest
Choice of time and date
Basic coffin
Standard coffin
High quality coffin
Limousine
Floral tribute listing


Golden Leaves funeral plans are based around the provision of a cremation and not a burial.

In the case of a burial, Golden Leaves will pay a contribution towards burial fees (excluding the Bronze plan).

This amount will be in line with the national average cost of cremation fees, which are significantly less than the average cost of burial fees, meaning there will be a shortfall when the time comes.

You can arrange a burial funeral plan through Reassured that covers all third-party fees including the cost of burial fees (locked-in at today’s price).

So, if you wish to have a burial and want to protect your loved ones from the full expense of your funeral, then take out a funeral plan through Reassured today.

Bronze plan

Cost: £2,533 or from £17.09 a month with fixed monthly payments

The Bronze plan is the most basic of all the Golden Leaves standard funeral plans.

This plan includes the professional services of a funeral director, a hearse and a basic coffin.

The Bronze plan doesn’t include any contribution towards the cost of third-party fees (disbursements) such as cremation or minister fees.


Zinc plan

Cost: £3,089 or from £20.88 a month with fixed monthly payments

The Zinc plan includes a simple cremation funeral service, the professional services of a funeral director, a hearse, and a basic coffin.

The time and date of the funeral service is decided by the funeral director, and it’s not possible to choose which funeral director you use.

This plan includes a contribution of £931 towards cremation fees and minister fees or burial fees.


Silver plan

Cost: £3,594 or from £24.32 a month with fixed monthly payments

The Silver plan includes the professional services of a funeral director, a hearse, and a basic coffin.

With this plan all your cremation fees and minister fees are guaranteed, which means the cost of these are covered and fixed at today’s price.

This plan includes a contribution towards burial fees (if applicable), although they haven’t specified how much this would be.


Gold plan

Cost: £3,949 or from £26.74 a month with fixed monthly payments

The Gold plan includes the professional services of a funeral director, a hearse and a standard coffin (an upgrade from the basic coffin).

This plan includes a funeral procession, with one limousine for the family to travel in to and from the service.

With this plan all your cremation fees and minister fees are also guaranteed, or there is a contribution towards burial fees.


Platinum plan

Cost: £4,199 or from £28.44 a month with fixed monthly payments

The Platinum plan includes the professional services of a funeral director, a hearse and a high-quality coffin.

This plan includes a funeral procession, with two limousines for the family to travel in to and from the service.

With this plan all your cremation fees and minister fees are also guaranteed, or there is a contribution towards burial fees.

Golden Leaves payment options

Like other funeral plan providers, Golden Leaves offer several payment options for you to choose from.

One single payment

Your plan must be paid in full within 30 days of application.


Instalments over 12 – 60 months

Payments by instalments are subject to a cumulative management fee of 6% per year after the first 12 months.

A deposit is also required - this is a minimum of £250 but you can pay a larger deposit for a smaller monthly payment amount.

Funds are paid into a Golden Leaves Trust Fund, which is separate to Golden Leaves and will keep your money safe until when you need it.


Fixed monthly payments

This payment option is only available to those aged 50 – 75.

The amount you pay each month is determined by your age and the level of service you require.

There is also a £25 compulsory deposit.

Payments are made every month until you’re 90 or until you pass away.

Funds are paid into a whole of life insurance policy with AXA Wealth Ltd (known as Sunlife), which are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

After the first 12 months of the plan, you are fully covered for all your funeral services.

Golden Leaves ‘Overpayment Rebate Benefit’

As mentioned, with a fixed monthly payment plan, you’re required to make payments until you’re 90 or until you pass away.

This means you could end up paying more into your plan than what it pays out to cover your funeral.

If this happens, Goldens Leaves have in place an ‘Overpayment Rebate Benefit’ feature which will ensure that your estate receives a rebate of a percentage of the over-payment.

The rebate amount is calculated based on a number of factors such as the type of plan you have and your age when you took out the plan.

Whilst this has been described as a ‘benefit’ it’s actually a situation you may rather avoid so that you don’t pay more for your funeral than what you need to.

Funeral plans arranged through Reassured are offered at a fixed price and don’t come with the uncertainty of an overpayment if you choose to spread the cost by instalments.

Get in touch with our dedicated team today to secure your best funeral plan.

Cancelling a Golden Leaves funeral plan

Like with all other funeral plans, it’s possible to cancel your Golden Leaves funeral plan at any time.

If you cancel within 30 days of taking out the plan, then you’d receive a full refund.

If you cancel after 30 days of taking out the plan, then you’d need to pay their cancellation fee.

Golden Leaves charge a percentage of the value of the plan you have in place, rather than a fixed cancellation fee like other funeral plan providers.

If you paid for your plan in one lump sum payment and decided to cancel after 30 days, a fee equivalent to 20% of the total value of the plan would apply.

For example, if you had a Bronze plan and paid upfront the full £2,533; then the cancellation fee would be £506.60 and you’d receive a refund of £2,026.40.

Or if you paid by monthly instalments over 12 – 60 months, and cancel after 30 days, then a fee equivalent to 20% of the total value of the plan is deducted from any refund amount due. If you have paid in less than 20% of the full displayed plan price, you would not receive a refund.

If you pay for your plan by fixed monthly payments and cancel after 30 days, then, unfortunately, you would not receive a refund of the payments made up until the point of cancellation.

Golden Leaves funeral plans review - Are they worth it?

It can be tricky to get your head around the different features of each Golden Leaves funeral plan and the payment structure that they have in place.

This means it can be difficult to determine which plan is best for you and your family - but hopefully, this review has helped.

Golden Leaves guarantee to cover cremation fees and minister fees with four of their plans and will only provide a small contribution for burial fees.

This means a Golden Leaves funeral plan may not be suitable for those who want to have a burial.

There are other plans available that cover all burial fees and guarantee these at today’s price, for example, those arranged through Reassured.

Golden Leaves funeral plans don’t include the cost of a burial plot, like all other plans, as the price of these varies across the UK.

Also, Golden Leaves are one of the only funeral plan providers that have regionalised variations in pricing as they work with independent funeral directors across the UK.

Other leading providers, such as Co-op, offer fixed pricing for their plans no matter which part of the country you live. This is because they own the funeral director homes and crematoriums.

One of the selling points for Golden Leaves is that they are one of the founders of the FPA, which means that they’ll provide a high standard of service and will keep your money safe until your funeral services are needed.

Compare fully guaranteed funeral plans

At Reassured, we can compare multiple funeral plans on your behalf to help you find the most suitable plan and at the best price.

Funeral plans purchased through Reassured are FPA approved and guarantee your
funeral services even if prices rise in the future.

Reassured is also an award-winning, FCA registered broker service that won’t charge you a fee.

Get in touch today and secure your funeral plan from as little as £20.38 a month.

Compare Funeral Plans » Save Money

Sources:

*Based on a 50-year-old paying by fixed monthly payments

**£20.38 per month includes a £165 discount only available to Co-op members. Based on a 50-year-old purchasing a Simple Funeral Plan at £3,130 after discount with 25 years payment term (total amount payable £5,944.10)

[1] https://www.goldenleaves.com

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is correct as of September 2020. Current features of the different plans and whether they are suitable for your needs should be checked directly with Golden Leaves

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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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