A funeral plan is an easy way to arrange the funeral you want in advance. A plan allows you to specify your wishes and pay for the funeral director’s services included in your plan. As customers often tell us, that can bring peace of mind to you and your family. A plan from Golden Charter also includes an allowance towards third party costs. These are essential, non-funeral director services such as the cremation or burial fees, plus the minister or officiant’s fee to perform the service.

Firstly, choosing a local independent funeral director will enable you to talk through the options available to you and answer any questions you may have. Then, when you are ready, your funeral director will help you put your plans in place and complete all the paperwork.

That’s it, once your plan has been registered and paid for, both you and your chosen funeral director will receive your unique certificate and plan summary. When the time comes, you can rest assured knowing our family will ensure everything outlined in your personal plan will be taken care of.

Yes, as an independently owned funeral director, we’ll take the time to understand your wishes and tailor a plan to suit you. We can discuss these at our premises or in your home, at a time that is convenient for you. If you’d prefer to discuss this over the phone or via email, we can assist with this too. You can tell us about any preferences you have in mind – the type of funeral you would like to have, hymns, music or any other personal touches – and we’ll make sure your plan takes these into account.

Our funeral director’s services will be covered in your funeral plan, which means our fees will be fixed at today’s prices and protected against rising costs. These services typically include:

• Professional services and making arrangements for the funeral
• Transportation of the deceased from the place of death to our premises, chapel of rest or other suitable location
• Care of the deceased and preparations for family viewing if requested
• Advice on the certification and registration of death and related documentation
• Provision of funeral vehicles
• Advice on bereavement counselling
• Coffin or casket requested

Although a pre-paid funeral plan can cover all of the services above, there are some additional third party costs to consider. These are the costs for essential, non-funeral director services required to carry out a cremation or burial which need to be paid at the time of the funeral. These costs are outside our control. Depending on the plan type chosen, a Golden Charter funeral plan can include a contribution towards some third party costs. They may include:

• Crematorium fee
• Minister or officiant’s fee
• Cemetery fee: the opening of a new or existing grave for burial or interment of cremated remains

Other third party costs that may be associated with a funeral include:

• Purchase of grave or lair
• Hire of church or other venue
• Fees for organist or soloist
• Memorial, such as a headstone, entry in a book of remembrance, or the planting of a tree
• Catering, floral tributes and newspaper announcements

There will only be more to pay at the time of the funeral if the third party costs exceed the allowance when you buy your plan, or if the costs increase by more than the growth of your plan.
However, even if prices rise in the future, you’ll have the reassurance of knowing there’ll be nothing more to pay for our funeral director’s services included in the plan once your plan is fully paid for – guaranteed.

With a Golden Charter funeral plan, you can pay for your plan in several ways. Spread the cost or make a one-off payment – simply choose the one that’s right for you. We will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision

Your payments are held within the Golden Charter Trust. With almost £1.2 billion under management⁴, the Trust is operated 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 are required – however far into the future that may be. For more information on how your payments are protected, please visit goldencharter.co.uk/faqs

As a Golden Charter plan holder, you’ll receive personalised plan documents, which include a summary of your plan, our details, your plan holder certificate and a personal membership card for you to carry in your purse or wallet. You can add a nominated representative to your plan if you wish to do so. Your nominated representative will receive a letter which will provide details of your plan and our details, as your chosen funeral director. They will have no authority to make changes to your plan. 

You’ll also receive a statement from Golden Charter every three years which will be sent via post. 

As your funeral director, we’ll hold full details of your funeral plan. When the time comes, one phone call is all it takes to activate your plan and get the arrangements underway.