DIGNITY Funeral plan review

Everything you need to know about a Dignity Funeral plan

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

Different Dignity Funeral Plans On Offer

Unlike other providers, Dignity do not offer rigid, pre-packaged funeral plans and instead their website encourages you to enter your preferences in to a user friendly form which provides you with a bespoke quote for your unique plan.

In order to assist with price comparison with other providers, we have produced two quotes for attended and unattended services.

Simple Unattended Direct Cremation Plan

• A simple service where no family and friends will be in attendance. 
• Cremation of the deceased (Dignity do not allow you to select Burial for this type of plan) 
• Transport of the deceased in a discreet unmarked vehicle to the service.
• Choice between a dark oak-effect coffin or a light oak-effect coffin. Additional types of coffin are available at further cost. 
• Choice between what is done with the ashes:
  • Returned in a simple container – cost guaranteed.
  • Scattered in the Garden of Remembrance – cost guaranteed.
  • Interred in a burial plot – cost £95.
  • Returned in a scatter tube – cost £39. 
  • Returned in a Bamboo ashes container – cost £110.
  • Returned in a Willow ashes container – cost £131. 
• For the purposes of obtaining a simple quote we elected to make no voluntary contributions to flowers, videography, photography, stationary, a memorial, a wake or any other costs. These are not pre-set costs in each plan and instead contributions can be made by you under your plan. 

Total: £995 plus any of the costs in bold above.

Attended Funeral Plan – Burial or a Cremation

This includes:

• An attended service led either by a Funeral Director or your family.

If you would prefer the service to be led by a minister or officiant there is an extra cost of £220. 

• Pallbearers, or the plan allows you to nominate your own from your friends and family. 
• A hearse.
• Choice between a dark oak-effect coffin or a light oak-effect coffin. Additional types of coffin are available at further cost. 
• Choice of what is done with the ashes (if the plan is for a cremation) as outlined above; OR if the plan is for a burial then separate enquiries will have to be made to purchase a plot. 

What is not included? 

• A horse drawn carriage can be requested at an additional cost of £1,195.
• Use of up to 5 limousines for friends and family can be added to this plan at a cost of £250 per vehicle.  
• For the purposes of obtaining a simple quote we elected to make no voluntary contributions to flowers, videography, photography, stationary, a memorial, a wake or any other costs.
  These are not pre-set costs in each plan and instead contributions can be made by you under your plan. 

Total: £2,990 plus any of the costs in bold above.

Is there an admin fee?

Dignity do not charge any administration fees for setting up or making changes to a plan. 

Do they offer a direct cremation / cremation only plan?

Dignity do offer a direct cremation plan, and the costs are outlined above.

Dignity funeral plan offers and deals

There are currently no special offers or deals available for Dignity funeral plans.

Are Dignity plans Safe, Reliable and secure?

For protection, all payments paid under your Dignity funeral plan are held securely in an independently managed trust called The UK Funerals (2022) 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, Dignity are authorised and regulated by the FCA and the Funeral Planning Authority. 

What happens if Dignity goes bust?

In the event that Dignity 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

Dignity offer a full money back guarantee if you change your mind at any point. Once they have received notice that you wish to cancel your plan, all funds paid under the plan will be returned within 30 calendar days.

There are several ways to cancel your plan: 

1. Visit a Dignity Funeral Director.
2. Call 08000334744.
3. Email planinfo@dignityfuneralplans.co.uk.
4. Write to Dignity at their head office address stated below.

Fill out an online cancellation form. 

Contacting Dignity Funerals

Address	Dignity 4 King Edwards Court Sutton Coldfield West Midlands B73 6AP
Phone	08082 393 723 (24 hour line)
Email	No email address is given on Dignity’s website, but you can fill out an online form and a representative will respond to you.

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.

Dignity 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 to Dignity would perhaps be Distinct Cremations, a straightforward provider that simply offers two plans: an unattended cremation plan and an intimate attended cremation plan.

Both of their plans re at a reasonable price, but for the value there are some restrictions such as the date and time of the funeral and how many can attend if you opt for the attended plan.

Dignity funeral plan final thoughts

We have been impressed with Dignity’s approach to providing plans, with each potential customer encouraged to build their own quote online without needing to speak to an advisor on the phone. 

Dignity has a significant number of funeral homes and crematoria within their ownership which allows for flexibility in the location of any funeral service. They offer an unattended direct cremation from £995 or attended services from £2,990. 

They have received glowing feedback in a recent client survey and have a rating of 4.7/5 stars on feefo based on 122 reviews in the past year.  

In conclusion, Funeral Inspirations would recommend Dignity’s funeral plans. They are an established provider and one of the original providers of funeral plans. With no fixed plans, the ability to build your own is refreshingly flexible and their prices affordable when compared with other providers.

In the Funeral Inspirations Awards we would give Dignity 5/5 stars.