5 Best Funeral Cover in South Africa

Finding the best funeral cover in South Africa can be challenging. Even so, it is doable. You have to consider a couple of factors before settling on a cover that suits your needs and budget. In this article, we will explore some of these considerations. We’ll also share the best and affordable funeral insurance providers to choose from when finding the ideal cover for you

How to Choose the Best Funeral Covers In South Africa

Funeral cover costs can reach astronomical levels. Therefore, it is prudent to conduct an objective comparison shopping of funeral policies and sort fair value while at it.

Compare funeral plans regularly using a free online funeral plan comparison tool. Ensure that you have the perfect funeral cover for your needs. The following list outlines some pointers which might help you find a fitting funeral cover:

• How many times do you want to get covered? Take into consideration what happens if you die earlier than expected. You also should find out what will happen if each member of your family passes away around the same time. Do you need a policy that covers the funeral of each family member? 
• Can I cover my children at no extra cost? Some funeral providers include coverage of your children within the price. So, it is worth checking first before going ahead and paying extra. 
• Does the policy cover ambulances and burial costs besides a funeral or the cost of transporting your body back home if you die abroad? Funeral covers can be very expensive if you are not careful. If you find a provider that offers cheaper plans but does not include all these essential aspects, then steer clear. 
• Are there any age limits? It is possible to buy insurance policies that offer lower rates when purchased before a specific age limit. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of the contract before signing on any dotted lines. 
• Does the policy cover your spouse if they are not working? Some plans do not provide cover for your spouse if they become unemployed. So, it is worth checking first before going ahead and paying a premium to add them to your plan. 
• You must know funeral cover does not kick in until after a certain period (usually about 30 days). Hence, if you die within this time frame, then your family will have to pay out-of-pocket expenses. Consider adding a cash benefit rider, which kicks in immediately in case of an emergency.

Consider all these aspects when comparing funeral policies. As some might seem irrelevant at first but could save you thousands of Rands in the long run.

Funeral Coverage Policies in South Africa

Funeral cover policies in South Africa boast two types: preened or traditional.

Preneed Policy

With a preneed policy, you pay the premium either in one big lump sum – a single payment – or over time – monthly installments. The money you pay goes into an investment fund. The fund earns interest and profits. However, your payout is calculated based on the cost of your chosen funeral plan and the number of premiums paid.

A pre-need policy will help you save on the funeral cost incurred in case of demise. There are no surprises for pricing, as this gets taken care of beforehand. Besides, with some plans there’s also the option to add a savings component. This will ensure that your loved ones have extra funds available to them once the funeral-related expenses get covered.

Traditional Policy

With a traditional policy, insurers take the premium from your bank account as monthly installments. They then pay directly into an insurance company’s bank account (depending on the type of policy you’ve chosen). The amount of premiums paid contributes to a lump sum payout on death or when you request cash benefits.

With these policies, there isn’t usually any investment component that earns interest-only pure insurance cover. This means that if you don’t pay all your premiums, you could end up with no payout when you require the funeral service-related benefits. Traditional policies are also more expensive than pre-need policies. This is because there’s no savings component to offset the costs like there is with pre-need.

Each policy type has its advantages and disadvantages. It ultimately comes down to each person choosing which option works best for them. It also depends on how much you’re willing to pay in premiums over time versus knowing precisely what your final expenses will be for funeral services.

However, whichever type of funeral cover policy you decide on, make sure that you check whether the plan’s flexibility allows you to make changes (by increasing or decreasing the amount paid monthly). If you do not, you could end up paying more than necessary in premiums. In turn, you may receive less payout on death than expected.

Considerations When Choosing a Pre-need or Traditional Coverage

1. How much money must you set aside every month for the premiums? Bear in mind that pre-need plans are more expensive than traditional ones.
2. Do you want certainty about what your final costs will be when arranging funeral services? Or do you prefer not knowing and hope that there’ll be enough money in your bank account when claiming a cash benefit from a traditional policy? 
3. Are you willing to keep paying premiums until your death? This means that any unused portions of the lump sum payout get lost if you’re unable to reach the required age for payout to occur. This can be problematic if, hypothetically, someone had small children who could require funeral services early in life. 
4. What are the chances of you surviving until the payout date? Do you think a traditional policy is worth taking out purely for financial reasons?

Best Funeral Cover in South Africa

This list contains some of the best funeral cover providers in South Africa. They include:

Clientèle

As a family, you may never know what the future holds. But at least with Clientèle Funeral Insurance, they will care for your loved ones if anything were to happen to you- whether by accident or natural causes.

A comprehensive funeral insurance policy on the market offers two levels of cover. That is Funeral Dignity from R205 per month and Ultimate Dignity from R215 per year (plus an extra 2 Rand). Each provides up to 100 000 rands in benefits for individual clients. It also provides 500 000 rands in coverage when one is part of a family unit of 8 extended members including partners and children, three years old or younger, who gets included under “extended” protection starting at just one mark per day. For more information about Clientèle Funeral Insurance, contact the company directly.

Clientèle Life Assurance offers two types of cover, namely, Income Cover and Endowment Cover. They are designed to keep your loved one’s safe if you were to die prematurely. With Income Cover, you can pay a maximum monthly premium as low as R300 or 7 Rand a day. In turn, you’ll receive around R2300 p/m should the worst occur. The plan also allows you to select 64 payments. This provides enough income to pay off debts before the last one gets paid out upon your death. For more information regarding this product, please call 0861 38 10 00 or visit their website.

A life insurance policy that provides coverage over ten years or more from just R175 per month. With Clientèle Life Insurance, you can choose to provide for your loved ones in one go by buying additional amounts either during the term (in case you want to leave something behind) or at the end of it (to cover final expenses as well).

