Your questions answered:

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

Can I buy a plan for my spouse?

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

Am I guaranteed to be accepted?

So long as you are 18 or over, there are no age limits to acceptance for your plan. If you pay for your plan with a finance agreement with Funeral Safe Limited, this is subject to status and affordability check so it’s not guaranteed that they will accept your finance application.  You must repay your finance before your 85^th birthday so this may limit the term over which Funeral Safe Limited will allow you to make repayments.  If the plan is purchased by low fixed monthly payments, the plan holder must be aged between 50 and 75 at the outset.  If you’ve been told by a doctor of a condition or illness that might cause death within 12 months of applying for a plan then you can still take out a plan but you will only be able to pay with a single, lump sum payment: other payment options will not be available to you.

Who delivers my Golden Leaves funeral?

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

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 where Golden Leaves will select the funeral provider without exception).

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

The services of the funeral director are guaranteed to be covered. Outside of the guaranteed cremation options certain disbursements may require a further payment at the time of the funeral. However, for those plans where an allowance towards disbursements has been included, we will guarantee any increase to these costs in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI). If you have opted to purchase your plan through fixed monthly payments, this allowance towards disbursements will increase by 2% per annum.

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

If paying by lump sum or 12 monthly instalments, the money you’ve paid for your funeral is held securely in an independently managed Golden Leaves Trust. Investment managers Julius Baer , LGT Vestra, Cazenove and Quilter Cheviot are tasked to manage the long-term growth of the fund, specifically to meet the increasing cost of funeral services. If you have opted to pay by fixed monthly payments, a whole of life insurance policy has been taken out with Phoenix Life Ltd and the payout from the insurance policy will cover the cost of the funeral.

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 refer to our price breakdown summary table, contained in our Commission and Payment Disclosure.

When am I covered if I pay with Fixed Monthly Payments?

During the first 12 months, if you have paid through Fixed Monthly Payments, the full benefit will only be paid in the event of accidental death (terms & conditions apply), otherwise 100% of the fixed Monthly Payments you have paid will be refunded back to your estate or the person who has purchased the plan on your behalf.

If I take out the finance arrangement over 24-96 months what happens if I die before the end of the agreement?

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 is able to 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 85^th birthday so this may limit the term over which Funeral Safe Limited will allow you to make repayments.

Can I cancel?

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 7 days of being told who your allocated funeral director is, if this is later than 30 days. If you do this,  you’ll 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’ll keep a £249 charge for administration.

If you pay for your plan by 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’ll pay these back but we’ll keep a £249 charge for administration.  However, if you pay using fixed monthly payments to Phoenix Life, please be aware that you will NOT get your insurance premiums back and we’ll make a £25 charge for cancelling.

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

The Copper Plan is an unattended direct cremation service and therefore unfortunately doesn’t 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.

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

Yes (providing your selected payment option allows this), this is a simple process. We will cancel your current plan and apportion those funds to your new selection, which will be priced at the current rate at the time of switching. You will not be charged a cancellation fee.

Are Doctors fees included in your disbursement contribution?

Approximately 50% of funerals in the UK do not require doctors to be involved so we believe it is best to not charge these fees unnecessarily.  Should fees become due, these will be required from your executor or next of kin.

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.