There are many positives and pros to a prepaid funeral plan. One of the biggest advantages is that you are paying for the funeral at todays cost and that means you (or rather your estate) avoids the increasing cost of funerals. Regardless of when you pass away you know that the funeral is covered no matter how much the cost of funerals have risen.

It’s unfortunate and difficult for relatives when they cannot afford to pay for the funeral their loved one would have wished because appropriate arrangements hadn’t been made

A funeral plan can also bring peace of mind. The death of a loved one is always difficult and trying to arrange the funeral plus raising the finance for the funeral can be an added stress that no one wants. One of the main advantages for people that take out prepaid funeral plans is that they want to ensure that their family don’t have the hassle and stress of organizing or raising funds.

Following on from this all the next of kin needs to do is make one phone call to the funeral plan provider and everything is taken care. This reduces the burden of trying to arrange everything as the funeral director would take over from the initial phone call.

Another advantage is that there is no medical and the plan can also be ported with you regardless of where you live in the UK.

There are also many ways to pay the cost of the prepaid funeral plan from a one off payment or monthly payments depending on your age.

By using ourselves we deal with numerous prepaid funeral plan providers to make sure you get the right deal for you. That means we do the shopping around for you and find the best deal for you.

Although the industry is not regulated by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) the prepaid funeral plans industry does have regulation from the FPA (Funeral Planning Authority) – they were set up to drive up standards, by creating a strict set of Rules and a Code of Practice which providers must comply with to achieve FPA registered status.

So lets recap on some of the pros of prepaid funeral plans.

* Save your family and estate money by purchasing at todays prices regardless of how much costs increase
* Freeze costs at today’s prices avoiding future inflation
* Plan the service you want in advance
* Allow us to shop around for you
* Peace of mind for your family – less for them to deal with during a stressful time
* No health or medical checks
* Can be utilised anywhere in the UK
* Flexible payment options to suit your budget

Now let’s take a look at some of the disadvantages of a prepaid funeral plan

Extras such as flowers or a high quality coffin are normally not covered. If you were planning on a burial the cost of the plot is not covered. Likewise the cost of reopening a plot is not covered. These vary from local authority to local authority and its worth contacting them to ascertain how much they would charge for a burial plot.

Some monthly payment plans (not all) will stipulate that the full cost of a funeral is only covered after 2 years of payments.

Again with some providers that offer say a 10 year direct debit option if you pass away before the 10 years is up then the estate will have to cover the balance.

This is why it is important to speak to someone like us who deal with numerous providers to make sure you get the right plan for you.

Finally something else to consider is that the plans cannot be transferred abroad if you decided to move and live in another country.

So to recap on some of the disadvantages of prepaid funeral plans.

* Some plans will not guarantee certain aspects such as burial fees and high quality coffins
* Not all providers are registered with the FPA
* Won’t cover your funeral if you move abroad

Hopefully this has helped you with the pros and cons of prepaid funeral plans and given you an idea of what to look for. As already mentioned we deal with numerous prepaid funeral plan providers and can help you to make the right decision for you and your budget. For an initial no obligation chat contact us on 01633 838097