AVALON FUNERAL PLANS review

Everything you need to know about an Avalon Funeral plan

Below is a detailed review, along with everything you need to know about taking out a funeral plan with Avalon Funeral Plans in the UK.

Different Avalon Funeral Plans On Offer

	Cremation only plan	Celebration of Life Plan	Standard Funeral Plan	Plus Funeral Plan(rated 4 stars by Defaqto)	Premium Funeral Plan
Price	£1485 one-off cost. OR Monthly instalments from £14.10 available. Interest applies – total payable £2596.50.	£2795 one-off cost.  OR Monthly instalments from £27.05 available. Interest applies – total payable £4928.30.	£3,745 one-off cost. OR Monthly instalments from £36.45 available. Interest applies – total payable £6619.30.	£4,095 one-off cost.  OR Monthly instalments from £39.71 available. Interest applies – total payable £7226.70.	£4345 one-off cost.  OR Monthly instalments from £41.98 available. Interest applies – total payable £7656.10.
Coffin included	Yes, simple wood effect coffin.	Yes, simple wood effect coffin.	Yes, simple wood effect coffin.	Yes, a wood veneer effect coffin.	Yes, a premium wood veneer coffin.
Constraints on date and time of funeral?	Yes, as this is an unattended cremation.	Date to be agreed with the funeral director. Service will be at a local crematorium between 9am and 11am.	None specified.	None specified.	None specified.
Constraints on when relations can visit the chapel of rest?	Chapel of rest visits not available.	Chapel of rest visits not available.	Chapel of rest visits not available.	Family can visit the deceased in the chapel of rest during office hours.	Family can visit the deceased in the chapel of rest during office hours.
Cortege included?	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.
Pallbearers included?	No.	No.	Relevant funeral staff required to conduct the funeral service are included.	Relevant funeral staff required to conduct the funeral service are included.	Relevant funeral staff required to conduct the funeral service are included.
Limosine included?	No.	No.	No.	Yes, one.	Yes, two.
Hearse included?	No.	No. The deceased will be transported to the crematorium in a private vehicle.	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Cremation or burial fees included?	Cremation fees included.	Cremation fees included.	Contributed towards under the disbursement allowance specified below.	Contributed towards under the disbursement allowance specified below.	Contributed towards under the disbursement allowance specified below.
Any extras?	Ashes can be scattered on the family’s behalf in the crematorium garden of remembrance or made available for collection at the crematorium.	Includes minister or celebrant fee, creation of a memory book, a solid oak urn with name plate and scattering of ashes in garden of remembrance or collection at the crematorium if desired.	Includes a disbursement allowance of £1,000 which can be used to contribute to: the cremation fee or fee for preparation, opening and closing of a burial plot, a minister or celebrant fee and any doctors fee for providing a medical certificate for cremation.  Also includes Collection of the deceased and transfers between mainland Great Britain and Northern Ireland to your appointed funeral director.	Includes a disbursement allowance of £1,000 which can be used to contribute to: the cremation fee or fee for preparation, opening and closing of a burial plot, a minister or celebrant fee and any doctors fee for providing a medical certificate for cremation.  Also includes Collection of the deceased and transfers between mainland Great Britain and Northern Ireland to your appointed funeral director.	Includes a disbursement allowance of £1,000 which can be used to contribute to: the cremation fee or fee for preparation, opening and closing of a burial plot, a minister or celebrant fee and any doctors fee for providing a medical certificate for cremation.  Also includes a list of who sent flowers and charitable donations and collection of the deceased and transfers between mainland Great Britain and Northern Ireland to your appointed funeral director.

The fine print – what is not included in each plan?

Cremation only plan 

• Services provided by a funeral director not appointed by Avalon. 
• Face to face appointments with a funeral director.
• Attendance of relatives and loved ones at the crematorium.
• Additional service costs such as for a church service.
• Out of pocket expenses for a celebrant or minister.
• A wake.
• Obituary notices in the media.
• Floral tributes.
• An urn.
• A burial plot or any costs associated with the interment of ashes.
• Headstone. 
• Maintenance costs of a memorial. 
• Repatriation outside of mainland Great Britain. 
• Transfers of the deceased between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
• Dressing of the deceased in personal items or inclusion of items within the coffin. 
• Embalming or other preparation such as removing a pacemaker. 
• Doctor’s fees.
• Return of ashes directly to the family – they must collect from the crematorium.

Celebration of Life Plan 

• Services provided by a funeral director not appointed by Avalon. 
• Face to face appointments with a funeral director.
• Additional service costs such as for a church service.
• A wake.
• Obituary notices in the media. 
• Floral tributes. 
• An urn or memorial casket. 
• A burial plot or any costs associated with the interment of ashes.
• Headstone. 
• Maintenance costs of a memorial. 
• Repatriation outside of mainland Great Britain. 
• Hymn cards and order of service.
• Audio or visual equipment.
• Transfers of the deceased between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
• Dressing of the deceased in personal items or inclusion of items within the coffin. 
• Embalming or other preparation such as removing a pacemaker. 
• Doctor’s fees.
• Return of ashes directly to the family – they must collect from the crematorium.

