ValTay0607

Which is the best and most reliable to cover one both in Spain and the UK?

dmu

Hi from the France forum, but this is a universal question.
FWIW, my English neighbour paid into such a Plan for many years, until her daughter realised that what she had already spent out was much greater than what her funeral would actually cost, and she terminated the Contract before wasting any more money. (As an aside, she had returned to the UK before she passed away.)
I always recommend choosing the type of funeral you want and put by the corresponding cost in a bank account/or tea caddy which is accessible to your next-of-kin (deceased's bank accounts are frozen...) and they'll have the money available wherever you happen to die. For example, the cheapest in France is a cremation, which, two years ago, cost a little more than 3000€. I've already told my daughters where they can recover my future funeral costs.....
But if you want to be repatriated, that's a different matter....
HTH

Tweedpipe

The reply here from DMU is right on the ball. Wherever you are located, do a quick Google search for 'funeral plan scams?' and you will inevitably find the general truth as follows:
'With rare exceptions, the cost of a funeral contract is very much higher than the benefits it allows to finance.So to be avoided.'
One of the major consumer magazines in France released an unglorious survey about funeral plans in general with the summary, "We can question the real necessity of taking out funeral insurance."
Put what money you planned to pay for a funeral plan into a bank savings account or similar. Even at 1% interest or less the chances are it will be well worth it.

bobd22

I think for many it is the worry of a bereaved partner or family probably outside of Spain having to arrange a funeral that is the main factor given the speed at which funerals take place. Many are happy to pay the extra on top for the peace of mind of hopefully just having to inform the provider and the funeral gets sorted out. The two main ones I have seen Avelon and Golden Leaves cover you for both Spain and UK in case you move back from what I have read. It is something we are considering although yes the price is substantially more expensive from what I've researched so far. I suppose it is simply an individual choice to make for whatever gives one peace of mind bearing in mind we all depart this earth at some point.

spainrico

Yes, agree with bobd22 you are paying for a service which might be very convenient for some so it is not totally about the money but also about the help someone including UK based relatives may need to do what is necessary.

dmu

Fair enough, my UK family wouldn't be dealing with my future funeral and I'd be scattered somewhere in France....

Joppa

One thing to bear in mind is that in Spain, funeral fees are usually payable as soon as the ceremony has taken place (unlike in UK where funeral directors are normally prepared to wait until the probate, though some firms ask for a deposit in advance), and since most funerals happen within 2 days of death, your bereaved family needs access to funds of several thousand euros. Funeral plans pay for the funeral as soon as invoice in produced, taking away worries and anxieties. There is price to be paid for peace of mind.

Rosemary

To add my experience to your information.

When my husband died the funeral was arranged for the following day. I had to go to the bank in the morning to pay so that I could give the funeral director the receipt when I attended the funeral.

Rosemary

Lynn R

In my experience (of dealing with funeral arrangements and obtaining probate after the deaths of my father and my aunt in the UK), it isn't usually necessary to wait until probate has been granted to be able to pay the funeral directors' bills. In both the cases I have been involved with the deceased's bank has been happy for the bill to be presented to them and paid from the funds in the deceased's account (although otherwise the accounts are frozen). In the most recent case the bank was also happy to release the funds in the account to the executor without needing the grant of probate, as the balance was below 50k. The life insurance company also paid out immediately and did not even ask for the death certificate or a copy of the Will, which surprised me.

In Spain things are very different, of course. In our case, whilst we are both still alive we are satisfied that in the event of one of us dying, the other has sufficient funds immediately available to pay for the funeral (and the simplest cremation possible is preferred by both of us). Should I be widowed, however, I might well then pay for a funeral in advance for myself (not a plan, just advance payment, and it would be with a local funeral director not one of the organisations marketing these services to foreigners - they only subcontract out the funeral arrangements to local companies anyway, and you pay extra for their services and the ability to deal with them in your native language. I would not want my remaining family in England to have the difficulty and expense of arranging and paying for a funeral for me when they would have no idea of who to contact or how to go about it.

Joppa

Yes, I do know that. Funeral expenses is one of those items the banks are prepared to release funds from the deceased account on request, but many funeral directors are prepared to wait if necessary until the probate is through. This doesn't happen in Spain and they want cash on the nail.

Fred James

I contacted one of our local companies for advice. They own the local crematoriums and we had a long chat and came to the conclusion that even a prepayment system was not necessary for a couple. He took all our details and said that on the day, they will accept a credit card payment as they have that facility.

A friend was extolling the virtues of his funeral plan, saying that they do all the paperwork etc, but that is exactly what a local company will do anyway as part of their normal fee.

With one or two specific exceptional situations, I think that funeral plans are unnecessary in Spain.

Barriej

Hi. If you are a non resident here in Spain then you are a tourist and your insurance should cover death and in some cases getting your mortal remains back to the UK.

I had a policy with the Nationwide (needed to have an account more than 10 years) which gave worldwide travel insurance for free, It included death and getting you home, dying in certain parts of the world as a British Citizen is one of the most expensive things you can ever do. (in fact everyone everywhere)

In fact I think now, after Brexit holiday insurances should have to include this automatically.

As to policies, my children have access on my death to a savings account that has a set amount already in, I top it up every now and again to keep it level with costs.
Don't think any of the planned death policies are worth the money as they all seems to have conditions that mean you never get what you paid for. I told my father to cancel his and I would take care of it myself.

Lynn R

When my sister was killed whilst on holiday in Portugal in 2019 (she and her husband had foolishly not taken out travel insurance), the Lisbon funeral director's bill for dealing with all the formalities, embalming the body and the repatriation costs came to just over €3,000. I was relieved because I feared it would be much more. Thank goodness they hadn't gone to the USA.

gill556

My partner is with a company called Rocomar, he took the policy out at the age of 66years old and the monthly payment was 22euros. It does increase each year by a couple of euros but even so he hardly misses the payment. We have been to 3 funerals organized by them, one of which had only had the policy for 3 months and everything was paid, it is guaranteed after the first payment. I wouldn’t recommend it for a young person as it is payable for life but for someone older who maybe doesn’t have the funds to pay for a funeral in advance it is a good solution. I have Avalon but think he has the best deal.

chrisjolly

We went through the same process a few years ago having met someone who works for a Funeral Insurance Company. We compared premiums and eventually went to our local undertaker to ask him how much it would cost. A bit macabre I know but it all helped and we decided not to buy a plan but to put 3000 euros in a savings account, make an emergency folder with all the details required at the time of death and put the necessary numbers in our phones so we feel prepared for the day when it eventually comes. Depending on the type of funeral you require and all the other additional costs it can be done for about 3 thousand euros so better not to waste money on a plan but just leave it to your local undertaker. They know what to do and who to inform so leave it to them.