Quite simply, a funeral plan lets you choose the type of funeral you want and – most importantly – pay for it in advance.

This protects you and your loved ones from rising funeral costs and takes away the stress and worry of arranging your funeral at a time which is already emotional for your family.

By taking out a funeral plan with Avalon, you will give you and your loved ones peace of mind and protection from rising funeral costs. Your plan guarantees both the Funeral Director’s Fees and Services and Disbursements at no extra cost to you or your next of kin, providing the funeral takes place in a country Avalon operates in and is carried out by the Funeral Director stated on your funeral plan certificate. Your plan also relieves your loved ones from some of the emotional burden of having to arrange your funeral when the time comes.

Funeral Director’s fees cover all the elements of the funeral that are provided by the Funeral Director directly. They include but are not limited to, the provision of Funeral Director Services, provision of a hearse, supply of a coffin, care and preparation of the deceased.

This special feature allows plan holders who live in two countries that we operate in to have a service in either location. There are no additional costs for dual certification.

Disbursements are the payments associated with the funeral that the Funeral Director makes on your behalf. They include the cremation or cemetery fee, Doctor’s fee and Minister’s fee. If your funeral takes place in Spain, Cyprus, Turkey, Portugal or Malta the Disbursement Costs are included in the plan and are fixed for the lifetime of the plan. No matter how much these costs rise by in the future, they are guaranteed to be provided at no extra cost to you or your next of kin, providing the funeral is carried out by the Funeral Director stated on your funeral plan certificate.

If you buy a plan with dual certification and your funeral takes place in the UK or Eire, your plan covers Disbursement Costs up to a pre-determined limit for cremation or burial. This allowance for Disbursement Costs will increase annually on 1st July in line with increases in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

There may be a balance to pay at the time of need if the actual disbursements charged by your nominated Funeral Director are more than the limit plus the annual uplifts in CPI. This could happen if you live in an area where disbursement costs are high or disbursement costs rise much more than increases in the CPI.

Many British ex-pats would prefer to be returned to the UK to be buried or cremated at the time of need. This process is known as repatriation. Our Britannia plan is our repatriation plan and includes a contribution towards flight and funeral director’s services at destination.

If your funeral takes place in Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta or Turkey, both the Funeral Director’s Fees and Services costs and the Disbursement Costs are included in the plan and are fixed for the lifetime of the plan. No matter how much these costs rise in the future, they are guaranteed to be provided at no extra cost to you or your next of kin, providing the funeral is carried out by the Funeral Director stated on your funeral plan certificate.

If you buy a plan with dual certification and your funeral takes place in the UK or Eire, your plan also covers Disbursement Costs up to a predetermined limit for cremation or burial. Please see our price list for the current amount of this limit. This allowance for Disbursement Costs will increase annually on 1st July in line with increases in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). There may be a balance to pay at the time of need if the actual disbursements charged by your nominated Funeral Director are more than the limit plus the annual uplifts in CPI. This could happen if you live in an area where disbursement costs are high or disbursement costs rise much more than increases in the CPI.

If you choose our Britannia repatriation plan, a contribution towards flight and funeral director’s services at destination is included. Our Balmoral, Windsor Way and Kings plans do not cover repatriation costs. If you choose one of our Balmoral, Britannia or Windsor Way plans for burial, the plan does not include the purchase of a grave. The Kings plan, available in Cyprus and Malta does include the purchase of a grave.

If you choose one of our Balmoral, Britannia or Windsor Way plans for burial, the plan does not include the purchase of a burial plot. The Kings plan, available in Cyprus and Malta does include the purchase of a burial plot.

We have a number of local, reputable, independent Funeral Directors to fulfil the funeral arrangements in the future. When you purchase your plan we will allocate a Funeral Director. If you have a preferred Funeral Director we will do our best to allocate your plan to them, but this is not always possible. If it has not been possible to allocate your plan to your preferred Funeral Director we will allocate one for you. If the Funeral Director we have nominated is not acceptable, please contact us to discuss alternative Funeral Directors who could provide the funeral. If you select dual certification, two Funeral Directors will be allocated; one for each country of residence.

Yes, you can buy an Avalon plan for someone else, and many of our customers have bought a plan for another family member.

No, there are no health questions. Your Avalon plan is guaranteed to be accepted.

You can pay for the plan in full or spread the cost with monthly instalments up to a term of 10 years. An instalment charge of 6% per annum is charged on instalment plans with a term greater than 18 months.

If you move to one of the European countries that Avalon operate in, you can take your plan with you. Please let us know when you move.

Yes, you can make a record of any personal requests, such as music, dress code and personal themes you may like at your funeral, and we will pass these on to the Funeral Director at the time of need. This option is not available for our Cremation Only plan.

Your money is securely invested in the Avalon Funeral Trust No.4. The funds in Trust are held separately to the Company and managed by Independent Trustees to ensure your money is protected. An actuarial valuation is performed annually to ensure there are sufficient assets to meet the future payments to Funeral Directors.

You have 14 days to cancel the plan in writing and receive a full refund of all monies paid. If you cancel the plan after 14 days a cancellation fee will apply.

Yes, just contact us to make changes to your plan. If you wish to add extra services, additional costs may apply. This option is not available on our Cremation Only plan.

Yes, you can choose another Funeral Director from the reputable Funeral Directors that partner with Avalon to fulfil your funeral plan. However, on occasion this may not be possible. This option is not available for our Cremation Only plan.

If the plan is fully paid and your funeral is fulfilled by your nominated Funeral Director in Spain, Cyprus, Turkey, Portugal or Malta there will be nothing further to pay. If your funeral is fulfilled by your nominated Funeral Director in the UK or Eire and the actual disbursements paid via your nominated Funeral Director are less than pre-determined limit plus the annual uplifts in CPI, the disbursements will also be covered. If the actual disbursements paid via your nominated Funeral Director are more than pre-determined limit plus the annual uplifts in CPI your next of kin will be asked to pay the difference between the two amounts.

Your plan will provide the benefits detailed on your plan certificate once it’s been paid in full. If you die before all instalments have been paid, your representative will have the option to either pay the outstanding balance before the funeral, or cancel the plan in writing and we will return all payments, less a cancellation fee of £395 for standard plans or £95 for our Cremation Only plan.