Golden Charter funeral plans come in three versions, and the provider's plans page (read 21 October 2026) prices them at £1,950 for the Direct Cremation Plan, £3,800 for the Standard Plan and £4,150 for the Select Plan as one-off payments. Each pays in advance for a funeral director's services, through Golden Charter Limited, which trades as Golden Charter Funeral Plans.

Someone paying for a funeral this week has other routes as well. GOV.UK says a Funeral Expenses Payment may be available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to people on certain benefits, and people in Scotland can apply for a Funeral Support Payment. A bill can also be met from a plan or policy the person held, by family or friends, or with money from the person's estate.

If you would like a Golden Charter plan set beside rival providers or insurance for funerals, a broker can phone you after you complete the short enquiry form here, whenever suits, and there is no fee.

How much is a Golden Charter funeral plan?

These are Golden Charter's own list prices from its plans page, read 21 October 2026. They are one provider's charges, not what funeral plans cost in general, and a plan price is a different thing from a funeral bill (our guide to funeral plan costs explains why).

PlanOne-off paymentMonthly price "from"The funeral it provides
Direct Cremation Plan£1,950.00£20.77Cremation only, no service
Standard Plan£3,800.00£30.56A traditional service, burial or cremation, with a simple coffin
Select Plan£4,150.00£33.35The Standard Plan's service with a high-quality coffin and one limousine

Each monthly figure carries an asterisk, and the asterisked note on the page is the instalment rule: "*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." Ask for your own monthly amount and total in writing.

Golden Charter says the retail price is "representative of the equivalent cost of a funeral today" and includes a £350 arrangement fee that it keeps to cover setting up the plan.

What is included in a Golden Charter funeral plan, and what is not?

The plans page's comparison table gives all three plans the funeral director's arrangements, care of the person who died, advice on death certification and registration, funeral staff such as pallbearers, and 24-hour telephone support. Where they differ:

  • Direct Cremation: no service, no choice of date and time, a coffin suitable for cremation, collection within 25 miles in working hours, and ashes returned to the family or scattered in a garden of remembrance.
  • Standard: burial or cremation, a hearse, a choice of date and time, family viewing at a pre-arranged time, a simple coffin and no limousine.
  • Select: everything in Standard plus a high-quality coffin, one limousine and collection within 25 miles at any hour.

Not included as standard: embalming, a burial plot, a headstone or memorial, catering or a wake, medical certificates, minister or officiant fees, flowers, an order of service and newspaper or online notices. The Key Features add that plans do not cover repatriation if you die overseas. Our cremation and burial plans page and our page on what plans include cover the general picture.

Third-party costs and what your family may still pay

The Direct Cremation Plan guarantees to cover the cremation fee. The Standard and Select plans instead include a £1,100 allowance, which can go towards cremation, burial or interment fees and the minister's or officiant's fee, but not doctor's fees or a burial plot. Golden Charter says the allowance "may grow over time", and that there is more to pay only if fees exceed it or rise faster than it grows.

The terms also say the estate may pay extra for transport where the funeral or collection is more than 25 miles from the funeral director's premises, for doctors' fees on a cremation certificate, and for any unpaid balance. How these would apply to your funeral director and postcode is something the broker can go through on the free call-back.

For state help, GOV.UK's rule is: "If the deceased had a pre-paid funeral plan, you can only get up to £120 to help pay for items not covered by their plan."

Paying for a Golden Charter plan: one payment, 12 months or instalments

There are three ways to pay, and what happens on an early death differs between them:

  • A single payment, once.
  • 12 monthly payments. A deposit from £49, then 12 monthly payments, at no extra cost. If any part of the cost is unpaid when you die, the Terms say the funeral services are provided only once the outstanding balance is paid in full.
  • Instalments over 2 to 15 years (2 to 10 years for the Direct Cremation Plan), again after a deposit from £49. An instalment charge applies and is included in the total plan cost.

Instalments carry age limits and a 12-month wait. You must be at least 18 and under 78 at the start and finish paying by your 80th birthday. If you die within 12 months of the start date and the death is not accidental, the Terms say the money paid is refunded to your estate, the plan is cancelled and no services are provided. After an accidental death, or a death more than 12 months after the start date, the full benefit is available with nothing more to pay on the plan, unless it was already cancelled for a payment shortfall.

