Discover how funeral plans work, their key features, and the benefits they offer. A funeral plan can offer peace of mind by covering future funeral costs and sparing your loved ones from financial stress during a difficult time. This guide will help you understand if a funeral plan is right for you.
A funeral plan lets you arrange and pay for a funeral in advance, whether for yourself or someone else.
Planning a funeral ahead of time means you can choose the type of funeral you would like to have, your preferred funeral plan provider and the payment schedule that would best suit you.
Funeral plans can be paid for either upfront in a single payment or in monthly instalments over a set period of time. This helps relieve your loved ones of financial and planning burdens during a difficult time and ensures your funeral wishes are carried out exactly as you want.
The specifics of what is included in a funeral plan can vary across different funeral providers.
Here’s a summary of what is included with Distinct Cremations:
We offer varied plans including unattended cremation plans, small attended cremation plans and simple funeral plans.
The first steps of setting up a funeral plan are decided by you.
The first decision is to select the type of funeral service that best reflects your loved one's wishes. You might want to consider:
These decisions will influence the overall structure and cost of the funeral, ensuring it aligns with your preferences.
All funeral plans should cover the burial or cremation services but extras like environmentally friendly options or a longer funeral length may come with additional costs. Consider:
Adding these can make the service more personalised, but may make it more expensive.
The next step is to select a funeral provider. Here are some key considerations:
Distinct Cremations, for example, are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). To hear what our customers say about us, explore our reviews.
When you’ve found a funeral plan you have the choice of paying for it in a single payment or monthly instalments.
Once you’ve set up your funeral plan, your chosen provider has the following obligations.
These are some of the reasons why people choose to set up funeral plans.
A funeral plan ensures that your wishes for the funeral are clearly outlined and carried out as you desire. This removes any uncertainty or disagreements among family members about your preferences, giving you full peace of mind.
Monthly payment options offer an affordable way to pay if paying upfront isn’t possible or isn't your preference.
Once you have the plan set up, the price is locked in and you are protected from any future price rises in funeral costs. This is especially important considering that since 2004, funeral costs have more than doubled from £1,835 to £4,141.[1]
A funeral plan removes the financial burden on your family, ensuring they won’t struggle to afford the funeral you want. This allows your loved ones to focus on grieving and supporting each other without the added pressure of managing funeral expenses.
Funeral planning in advance means your loved ones won't have the emotional strain of organising a funeral while they are mourning. All the details will be taken care of according to your plan.
If you live in an expensive area, a nationwide plan could offer a cheaper funeral than it would cost to arrange one locally.
[1] Funeral costs were £1,835 in 2004 and £4,141 in 2023, SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2024, sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs
Once you've chosen a plan you may not be able to change the type of funeral you have. Be sure of your preferences at the point you set one up and make sure everything you want is included so carrying out your wishes is possible.
UK funeral plans are most likely not suitable if you’re planning to move abroad as they won’t cover repatriation or carrying out your funeral in a different country.
At Distinct Cremations, our funeral plans offer either attended or unattended funerals.
See more information about our Unattended Direct Cremation Plan or our Small Attended Cremation Plans below or alternatively you can view our Simple Funeral Plan offering a full length celebrant-led cremation funeral.
For additional pricing information and a full list of our optional extras, please see our price list.
Our Unattended Direct Cremation Plan is a great choice for those looking for a simple, low-cost unattended cremation without a funeral ceremony.
With our Unattended Direct Cremation Plan, the cremation takes place with no service or mourners present at our high-quality crematoria where dignified care is guaranteed.
Our Small Attended Cremation Plans offer a private funeral where the number of people attending is limited to a small gathering of friends and family.
With our Small Attended Cremation Plans, you can have up to 8 people attending a 10 minute service or up to 20 people and a 20 minute service.
Funeral plans are a popular option for paying for a funeral in advance. In fact, 37% of people who decide to set money aside for their own funeral do so by taking out a funeral plan.[2]
The flexibility in payment options is one of the benefits that make funeral plans a popular choice. Here are the different ways you can pay for a funeral plan:
[2] In 2023, 37% of people who made provisions to pay for their own funeral took out a funeral plan. (SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2024, sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs)
Important
Don’t take out a plan if you think you won’t be able to afford the monthly payments. If you miss too many payments your plan will be cancelled and you could lose your money.
Interested in our low cost cremation plans?
We're happy to answer any questions you may have about our funeral plans over the phone, or you can request a free guide for details about what we offer. If you've decided a funeral plan is right for you, you can also view our products and take out a plan online.
Want to talk through our options? If you have questions or would like some in-person support we’re just a call away.
Call us on 01543 212997
Need some time to digest the details? You can download a PDF of our guide online or get a printed copy posted out.
Get our guide
If you’re happy that one of our plans is exactly what you’re looking for, you can get everything set up yourself online.
View our funeral plansWhen you set up a funeral plan, share the details of it with your partner, children, friends or anyone else who is your next of kin or the executor of your estate. If no one knows about your plan, it won't be used which would be a waste of your money.
You can follow these steps to ensure your funeral goes ahead according to your plan and you're aware of your loved ones' plans too.
Funeral plans can also be bought for other people, for example your parent or your spouse.
If your loved one needs care, arranging funeral cover for them gives you peace of mind that they will be looked after by the plan provider you’ve chosen should they die while you are away or otherwise unavailable.
They don't need to know that you've taken out a funeral plan for them if you think talking about their death would upset them. But you will need financial power of attorney if you want to pay for someone else's plan with their money.
How to get a funeral plan for someone elseThe next step in choosing a funeral plan is deciding on a funeral type. Or if you already know you want a simple cremation funeral, you can go ahead and set up a plan with us.
Now you know what a funeral plan is in more detail, find out some steps you can take to find the right funeral plan product for you.
How to choose a funeral plan
Still undecided about which type of funeral you would like? See the ways cremation and burial funerals differ to help you make up your mind.
Find out about cremation and burial
Like the look of our plans? You can set up our Unattended Direct Cremation Plan or Intimate Cremation Plan either over the phone or online.
View our funeral plansWe offer the highest level of support, but don't just take our word for it. Below are recent reviews from customers who bought a funeral with us.
Oak Tree Court, Brookfield Drive, Cannock, WS11 0JN
