Funeral Plans FAQs

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

If your personal or financial circumstances change, please get in touch with Golden Charter if you wish to update them on this. If you need to contact Golden Charter, you can contact them between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, by calling free on 0800 833 800 or emailing contact@goldencharter.co.uk.

You can tell us about any special wishes for your funeral when you apply. If these involve extra costs, you may be able to add these on to the total cost of your plan.

If you intend to travel overseas, we recommend that your travel or medical insurance policy includes cover for repatriation costs back to mainland UK. Your funeral plan covers the cost of transportation of the deceased from the relevant UK airport or port to the funeral director’s premises.

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 Golden Charter has to appoint a different funeral director. It may also mean that you need to pay additional sums.

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.

All of Golden Charter’s funeral plans include a £285 arrangement fee, which is retained by Golden Charter as a contribution for setting up the plan.

Golden Charter will send you a plan documents folder with all the information about your plan, as well as a membership card. If you have opted to have a nominated representative for your plan, they will receive a letter shortly after you have purchased your funeral plan. This will advise that you have put a plan in place and provide details of your appointed funeral director. You will also receive a customer statement which will be sent to you every three years using your preferred method of contact.

If you cancel within 30 days we will refund the payment you have made. For details of cancellation terms after 30 days of receiving our written acceptance, please see our separate Key Features document.

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

This will depend on the type of payment method you have chosen.

• Single payment option – your plan will be in place once you have received your plan documents, usually within 30 days of us receiving your application.
• 12 monthly payment option – your plan benefits will be in place at the end of the payment term if all payments have been made. If you die before all payments have been paid, the outstanding balance will be requested from your family or estate.
• Instalment payment option – your plan benefits will be in place once you have made 12 payments. This means that if you die after 12 months of paying for your plan and your payments are up to date, you will receive the full funeral benefits contained within your plan, even if you haven’t completed the agreed payment term. If you die as a result of an accident within the first 12 months of payment, you will also receive the full funeral benefits contained within your funeral plan with no further payment required.

Please refer to the separate Key Features document for more information.

Yes, you will be appointed as the plan holder’s representative, and Golden Charter will arrange for all correspondence to be sent to you.