Funeral insurance also spreads a cost over years, under different rules (our funeral cover comparison; our age limit page). The broker who phones after you use the enquiry form can set the two side by side for your age.

Who owns Golden Charter, and is it regulated by the FCA?

Golden Charter's About us page describes the firm as "proudly owned by an association of independently owned funeral directors". Its Key Features and Terms document (April 2026) names the provider as "Golden Charter Limited (registered number 02511598)", with a registered office in London, and says it is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference number 965279.

Your plan "will be allocated to a local independent funeral director who will carry out the services covered by your plan when they are required". With the Direct Cremation Plan you "cannot choose a funeral director"; with the others you can name one, though Golden Charter says it cannot always appoint your choice.

The FCA's policy statement PS21/8 set 29 July 2022 as the date by which firms needed authorisation to carry on funeral plan business, and its consumer page explains that buying from a provider without authorisation and the right permissions leaves you with no route to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Our FCA regulation page shows how to check a provider on the FCA Firm Checker.

On the money, the Key Features say your payments go into the Golden Charter Trust after the arrangement fee is deducted, and that the Trust is run by a Board of Trustees "completely independent of Golden Charter". If Golden Charter ceased trading, the money would stay in the Trust until your funeral and you would keep the right to cancel for a refund on the plan's terms. If the Trust itself ceased to exist, the document says your payments are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme; the FSCS says that where a provider has gone out of business on or after 29 July 2022 you may be protected, up to £85,000 per eligible person, per firm. Our page on providers that go bust covers a failure; our Dignity funeral plan page, our plan comparison and the funeral plans guide cover other providers.

Cancelling a Golden Charter funeral plan: refunds and the £350 fee

The Terms say these cancellation rights are "more favourable" than the statutory ones. You can cancel by phone, email or post without giving a reason.

  • Single payment or 12 monthly payments: a full refund inside the first 30 days; after that, your payments back less the £350 arrangement fee.
  • Instalments: the Terms give a full refund within 12 months of the start date and, after 12 months, a refund less the £350 fee.

The two parts of the document count the 30 days differently. The Key Features say you "can cancel within 30 days of receiving your plan documents and we'll refund all payments made". The Terms (section 7.1) say you "may cancel your funeral plan within 30 days of the start date and receive a full refund of all money paid", the start date being "The date on which we confirm in writing that we have accepted your application." Check which wording your own plan documents use before you rely on either date.

After a death, the plan cannot be cancelled unless Golden Charter agrees, and the Terms say a request for fewer services brings no partial refund.

The Key Features say changes that carry no extra cost, "such as choice of music", can be made at any time, while a different plan type or added services may cost more. Once a plan is fully paid you can transfer its benefit to someone who dies before you (transferring a plan; cancelling across providers).

Golden Charter reviews and complaints

Golden Charter's site says "We're rated as excellent on Trustpilot", which is the firm's description rather than an independent finding. Scores change, so read the live page and the dates on its reviews.

To complain, Golden Charter's complaints page (last updated 29 July 2022) says to call its Customer Service Team first; it acknowledges a complaint within 5 working days and says you will hear back within 4 weeks. If you are not satisfied with its response, or it has not resolved the complaint within 8 weeks, you may take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Frequently asked questions

Is Golden Charter a good funeral plan provider?

This page does not rank providers, and the answer depends on the funeral you want, your age and how you would pay. Set what is included, the allowance and the cancellation terms beside another provider's.

Who can buy a Golden Charter funeral plan?

The plans page says Golden Charter sells to any UK resident, whatever their age or health. Age limits apply only to the instalment option, as set out above.

What is the Golden Charter Independent Way funeral plan?

The Terms mention an Independent Way plan, under which the funeral director may charge a separate arrangement fee paid directly to them. The current plans page lists only the three plans above, so ask Golden Charter whether it is offered.

Does Golden Charter cover people in Scotland and Glasgow?

The Terms say plans are provided to people who live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and Scots law applies if you live in Scotland. The firm's website footer gives a Glasgow office on Bothwell Street. Our Scottish funeral plans page covers local points.

Should you want one next step, complete the quote form, then wait for a no-charge ring from a broker, and talk the options over at your own pace.

Sources