Standard Funeral Plan 

• Services provided by a funeral director not appointed by Avalon. 
• Face to face appointments with a funeral director.
• Additional service costs such as for a church service.
• A wake.
• Obituary notices in the media. 
• Floral tributes. 
• An urn or memorial casket. 
• A burial plot or any costs associated with the interment of ashes.
• Headstone. 
• Maintenance costs of a memorial. 
• Repatriation outside of mainland Great Britain or Northern Ireland. 
• Hymn cards and order of service.
• Audio or visual equipment.

Plus Funeral Plan 

• Services provided by a funeral director not appointed by Avalon. 
• Face to face appointments with a funeral director.
• Additional service costs such as for a church service.
• A wake.
• Obituary notices in the media. 
• Floral tributes. 
• An urn or memorial casket. 
• A burial plot or any costs associated with the interment of ashes.
• Headstone. 
• Maintenance costs of a memorial. 
• Repatriation outside of mainland Great Britain or Northern Ireland. 
• Hymn cards and order of service.
• Audio or visual equipment.

Premium Funeral Plan 

• Services provided by a funeral director not appointed by Avalon. 
• Face to face appointments with a funeral director.
• Additional service costs such as for a church service.
• A wake. 
• Obituary notices in the media. 
• Floral tributes. 
• An urn or memorial casket. 
• A burial plot or any costs associated with the interment of ashes.
• Headstone. 
• Maintenance costs of a memorial. 
• Repatriation outside of mainland Great Britain or Northern Ireland. 
• Hymn cards and order of service.
• Audio or visual equipment.

Is there an admin fee?

Avalon’s website advises that if you wish to add additional services to your plan after it has been taken out then further costs may apply. 

Do they offer a direct cremation / cremation only plan?

Yes, and we have outlined this in the above table.

Avalon funeral plan offers and deals

There are currently no special offers or deals available for Avalon Funeral Plans.

Are Avalon plans Safe, Reliable and secure?

For protection, all payments paid under your Avalon funeral plan are held securely in an independently managed trust. Investment managers of this trust act as trustees and are responsible for managing the long-term growth of the fund in order to meet the increasing cost of funeral services.

Under UK law, trustees such as this are required to act in accordance with what is called a ‘fiduciary duty’. It represents the highest standard of care required under law. 

A fiduciary duty can be broken down into several elements – most importantly, a fiduciary:

• Cannot put themselves in a position where they are in a conflict of interest; and
• Cannot profit from their position. 

To add further security, Avalon are authorised and regulated by the FCA and the Funeral Planning Authority. 

What happens if Avalon goes bust?

In the event that Avalon go out of business and are not able to provide your funeral, they are required to work closely with the FCA and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to transfer your plan to another provider or to arrange compensation.

Refund & Cancellation terms

If you have paid for your funeral plan upfront then you can cancel within 30 days and receive a full refund. After 30 days you will receive your money back less a £395 cancellation fee.

If your plan is paid by installments then you can cancel within 12 months without paying a cancellation fee. After this period then a cancellation fee of £395 will be deducted from any amount returned to you.

Contacting Avalon Funeral Plans

Address	Avalon Funeral Plans, Brooke Court, Lower Meadow Road, Handforth Dean, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 3ND
Phone	0800 014 9112
Email	info@avalonfuneralplans.com

What happens to my money?

If you have paid in a lump sum then your money will be placed in the trust outlined above, which will be protected under UK law.

Avalon Funeral Plans Vs Other Plans

There are a huge variety of plans available which cater for a variety of budgets, which is why we have created a useful guide to show you some alternatives.

This year we have reviewed a number of plan providers. The most similar provider to Avalon that we have reviewed is Distinct Cremations.

Distinct Cremations offer two products – a direct cremation plan and a small attendance cremation plan, both of which are quite reasonably priced compared with competitors.

Avalon funeral plan final thoughts

Avalon Funeral Plans are established and highly regarded in the market. They offer a broad range of products to suit a range of budgets and types of farewell. 

Avalon also have a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot (based on 3,183 reviews). Whilst the awards and reviews are persuasive, Funeral Inspirations would award this company 3.5/5 stars in the Funeral Inspirations Awards. A deduction from full marks is being made due to: 

1. The funeral plans being more expensive than some we have seen on offer. 
2. Avalon charging a high cancellation fee of £395 if a customer changes their mind in certain circumstances.
3. Only two out of the five funeral plans offer the opportunity for relatives to visit the deceased in a Chapel of Rest. Although this is a personal decision it could be argued that viewing the deceased plays an important part in the farewell process.
4. Avalon charges 5.2% interest per annum if a customer chooses to pay in installments, whereas some competitors offer interest free plans at least for the first 12 months. 

Avalon offers customers what it refers to as the ‘Avalon Promise’, which protects customers who choose to pay by installments but pass away before the plan has been fully paid for.

Whilst this is generous, it only covers customers who have been paying into the plan for 12 months or more and those who pass away as a result of an accident, not from natural causes.