FAQs

Our plans are available to all UK residents, regardless of age or state of health. If you choose to pay by the instalment payment option you must be aged under 78 at the start date of your plan and pay the total cost by your 80th birthday. There are no maximum or minimum age limits if choosing to pay by single payment or by 12 monthly payments.

There is no set age for starting a funeral plan, but many people choose to do so in their 50s or 60s to secure today’s prices and ensure their arrangements are in place. Starting early can help avoid potential price increases in the future and ease the financial burden on loved ones. It also provides peace of mind knowing your wishes are documented. While you can start a funeral plan at any stage in life, if you choose to pay in instalments, you must be under 78 when you begin the plan, and complete payments by your 80th birthday. The best time to start is whenever you feel ready to make arrangements.

We’ll send you a plan documents folder with all the information about your plan, as well as a membership card. If you provide a nominated representative for your plan, they’ll receive a letter shortly after you have purchased your funeral plan. This will let them know that you’ve put a plan in place and provide the details of your appointed funeral director.

You’ll also receive a customer statement which will be sent to you every three years using your preferred method of contact.

We recommend you tell your family or friends that you’ve taken out a Golden Charter funeral plan to make sure they’re aware when the time comes.

A plan representative is someone who can take out a plan on the plan holder’s behalf. They will have the authority to make changes to the plan and will receive the plan documents rather than the plan holder. A nominated representative is someone who the plan holder would like to make aware that they have taken out a plan. A nominated representative has no authority to make changes to the plan.

An individual can only have one funeral plan. However, you may choose to purchase multiple plans, such as one for yourself and another for a loved one. If you’re considering buying more than one plan, we recommend you speak to one of our experts to discuss your needs and ensure the best options for your situation.

If your personal or financial circumstances change, please get in touch to discuss how we can help and allow us to make any updates to your plan.

For all payment methods, if you cancel within 30 days of receiving our written acceptance, we’ll refund the payment you’ve made.

If you choose to make a single payment or pay by 12 monthly payments and you cancel 30 days after receiving our written acceptance, you’ll receive a refund of payments made less our arrangement fee of £325.

If you’re paying by the instalment payment option and cancel 30 days after receiving our written acceptance but before you’ve made 12 payments, you’ll receive a refund of all payments made. If you cancel after you’ve made 12 payments, you’ll receive a refund of all payments less our arrangement fee of £325.

It’s not a legal requirement to include your funeral plan (the product you’ve paid for) in your will, however people do choose to mention the details of their funeral plans in their will to make certain their loved ones or the executor are aware of their wishes. This can help ensure that your arrangements are respected when the time comes.

No, a funeral plan is not considered part of your estate. Since it is a pre-paid arrangement for services rather than an asset, it does not form part of the assets distributed under probate. This means that your funeral can be arranged without waiting for the estate to be settled.

The Funeral Benefit Option is a free, optional feature that you can add to your life insurance. Over 50s life insurance provides a lump sum payment when you pass away, which can help cover funeral costs, but since the payout amount is fixed, it may not keep up with rising funeral prices. In contrast, a Golden Charter funeral plan covers the funeral director’s services included in your plan, ensuring they are paid for at the time of need, regardless of future price increases.

If you’re having trouble paying for your plan, please call us. We’re here to help. You can also get free, impartial advice from Moneyhelper. Moneyhelper is provided by the Money and Pensions Service and is backed by the Government.

This will depend on the type of payment method you have chosen. Please refer to our separate [Key Features and Terms and Conditions document] for more information.

Your money will be transferred and held in the Golden Charter Trust (“The Trust”) after we deduct our arrangement fee. The trust is completely independent of Golden Charter and all customer money held in it is ring-fenced for future funerals.

All of our funeral plans include a £325 arrangement fee. This is kept by us as a contribution towards the administration costs of setting up your plan.

Yes, Golden Charter is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as a provider of funeral plans.

Since 29 July 2022, the FCA has regulated the funeral planning market to bring higher standards and boost customer protection. This regulation also ensures that customers have access to the Financial Ombudsman Scheme and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

For more details, visit the FCA website

In the unlikely event that Golden Charter ceased trading, your money would continue to be held in the Golden Charter Trust until the time of need. You would also retain the right to cancel your plan and receive a refund subject to the terms and conditions of your plan. The Trust would continue as long as is necessary to make payments to funeral directors for all plans as they mature.

The Golden Charter Trust is run by a Board of Trustees, completely independent of Golden Charter. Their role is to hold your payments and ensure that the funeral director services in your plan can be paid for at the time they’re required – however far into the future that may be.

A Golden Charter funeral plan is not an investment product that fluctuates in value or on which you earn interest. When you buy a plan, you receive a guarantee of the funeral director services contained within the plan being provided at the time they are required, however far into the future that may be. The overall value of the Trust Fund can rise or fall but this does not impact on the guarantee of the funeral director’s services under your plan, or on your cancellation rights.

