Funeral Assist

• What is Funeral Assist?
• How do I pay for Funeral Assist?
• What is included in Funeral Assist?
• What is the average cost of a cremation in the UK?
• What are disbursements?
• What if I want to have extra services not included in Funeral Assist?
• Can I have a burial ceremony instead of a cremation?
• What happens if I die when I'm abroad?
• How is the Funeral Director selected?
• How does the monthly payment work?
• What happens if I stop paying premiums into the policy?
• What happens if I change my mind and I don't want to use the funeral services provided under Funeral Assist?
• Can I cancel my Funeral Assist?
• What happens if the cash sum is more or less than the cost of the Funeral Services provided under Funeral Assist?
• What if my family is not aware of my Funeral Assist and arranges and pays for my funeral with another provider?
• What happens if The Co-operative Funeralcare ceases to trade or the contract is terminated between AXA Sun Life Services plc and The Co-operative Funeralcare?

 

What is Funeral Assist?

Funeral Assist allows you to pay towards a simple cremation funeral. The Funeral Director's costs are paid in full, ensuring an important and necessary expense is taken care of. Funeral Assist does not include disbursements, so your loved ones will need to pay these costs at the time.

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How do I pay for Funeral Assist?

Paying is straightforward. If you're aged 50-80 you pay for Funeral Assist with a monthly premium into a life insurance policy with AXA Sun Life PLC. you're guaranteed to be accepted on to Funeral Assist with no medical questions at all.

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What is included in Funeral Assist?

You can find out what's included in Funeral Assist, by taking a look at our table. The comprehensive documents pack issued by The Co-operative Funeralcare will also contain full details of the funeral services.

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What is the average cost of a cremation in the UK?

The average cost of a standard cremation funeral, including disbursements, in the UK has risen over the last 5 years and now stands at £2,448.*

* Source: Average of quotes provided by a sample of funeral directors across the UK for cremation arrangements. Mintel Research Consultancy, Average Funeral Pricing August 2009. This report has been commissioned by and produced exclusively for Sun Life Direct.

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What are disbursements?

Disbursements (also known as 'third party costs') are the necessary fees paid to third parties - the Crematorium, Ministers/Officiants and Doctors - at the time of the funeral. These are paid via the Funeral Director but are not in their control. As a rough guide, the average combined cost of these disbursements under a cremation funeral is £729** today and could rise in the years to come.

Under Funeral Assist, these fees are not included, so your loved ones will have to pay them when the funeral takes place at whatever the cost might be at the time.

Source: ** Mintel Research Consultancy, Average Funeral Pricing August 2009. This report has been commissioned by and produced exclusively for Sun Life Direct.

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What if I want to have extra services not included in Funeral Assist?

If you would like additional services, these can simply be requested by the person arranging your funeral at the time. The Co-operative Funeralcare Funeral Director will be able to provide advice and costs. If you have any personal wishes, these can be recorded with The Co-operative Funeralcare and will be passed on to your family at the time of the funeral. Once your application has been processed you will receive a funeral documents folder which will include a Personal Wishes form for you to complete.

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Can I have a burial ceremony instead of a cremation?

No Funeral Assist is only suitable for a cremation funeral and can't be used for a burial.

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What happens if I die when I'm abroad?

Funeral Assist doesn't cover the cost of transportation from abroad. This means you would need to ensure that you have travel insurance that covers repatriation costs or pay at the time of need. The Co-operative Funeralcare has a Repatriation Team that can assist with these arrangements in the event of a death overseas.

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How is the Funeral Director selected?

You can nominate your preferred funeral home using the Personal Wishes form issued by The Co-operative Funeralcare. Alternatively, The Co-operative Funeralcare can advise the person arranging the funeral where the nearest Co-operative funeral home is when the time comes.

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How does the monthly payment work?

Funeral Assist is paid for with a life insurance policy from AXA Sun Life plc. You simply pay a fixed monthly premium for the rest of your life, or until age 90, whichever is earlier. As long as you have been paying monthly premiums for at least two years, the life insurance policy will pay out a cash sum to the The Co-operative Funeralcare on your death, to meet the cost of the funeral services. If you die within the first two years of taking out the policy, we'd pay your estate all the premiums paid plus an extra 20% and your chosen funeral services would not be provided.

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What happens if I stop paying premiums into the policy?

It's important you pay your premiums each month, as if you stop paying your insurance policy would be cancelled, your funeral services wouldn't be provided and you wouldn't get anything back.

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What happens if I change my mind and I don't want to use the funeral services provided under Funeral Assist?

If you change your mind about your funeral services, you can write to us quoting Dept. NPE at the following address: AXA Sun Life Services plc, The Co-operative Funeralcare Admin, PO Box 1810, Bristol BS99 5SN. We will then let The Co-operative Funeralcare know that you would like to cancel your funeral services. As long as you continue to pay your premiums, AXA Sun Life plc will then pay the cash sum to your estate when you die, rather than to The Co-operative Funeralcare.

The cash sum increases by 5% every year until it is paid out on your death, even though your premiums stay the same. Under the Funeral Assist option, the cash sum we would provide on death after two years is £1,604.14. If you die after ten years, for example, the cash sum payable would be £2,370.04.

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Can I cancel my Funeral Assist?

You have 30 days from the day you receive your policy documents from AXA Sun Life plc to cancel your policy and to get a full refund. After that, you can cancel your policy at any time by notifying us in writing. Remember, if you do cancel after the 30 days, your policy will end, your funeral services will not be provided and you won't get anything back. As long as you continue to pay your monthly premiums, your policy will not be cancelled by us for any reason.

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What happens if the cash sum is more or less than the cost of the Funeral Services provided under Funeral Assist?

If the cash sum is more than the cost of your funeral services, then the difference will be paid to your estate. If the cash sum payable is less than the cost of your funeral services, The Co-operative Funeralcare will cover the shortfall so your loved ones won't have to.

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What if my family is not aware of my Funeral Assist and arranges and pays for my funeral with another provider?

It's always a good idea to discuss your plans with loved ones if you can. But if not, the cash sum that would have been paid to The Co-operative Funeralcare would be paid to your estate by AXA Sun Life plc instead. However, the cash sum payable may not cover the full cost of alternative funeral services.

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What happens if The Co-operative Funeralcare ceases to trade or the contract is terminated between AXA Sun Life Services plc and The Co-operative Funeralcare?

In either case, we will seek to ensure that the funeral will be provided either by The Co-operative Funeralcare or an alternative funeral provider. If we were unable to find another appropriate Funeral Director, the cash sum would be paid to your estate on your death. Please be aware that in such circumstances the cash sum may not cover the full cost of any alternative funeral arrangements.

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