Frequently Asked Questions

At Distinct Cremations, our attended funeral plans are cheaper. However, they are not directly comparable with Golden Charter’s plans as we focus on simplified and affordable cremation-only services.

Our direct cremation funeral plan costs £1,995, which is similar to Golden Charter’s price of £1,950.

Golden Charter are funeral plan sellers only, whereas with Distinct Cremations we also provide your funeral services throughout for consistent quality of care.

We offer other differences too, such as a lower cancellation fee if your circumstances change, guaranteed personal return of the ashes within 14 days and collection from anywhere in mainland UK at any time.

A direct cremation is a worry-free, affordable alternative to a traditional cremation, without a procession, service, mourners and viewing of the deceased. Though the cremation is unattended, the deceased is still treated with the highest level of care from beginning to end. A direct cremation is also the least expensive funeral option costing just £1,350 with Distinct Cremations. A traditional cremation on average costs £4,200.*

* The average cost of cremation in 2025 (SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026, sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs)

Yes - you can take out a cremation plan on behalf of your parents or a partner. For more information, take a look at our guide on setting up a cremation plan for a loved one or talk to a member of our team today on 01543 211997.

All of our ashes are returned in a simple biodegradable container. For an additional cost, this can be upgraded to a casket or urn to keep, bury or scatter the ashes. Call us on 01543 211997 to discuss the options available.

Our cremation plans guarantee your acceptance, with no medical questions or additional costs for the elderly or those with pre-existing medical conditions. However, for cremation plans payable over 5 or 10 years we incur additional administration expenses for collecting the monthly instalments and for the purchase and administration of a “whole of life” policy from Scottish Friendly - an authorised and regulated insurance provider.

You need to be over the age of 18 to take out a funeral plan. For 5 & 10 year instalment plans you must be aged between 50 & 74 when you purchase your funeral plan.

In the unlikely event that Distinct Cremations stops trading, we are required to work closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) to transfer your plan to another funeral plan provider or arrange compensation.

You can find more information on the FSCS's website.

Direct cremation includes a respectful cremation but does not include a funeral service with mourners present. We take care of all aspects of our direct cremation services including:

• Collecting your loved one in our private ambulances
• Caring for them at our mortuary
• Supporting you with the paperwork required
• Arranging the cremation itself at one of our parent-company Westerleigh Group crematoriums
• Scattering the ashes at the crematorium

Prices to arrange our Direct Cremation for someone who has died start from £1,350. Or if you'd like to pre-plan and pay for a funeral for yourself or someone else ahead of time we also offer our Direct Cremation Plan from just £1,995.