A & A Walters do not receve any money you pay until the funeral takes place.

It is illegal for a Funeral Director to 'look after' your money as part of a funeral plan and that is why reputable Funeral Directors work with companies such as Golden Charter. Your money is paid into the Golden Charter Trust^* which is run by a Board of Trustees, completely independent of Golden Charter.

*This excludes the Fixed Monthly Payment Option where money is paid into a UK life assurance company and managed by them.

Our 'Independent Way' Funeral Plans are quite simply funeral plans which are offered directly through A & A Walters. All our  'Independent Way' Funeral Plans are provided in association with Golden Charter Funeral Plans and all of the money you have paid towards your funeral plan (with the exception of Golden Charter's setup fee of £249 (June 2021)) is paid into their trust fund ('Golden Charter Trust') which is managed by Golden Charter.

A & A Walters have packaged some of these 'Independent Way' Funeral Plans (Poppy, Cornflower, Bluebell, Snowdrop or Wild Rose) so that you can make a direct comparison with offerings made by the wide range of packaged funeral plans freely available on the internet. As with all packaged plans, these have a fixed contribution towards disbursements and so there may be extra to be paid at the time the plan is needed. Consequently these plans can sometimes appear cheaper at the outset.

 Alternatively, at A & A Walters we also offer the fully tailored Independent Way Funeral Plan option (Orchid.) This type of funeral plan is fully customised to your requirements (something packaged plans can not provide.) Not only does this mean that you can be assurred that your funeral wishes are fully accounted for, but your estate or family will likely have less to pay in the longer term, as a more precise contribution has been made towards the disbursement costs identified to meet your own particular needs. 

This will very much depend...

Funeral Plan providers aren't necessarily Funeral Directors. They sell Funeral Plans and then approach a Funeral Director to see whether they will carry out a Funeral Service on their behalf, often only at the point at which the planholder has died. These Funeral Plan companies don't offer this service for free and we have encountered some Funeral Planning companies who have been known to take up to a 1/3 of the cost paid for a funeral plan for their own fees, simply for being the 'middle man.'

We sincerely hope that this practice will soon be stopped by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who are soon to be regulating the sale of Funeral Plans. However, whether this will affect all of those Funeral Plans previously sold, we are unsure. 

Consequently, if the amount a Funeral Plan company is prepared to pay to ourselves as Funeral Directors falls well below the cost of carrying out that funeral service we may have to decline accepting that Funeral Plan. However, where we can, we will work with the family and the Funeral Planning company to carry out a funeral in accordance with a person's wishes. 

How can this uncertaintly be avoided?

Simply by buying your Funeral Plan directly through A & A Walters. That way you can be assurred that all of the money goes towards your funeral.

Our plans are available to all, regardless of age or state of health. If you choose to pay by low instalments then you must be 78 or under when you apply. If you choose the fixed monthly payment option then you must be aged between 50 and 80.

There are four payment options to suit you and your budget:

A. Single payment option - for immediate cover
B. 12 Monthly payment option - spread the cost over 12 montly payments by Direct Debit at no extra charge.

C. Low cost instalment option - Spread the cost over a longer term for a low monthly payment.

D. Fixed monthly payment option - a fixed monthly payment for life or until age 90.

Full details of terms and conditions are available upon request.

You will be sent a plan document folder by Golden Charter with all the information about your plan, as well as a membership card.

If you cancel within 30 days Golden Charter will refund the payment you have made. For details of cancellation terms after 30 days the payment information and Key Features documents you will receive in your plan pack will explain this.

When the time comes simply contact Walters and quote the funeral plan number. We will take care of the rest.

When travelling, it is always recommended that your travel or medical insurance policy includes cover for repatriation costs back to the UK. Depending on the type of funeral plan opted for, transportation within the local area (up to 25 miles of our offices) is automatically included Night or Day.

For all payment options, except the fixed monthly payment option, you can transfer the benefit of the funeral services to a nominated family member or friend who dies before the plan holder. When you pay by the low cost instalment option you can only transfer the benefit of the funeral services if the total cost has been paid.

Yes, just complete the plan holder's representative section on the application form, and all correspondence will be sent to you. If paying by the fixed monthly payment option, please note the plan holder will be contacted directly by the life assurance company that provides the payment option.

Initially please contact us and we will be able to advise. We regularly undertake funeral services for families across the UK.