Pre-paid PlansYour nominated Funeral DirectorVoluntary ContributionsSupport for your FamilyWays to PayYour MoneyWhat you will ReceiveCancelationComplaintsUnexpected/Disruptive event of force majeureWe are always happy to discuss your plan with you in person, over the phone or by contacting us through choiceplan.co.uk. Please get in touch with our friendly team for any queries.
Contact usOur prepaid funeral plans allow you to make arrangements for your funeral, which may protect your loved ones from uncertainty about your final wishes and risks of rising costs for the Funeral Director Services included in each plan.
Choice Funeral Plans can be purchased by any UK resident over the age of 18 with no health restrictions and no credit checks.
For Choice Essentials and Choice Plus Plans only, we are able to offer joint plans where you pay for one funeral plan but can select whether to Redeem the plan on the first or second individual’s death.
Joint plans are not available online and must be paid for in full or within 12 months of purchase.
We don’t expect you to decide on everything straight away. We want you to feel comfortable with your plan, so your personal wishes can be added to or amended at any time.
If you feel the funeral plan is no longer right for you, you are able to cancel your plan (see “If you wish to cancel”) or you may be able to switch your plan to another plan provided by us. If you do switch, new Terms will apply and depending upon your circumstances, additional payments may be needed, or you may be entitled to a refund. When paying by instalments, financial changes to the plan can only be made when the plan is fully paid.
At the time the plan is Redeemed, the person responsible for arranging the funeral is able to make amendments to your plan at their expense.
A friend or family member can receive £200 off any Choice Funeral Plan if they purchase it at the same time as you or within three months of purchase. For Choice Essentials and Choice Plus Plans, we also include 10% off memorial masonry, additional works, cremation tablets (plaques) and vases when an order is placed with us within three months of the funeral taking place. Terms, conditions and limitations apply.
You can nominate your funeral plan to a Funeral Director within our nationwide Funeral Partners network. Depending upon your circumstances, you may be able to nominate a Funeral Director outside of the Funeral Partners network. Please speak to us for more information.
If you move home, let us know and we can discuss the possibility of nominating a funeral home closer to you. There is no charge for this, as your plan is portable and all services will still be honoured.
We do offer a repatriation service, however this is not included in our funeral plans. If the Covered Individual does pass away when abroad, the fees associated with repatriation will apply.
We understand that some people would just like to secure the Funeral Director Services in their funeral plan, while others like to make contributions towards Third Party Fees (such as burial or cremation and celebrant or minister fees) and/or Additional Products & Services, in order to personalise the funeral service.
The amount that you contribute towards Third Party Fees and Additional Products & Services is completely your own choice. Certain Third Party Fees must be paid in addition to the funeral plan cost in order for the funeral to take place.
Any shortfall in Third Party Fees or Additional Products & Services will need to be paid for at the time the plan is Redeemed. Please read the terms of your selected Choice Funeral Plan carefully so that you know what is and is not covered.
Your Information Pack will normally be sent within 14 days from when your plan is activated.
This will contain confirmation of the total amount paid (including the amount of any Voluntary Contributions you may have made, if applicable), and include details of your funeral plan, the Nominated Funeral Director and a Certificate of Entitlement.
When you purchase a Choice Funeral Plan, you will have access to a free helpline offering practical support to you and your family on matters such as probate, wills, legal issues and bereavement support. This is operated by a third party. There will be charges for further engagement in legal services. Please ask for fees before proceeding with legal support.
You can nominate a friend or relative to become your Nominated Representative at any time. This is someone you choose to inform about the existence of the funeral plan. They will receive a summary of your plan and a letter to notify them that you have requested them to be your Nominated Representative. Please note, a Nominated Representative may not necessarily be your Next of Kin and they may not be entitled to arrange the funeral at the time of need.
You can pay for your plan in full by credit or debit card, bank transfer, cheque, or with direct debit if paying by instalments. You can pay for your plan in branch, online or over the phone by speaking with one of our team members.
You can pay by monthly instalments over one to ten years. The cost of paying for the funeral plan over a 12 month term costs the same as it would paying in full. Full payment for the funeral plan must be made before the Covered Individual reaches the age of 85. For joint plans, instalments must be paid within 12 months.
If paying over 12 months up to the maximum of 120 months, prices vary by age of the Covered Individual and overall you pay more than if you pay in full upfront.
If you pay by instalments, you cannot make any financial amendments until the plan is fully paid.
If the Covered Individual passes away within 24 months from the date of Activation, the funeral plan cannot be Redeemed unless the outstanding payments are made.
If the Covered Individual passes away after 24 months, then no further payments will be required for the Funeral Director Services, and depending upon the amount of Voluntary Contributions made for Choice Essentials and Choice Plus Plans, additional payments may be needed for Third Party Fees and Additional Products & Services.
If paying by instalment, switching is only possible once the plan is fully paid. If you want to switch before your plan is fully paid, you may need to cancel the funeral plan and purchase a new funeral plan. Cancelling your funeral plan may result in the loss of any investment growth which may or may not have been accrued, and a new moratorium period may apply to your new funeral plan (if you choose to pay by instalments).
Choice invests your money in a whole-of-life assurance policy with a UK-based life assurance company, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
In this unlikely event, your money is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Money you provide to us is protected by the FSCS up to the value of £85,000. In the event that we, or our Insurer, go out of business, you may be entitled to compensation.
APCL incurs costs in order to provide this Funeral Plan to you. APCL typically retains around £450 of the price you pay for each Funeral Plan to cover our costs. These costs are already included in the published price of the plan.
Our insurer will provide us with commission on the monies which we invest with them (from 0% up to 8%). The commission we receive does not affect the price of your plan and the precise amount will be determined by your age at the time of purchasing, as well as the payment method you choose.
If you wish to cancel your plan, please contact us. Our Choice Promise allows you to cancel your plan for free at any time and we will refund you the full amount you have paid within 30 days of your cancellation request.
We take complaints about our services very seriously and we want to hear from you.
If you have a complaint about your funeral plan, please contact us and we will promptly handle this in line with our complaints procedure, which can be viewed at choiceplan.co.uk/complaints
Please contact us if you require a copy of our complaints procedure to be sent to you in a different format.
If dissatisfied with our response, you may be able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service at financial-ombudsman.org.uk or call 0800 023 4567.
Due to factors outside of our control, you may not receive the funeral service that you planned for, for example in the event of a pandemic. We will work closely with your family in these circumstances.