Pre-paid funeral plans
Get the send-off you want, with a funeral plan that’s tailored to you. At Aidan Gaunt Funeral Directors, we work in partnership with Golden Charter, one of the UK’s largest funeral plan providers, to give you a simple way to plan ahead.
Aidan Gaunt Funeral Directors is an appointed representative of Golden Charter Limited trading as Golden Charter Funeral Plans which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN:965279).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a funeral plan?
A pre-paid funeral plan from Golden Charter allows you to record your wishes and pay for our funeral director services in advance.
As well as the cost of our funeral director’s services, there are other funeral costs you need to think about. Referred to as third party costs, these are for other essential services such as cremation or burial fees, and the minister or officiant’s fee to perform the service. An allowance towards third party costs can be included in your funeral plan. Third party costs are outside of our control but will need to be paid for at the time of the funeral. The value of any allowance in your plan for third party costs may grow over time. However, there may be more to pay for third party costs if they exceed the allowance in your plan at the time of the funeral.
Is it easy to set up?
Absolutely. Simply give us a call or visit us to set up your funeral plan. As a Golden Charter funeral 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 with details of your plan and our details, as your chosen funeral director.
You’ll also receive a statement from Golden Charter every three years, which can be sent to you by post or email.
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.
How do I pay?
Once we know what your wishes are, we will give you a quote for your funeral plan. With a Golden Charter funeral plan, there are a range of ways to pay for your plan. You can make a one-off payment for immediate cover or spread the cost over 12 months at no extra charge. For a lower monthly payment, you can choose to spread the cost of your plan between two and 15 years with the instalment payment option.
We will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision.
Are my payments protected?
Your payments are transferred and held within the Golden Charter Trust. The Trust is operated by a Board of Trustees, completely independent of Golden Charter. The Trust’s 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.
What can I do now?
Simply phone or email for a free brochure, with no obligation to purchase a funeral plan. Have a good read through everything and if you have any questions, contact us and we’ll either visit you at home or you can come to us. As well as the comfort of having a funeral plan in place, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with being able to help reduce your family’s worry and expense in the future. So why not take the next step?
1: Based on Golden Charter analysis and independent research of funeral plan market size as at January 2023.
2: For the instalment payment option you must be aged under 78 at the start date of your plan and pay the total cost by your 80th birthday. Please refer to the Key Features document for eligibility of each payment option.