Although it’s unlikely, if the Golden Charter Trust ceased to exist, your payments would be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This means you may be entitled to compensation subject to FSCS limits (currently £85,000 per individual plan holder with some exceptions) or the FSCS may instead arrange for continuity of your plan through another authorised funeral plan provider as an alternative to compensation. Please visit the FSCS website www.fscs.org.uk for further information

Our plans do not cover repatriation back to the UK should you die overseas. We recommend that your travel or medical insurance includes cover for transportation back to a UK mainland port or airport.

Your plan documents folder contains the contact details for your funeral director. When the time comes, your family simply contacts the funeral director and quotes your plan number. The funeral director will liaise with your family and take care of your funeral arrangements.

You can transfer the benefit of your funeral plan to a nominated family member or friend who dies before you, once the total cost of the plan has been paid. Any change of arrangements following such a transfer (for example, a change of address for the nominated family member or friend leading to increased transportation costs) may mean that we have to appoint a different funeral director. It may also mean that you need to pay additional sums. This is something that we would agree with you at the time.

Yes, many of our customers choose to do this. You’ll be appointed as the plan holder’s representative, and we’ll arrange for all correspondence to be sent to you.

If you suspect a deceased person had a funeral plan, check their personal records, will, or any documents related to funeral arrangements. You can also contact Golden Charter with their full name and details to check if a plan is registered in their name.

Additionally, you can use Find My Plan, a simple and free online search tool, to help locate a pre-paid funeral plan by checking with funeral plan providers nationwide. Click here to learn more – Find My Plan: A Simple Way to Track Down a Lost Funeral Plan.

In most cases, once a person has passed away, their bank accounts are frozen, and funds cannot be accessed without probate. However, many banks will release funds directly to a funeral provider to cover funeral expenses upon receiving an invoice. You should contact the deceased’s bank for their specific policy.

There are different steps we recommend you take based on the specific circumstances. For detailed guidance, please consult our What to do When Someone Dies resource.

If the deceased had purchased a pre-paid funeral plan with Golden Charter then one phone call to the funeral director will activate the plan. Following this, the funeral director will carry out your loved one’s wishes. Golden Charter offers a range of funeral plans with different services depending on the needs of the plan holder. If you’re unsure which plan was purchased and the details of what is included in this plan, the appointed funeral director will be able to share this information and will also be on hand to guide you through this process.

After a direct cremation, the ashes are usually returned to the family or nominated individual, depending on the arrangements made. Families can then choose to keep, scatter, or bury the ashes in accordance with personal or religious preferences. Since a direct cremation does not include a formal service, loved ones may arrange a separate memorial or celebration of life at a later date if they wish.

No, direct cremations are unattended, meaning there is no service or gathering at the crematorium. The cremation takes place without any mourners present. However, families can choose to hold a private memorial service or celebration of life at a time and in a way that suits them best.

UK law requires that a body must be placed in a coffin or appropriate rigid container for cremation. However, the coffin can be simple and eco-friendly, such as a cardboard or biodegradable coffin, depending on the crematorium’s policies.

A direct cremation usually takes place within a few days to two weeks after death, depending on legal requirements, medical certification, and crematorium availability. The timeframe can vary, but efforts are made to carry out the cremation as soon as possible while ensuring all necessary documentation is completed.

A funeral director is responsible for arranging and overseeing funeral services. Their duties include handling legal documentation, preparing the deceased, coordinating with crematoriums or burial sites, organising transportation, and supporting families throughout the funeral process. Funeral directors ensure that all aspects of a funeral run smoothly and respectfully according to the wishes of the deceased and their family.

With the exception of our Direct Cremation Plan, you can let us know if you have a preferred funeral director when you call or at step three of the online purchase journey. If it isn’t possible to appoint your plan to your preferred funeral director, we’ll inform you and work with you to choose an alternative. If you don’t have a preference, we’ll simply appoint a funeral director near you from our network of local, independently owned funeral directors.

Please let us know you’re moving home so that we can update our records. You’ll have the option to move your plan to a different funeral director, if required, and this may incur additional costs which would be discussed at the time of the request. Note that our direct cremation plan has a fixed price and is not subject to additional costs.

Funeral directors are sometimes referred to as undertakers, morticians, or funeral arrangers. These terms are often used interchangeably, but some may emphasise different aspects of the profession. "Undertaker" is a more traditional term, while "funeral director" is more commonly used in modern funeral services. Both refer to professionals who arrange funerals and support families with the necessary arrangements.

No, a funeral director cannot officially register a death. In the UK, a death must be registered by a relative, someone present at the death, or another legally authorised person, such as a hospital official. However, funeral directors can provide guidance on the process and assist with the necessary documentation.

We only offer discounts directly from us and in partnership with our trusted network of local funeral director partners. Occasionally, we do run promotions with other recognised partners, but any legitimate discounts will always be clearly communicated on our website or through official partners.

If you come across a discount on an unfamiliar site, it may be invalid or misleading. To ensure you’re getting accurate information, we recommend contacting us directly.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to get in touch.