Choice Funeral Plans

Who are Choice?

Choice are prepaid funeral plan providers in the UK. They operate through Alternative Planning Company Limited, which incorporated in 2013.

Choice market their plans as being extremely flexible, which enables their customers to change their requirements at any time.

Choice work with a network of Funeral Directors across the UK, which is known as Funeral Partners.

Compare Choice Funeral Plans

So, what types of plans do Choice offer and how do they compare to the market?

As with any financial decision, we recommend that you carefully consider what you need and what options are currently available across the market. We can help you with this process.

Choice offer three types of funeral plan.

The three Choice plans are: Choice Essentials, Choice Plus, and My Choice. The funeral plans have competitive pricing, and they all include different service offerings, so it’s essential to understand the details. Each plan can be customised at the point of purchase and in the future.

The three plans also contain these complimentary options:

• 24-hour bereavement support phone line for the duration of the plan
• Online collection for donations
• Online page to capture tributes from mourners
• Discounts on headstones or memorials
• Free legal review
• Discount on other Choice services

We are happy to support you with any questions.

Choice Essentials

Choice Essentials is their base level plan, covering the traditional elements of UK-based a funeral.

The Choice Essentials Plan includes the complimentary services previously mentioned, plus:

• Funeral Director Services
• Certification and registration advice
• Transport of the deceased in a suitable vehicle to a funeral home within 25 miles
• Oak effect veneer coffin, with options for upgrades if you prefer
• Preparation of the deceased for viewing. Embalming is available as an extra option
• Chapel of Rest with viewings organised at a mutually convenient time
• Hearse to transport the deceased from the funeral home to their home and then onto the service, burial or cremation
• Return of the ashes to a nominated representative

Choice Plus

The Choice Plus Plan contains all the benefits of the Choice Essentials Plan plus:

• Limousine to transport up to six people
• Embalming

My Choice

The My Choice Plan is a completely bespoke option in which you work with Choice to consider all the possible options for the funeral and decide which best suit your needs.

In this plan, Choice will provide cost estimates, but some arrangements will involve third party costs which are not possible to price until the time they are required.

Have Choice Funeral Plans got good customer feedback?

At the time of writing this review, Choice does not appear to have any customer reviews available on independent review sites such as Trustpilot or Feefo. When googling the company, we can find entries for Your Choice and First Choice, but they are different companies.

At this time, we would recommend that Choice invests more time in encouraging their customers to leave feedback on independent review sites, so that prospective customers have an insight into the experiences of existing customers.

What happens if I take out a Choice Funeral Plan?

Once you have signed up to a plan with Choice, they will send you a welcome pack, usually within 14 days, with all the critical information about your funeral plan, such as:

• A welcome letter
• Certificate of Entitlement
• The Key Facts about your policy
• A leaflet explaining the process to register a death
• Discounts on other services
• How to use your free legal review
• Details of any monthly instalment plans

If you take out a plan with Choice and change your mind, then you are entitled to a full refund within 30 days. If you cancel after this period, then Choice take a cancellation fee from any amount due to be returned to you. At the time of writing, the cancellation fee is £250 plus three months of instalments up to a maximum of £250, meaning the maximum cancellation charge is £500.

Where do Choice keep their clients’ money?

Choice invest client money in a whole-of-life assurance policy with a reputable UK-based life assurance company. The life assurance company is subject to regulation by the UK’s financial regulators and registered with the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Choice send their customers a certificate that confirms the whole-of-life assurance policy will cover the costs agreed in their plan, for the Funeral Director’s services.

Do they offer guarantees?

Choice’s marketing focuses on the flexibility of their plans which mean you can add or change the arrangements at any time. They also state that they do not use small print or hidden costs.

With Choice’s prepaid plans, you fix your Funeral Directors’ prices on the date that you buy your policy.

Are Choice registered with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA)?

Yes, Choice have a registration with the Funeral Planning Authority through their limited company, Alternative Planning Company Limited.

What payment options are available?

Choice allows customers to select from three payment options:

• A single payment, covering the full cost of the funeral plan
• A 12-month instalment plan, which does not come at an additional cost
• Four longer instalment plans of 24, 36, 48 or 60 months. Under these plans, you will incur an additional charge for the facility to make payments over more than 12 months.

Choice accept payments by cheque, debit card, credit card, cash in one of their branches, or by direct debit for instalment options. They take payments by phone, in branch, online or via a paper application.

What if I have a complaint with Choice?

Choice state that if you have a complaint relating to the service or items provided under your plan, then you should initially contact the Funeral Director and send a copy of this complaint to Choice.

If your complaint is specifically about Choice, then you can call them on 01803 298 243.

If you would prefer to email Choice, their email address is: info@choiceplan.co.uk

If you would prefer to write to Choice, their address for complaints purposes is:

Choice Plans
46 The Terrace
Torquay  

TQ1 1DE

If Choice do not resolve your complaint, you can refer it to the Funeral Planning Authority by calling 0845 601 9619.