From only R25 per month, you can cover yourself, your spouse, 8 children, 4 parents and 8 extended family members with a funeral cover policy worth R100,000 — Funeral plans include transportation, after tears, catering, and much more.
View Funeral Cover OffersWith an affordable funeral cover policy, you can rest assured that financial provision is made for a dignified burial, should you or one of your family members pass away.
Get the best funeral cover quotes from these reputable providers.
With funeral costs ranging anywhere from R20,000–to–R100,000 having funeral cover is an important part of any financial plan. With a variety of insurers, FSPs, and retailers offering funeral plans, they’ve become extremely affordable and flexible – so there’s no reason not to have one in place.
It is a long-term insurance policy that pays out a lump sum benefit (up to R100,000) after the death of the policyholder or any assured life.
Policies also offer additional and optional benefits which can include everything from repatriation, policy extensions for family members, grocery, airtime, and transport benefits.
For a monthly premium you and your family members receive cover as per an amount selected by you and, if you, or any family member you add to the policy, pass away the insurer will pay out the set amount.
This payout can be used to cover the costs of a funeral or cremation which include funeral home expenses, transport, a casket or coffin, flowers, catering, and administrative fees.
It offers you and your loved one peace of mind that should tragedy strike, you can afford a dignified funeral.
While you do not need to have funeral cover, it will take away a major financial burden that inevitably comes with being financially responsible for yourself and your family.
A funeral policy is an important part of any solid financial plan and is especially important for individuals who are the sole breadwinner in their families.
It’s important to ask yourself whether your family would be able to afford to lay you to rest. During the difficult and painful time brought on by the passing of a loved one, nothing could be worse than not having the money to arrange a funeral.
You can have more than one policy for yourself or a family member as there is no specific law that prohibits this. That said, this does not necessarily mean that an insurer will allow you to buy a second policy from them or that you will receive full payment from both.
This is because many insurers have rules that prohibit them from selling funeral policies to those who already have cover elsewhere and many of those who do not prohibit it outright specify that a claim will only be accepted up to a combined total of, for instance, R100,000 across the two policies.
This is why it’s best to rather purchase a plan that offers you a higher cover amount and more benefits rather than two that offer you lower amounts. In addition, having to make two separate claims from two insurers will undoubtedly become stressful and time-consuming.
Funeral plans generally allow you to add up to 21 extended family members which include cover for your parents and parents-in-law but this may be subject to certain age restrictions depending on the insurer.
You can add your spouse and children as immediate family members as well as extended family members who include your parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Some insurers also allow you to include your domestic workers in your funeral plan.
The maximum payout amount in South Africa is set by the Insurance Act and is currently R100,000 for an adult policyholder and their spouse.
As long as you are a South African citizen or permanent resident and are below the age of 64 you can qualify for most of the plans on the market.
Having said that, specialist lenders such as Martin’s Funerals offer packages to people between the age of 65 and 84 as well as those over the age of 85 at a higher than average premium.
Funeral policies can cost anything between R10 (for a payout of R2,500) and R200 p/ mo (for the more comprehensive plans that payout up to R100,000) in the event that the main member or their spouse dies.
The higher the payout and the more extra benefits a plan has the higher the premiums will be. In addition, the more immediate and extended family you add, the more your premiums will increase.
The most affordable funeral plans are those offered by network providers like Vodacom and Telkom, as well as retailers such as Shoprite and Ackermans. DSTV also offers a discount plan to their customers.
Remember that the cheaper your monthly premiums, the lower your payout will be and the fewer benefits you’re going to receive. In addition, the more family members you add to your policy the more your premium will increase.
The best funeral policies are those which offer larger payout amounts and also let you select which add-ons you want but still have affordable premiums.
That said, each policy has its own range of benefits, and what works for one person may not work for another. Some basic policies that cover only the policyholder offer only a small payout of R5,000 while others offer up to R100,000 for both the policyholder and their spouse.
You must complete a funeral claim form and provide a certified copy of the deceased’s identity document, a completed Notice for Death form, and a Death Certificate.
The policyholder or beneficiary must contact the insurer by telephone or visit the insurer’s website to confirm the claims process and confirm if any additional documents will be required.
Funeral policies are great because they pay out in anywhere between 4 and 48 hours – so you and your family can have the money you need to arrange a funeral as quickly as possible.
If the policyholder passes away and a successful claim has been made, the policy will terminate unless the policy allows for all remaining insured lives to be covered for a defined period of time.
This is usually 6 months and is a benefit that allows the rest of your family to retain their funeral cover without having to make any premium payments.