Funeral Plans FAQs

We’ve answered the most frequently asked questions about our funeral plans below.

If you have any questions about our funeral plans that aren’t answered below, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

How do funeral plans work?

Funeral plans are designed to allow individuals to prearrange and prepay for their funeral expenses, ensuring that their end-of-life wishes are carried out while alleviating the financial and logistical burdens on their loved ones.
Our funeral plans give you the option to pay in one lump sum or simple monthly instalments (subject to age and health status), allowing you to choose the type of funeral you want at a cost that is easy to manage. This means everything will be arranged in time for when you need it.

Why should l pay now it’ll be years before I need a funeral?

We’ll all need a funeral one day and with costs expected to rise every year, it makes sense to plan your funeral while you can and fix the cost by paying for it now.

If I decide to purchase my plan over 12 monthly instalments, what happens if I die before I have paid them all?

If death occurs within the repayment period from natural causes, the plan will be cancelled, and the monthly premiums will be refunded back to the estate or to the individual who purchased the funeral plan on the deceased’s behalf. If the death was accidental, then the funeral plan will still provide the funeral benefits with no further balance to pay.

Can I buy a funeral plan for my spouse?

Yes, you can take out a funeral plan for anyone else. All correspondence will be sent directly to the person arranging the funeral plan and confidentiality is assured, unless you request otherwise.

Can I request a local funeral director to deliver my Golden Leaves funeral service?

Golden Leaves will endeavour to allocate the delivery of your funeral services to a local funeral director of your choice (if required) providing they agree to provide the funeral services to our client on our behalf and meet our stringent service standards. (Except for the Copper plan or Copper Plus plan where Golden Leaves will select the funeral provider without exception).

Am I guaranteed to be accepted for a funeral plan?

So long as you are 18 or over, there are no age limits to your funeral plan’s acceptance. If you pay for your plan with a finance agreement with Funeral Safe Limited, this is subject to status and affordability checks, so it is not guaranteed that they will accept your finance application.

You must repay your finance before your 85th birthday, so this may limit the term over which Funeral Safe Limited will allow you to make repayments. Also, if you have been told by a doctor of a condition or illness that will cause death within 12 months, this payment option will not be available to you.

If you have been told by a doctor of a condition or illness that will cause death within 12 months of applying for a plan, then you can still take out a funeral plan but you will only be able to pay with a single, lump-sum payment; other payment options will not be available to you.

You can also pay in 12 interest-free instalments but again, if you have been told by a doctor of a condition or illness that will cause death within 12 months, this payment option will not be available to you. You will only be able to pay for your plan in one lump sum amount.

Who delivers my Golden Leaves funeral service?

Golden Leaves will deliver your funeral services via our network of approved funeral directors. If the service is delivered by one of our networks, we will pay them a contractually agreed fee to deliver the funeral to you, our client.

Once I have fully purchased my funeral plan, are there extra costs?

The services of the funeral director are guaranteed to be covered. Outside of the guaranteed cremation options, certain third-party costs may require further payment at the time of the funeral.

However, for those funeral plans where an allowance towards third-party costs has been included, we will guarantee any increase to these costs in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

What if I die at home and have a direct cremation plan?

The Copper plan will still be activated and collection is now included in the plan 24 hours a day from mainland UK.

How do I know the money will be there when it is needed?

If paying by lump sum or 12 monthly instalments, the money you have paid for your funeral (less Golden Leaves’ £299 fee for plan administration) is held in an independently managed Golden Leaves Trust. Independent fund managers are tasked to manage the long-term growth of the fund, specifically to meet the increasing funeral costs.

What happens to the money I pay for my plan?

The company retains an amount from the price paid by you for your plan, to cover our marketing and sales expenses, for the administrative costs of running the business for the life of each plan and to provide an element of profit. The balance is placed in the Trust in order to pay our trade funeral suppliers (for further information if required, please visit goldenleaves.com and refer to our price breakdown summary table, contained in our Commission and Payment Disclosure.

If I take out the finance arrangement over 24–96 months, what happens if I die before payments are completed?

Should you, or the person who purchased the plan on your behalf, die during the regulated credit agreement, your lender will not pursue the outstanding balance.

Am I guaranteed to be accepted for the finance arrangement?

Acceptance is not guaranteed. Regulated and responsible lenders must ensure that any finance provided is affordable to a customer and is in the best interests of the customer. This is not always possible. To assist the lender with ensuring the above, customers will be required to carry out a credit check and possibly provide additional information.

If the lender can ensure the finance purchase is in the best interest of the customer and affordable, the application will be accepted. You must repay the finance by your 85th birthday, so this may limit the term over which Funeral Safe Limited will allow you to make repayments. This option is also not available if you have been told by a doctor of an illness or condition that will cause death within 12 months.

If I purchase a Copper plan, can I have a service for my family to attend?

The Copper plan is a direct cremation service and does not include a service for mourners. Many people do hold a separate memorial service at a later date, once they have collected the cremated remains of their loved one.

If I purchase a Copper Plus plan can I choose the crematorium?

The Copper Plus plan is currently available for the funeral service to be carried out at a national network of crematoriums. At the time of plan purchase you will be able to select a crematorium from this network.

Can I upgrade/downgrade my plan to another if I change my mind?

Yes, your current plan will be subject to the cancellation terms of your existing plan. You can then take out a new plan from the currently available plans.

Can I cancel a prepaid funeral plan?

Yes, of course. But your rights depend on how you pay for your plan. You have a right to cancel any plan (however you pay for it) within 30 days, or within seven days of being told who your allocated funeral director is if this is later than 30 days. If you do this, you will get all your money back.

If you pay for your plan in a single lump sum or you finance this via Funeral Safe, you can still cancel after this time and get your money back, but we will keep a £299 charge for administration.

If you pay for your plan in instalments over 12 months or by taking out an insurance policy and making fixed monthly payments, you can cancel any time within 12 months of taking out your plan and get all your money back. If you cancel after the first 12 months, you can still cancel.

If you paid in 12 instalments, we will pay these back, but we will keep a £299 charge for administration.