Sanlam

Sanlam’s funeral cover is the best-rated funeral insurance in South Africa. Priced from as little as R25 a month, Sanlam’s best value policy offers you and your loved one peace of mind with a funeral cover of up to R40,000. You can also add children under the age of 21 to your family policy for free. All this at some of the best prices available in South Africa today.

Research by Forex International suggests that most people think poorly about their bank because of charges. They don’t realize that there are many other best value insurers out there that offer better deals than their banks do. Best value insurers like Sanlam Funeral cover that are often a lot less expensive than your bank and come with top service levels.

Sanlam Funeral cover is one of the best value funeral insurance in South Africa because it offers:

•  The best prices on the market–from just R25 per month for an adult and up to R40 000 for family cover.
• Services like Free Screensaver funerals where you can select a digital photo. Upload a favorite song and even record a personal tribute to display at your loved one’s funeral.
• 24-hour call centers available 365 days of the year.

With Sanlam’s best value policy, you won’t have any surprises for paying your funeral policy premiums. They’re already priced at the best value, with no hidden extras or charges.

You can rely on Sanlam to give you the best prices on the market for best value funeral insurance. Get a quote today and see how much it could save you through Sanlam’s best value plan.

ABSA

Absa offers a range of options in its Funeral Plans, depending on your needs and the number of years you have until you die.

The best funeral cover for lump sums under R1 million offer by Vitalis Life Solutions (Absa Bank’s selected investment partner). They offer three different plans:

• Option 5–payout over five years – including fees, this amounts to R975 955
• Option 7–payout over seven years – including fees, this amounts to R975 955
• Option 10–payout over ten years – including fees, this amounts to R974 990.

Absa also offers a total payout at death on R150 000 and over, which means an amount between R150k and R1 million paid out at death. This is the best funeral cover available in South Africa today, with a guaranteed payout by Absa, regardless of age.

The best plan for you will depend on your circumstances and the lump sum required, so do not leave this to chance; find out what’s best for you–talk to our advisers today.

How Much Does the ABSA Funeral Cover Cost?

Every plan has its own cost depending on which option you choose. Vitalis’ options range from 0.55% p.a fee (option 5) up to 3.85% p.a (option 10). Monthly payments are best where possible as they save on costs and allow you to build up a lump sum.

The best way to get more value for your money, though, is by saving monthly. This is because, any amount saved each month will have a compounding effect. The ideal option here is the Vitalis 5 plan paying out R975 955 in 5 years at 3.85% p. a. This means that the premiums (R8 690) plus fees (R1 032) add up to an annual contribution of R9 722. You can make this monthly contributions through salary deduction if you choose the employer-assisted option.

The best way to find out how much you could pay is to calculate it for yourself. You can also speak to your bank representative – they are more than happy to help. If you choose to do it yourself, you can calculate by considering what you expect your funeral costs will be in 10, 20, and 30 years (if applicable) and multiply that amount by 0.55% p. a fee (Vitalis’s best option), 3.85% p.a fee (option 5 Vitalis plan) or 4.56% p. a fee (Absa’s best strategy).

Momentum Life Services

Momentum Life Services South Africa offers a wide range of financial solutions to suit your needs. It is one of South Africa’s best funeral cover providers. It conveniently packages funeral cover as either an endowment or whole-of-life policy with guaranteed payments on death (GPD) for between 1 and 20 years. This makes the Funeral plan an affordable way to secure your family’s future income after your passing. With unlimited bonuses and no age restriction, term plans are also available at competitive rates

Momentum Life Services’ Best Funeral Cover Plans

What you need to know about your best funeral cover in South Africa from Momentum Life Services.

Guaranteed Periods of Upto 10 Years 

The best funeral cover policy provides guaranteed income payments from one month to 10 years, depending on the chosen service. If you are looking for the best funeral cover, Momentum Life Services is a good option. It offers more flexibility and it is easy to increase retirement income.

The best death benefit period is 20 years, with a maximum payable value of R2,000,000. Additionally, the company’s best death cover plan allows you to secure all the money at once into one lump sum. This gives it the chance to earn much more interest than if you split it across multiple best life insurance products.

The best funeral plan provides a guaranteed death benefit of R1,000,000 p.a. This best life insurance policy pays out an income to your spouse or dependent children if you die within the best death cover period. Overall, the best funeral cover from Momentum Life Services makes sure that your loved ones are financially secure after your passing–and this covers you for periods spanning between 1 month and ten years!

Assupol

In December 2012, Assupol introduced Funeral Cover as a new feature for its Absolute Advantage Life Insurance product. This unique feature can help ease the financial burden should death occur in unpleasant circumstances like murder or suicide.

“Assupol has been offering life cover in South Africa since 1994, so it was only fitting we introduce this unique benefit which helps provide funds to pay for funeral services when people have pre-existing life insurance policies, and not enough or no assets to cover the costs of a dignified funeral,” says Assupol CEO, Sanjeev Shah.

“This covers funeral expenses from as little as R95 per month–making it affordable for all South Africans,” says Sanjeev Shah. “Because there is no claim bonus attached to this feature, clients can take out the Funeral Cover they choose and not have to worry about the potential impact it might have on their future claim amounts. It offers clients peace of mind while also providing their families with financial security in case of unexpected death.”

Assupol is currently offering a 100% payout on Funeral Cover if there are no other assets available from the deceased. However, this applies if death occurs because of suicide or murder within three years of taking out this feature. This benefit boasts designs that provide comfort to those who need it most through this challenging period.

Another benefit that comes with Funeral Cover is the inclusion of Life Income. This means your beneficiaries can also receive monthly income if you die from an accident or illness. This includes an additional 10% death claim bonus (for both features combined) for accidental deaths up to five years after your policy takes effect. No other life insurer offers something like this. The 10% Death Benefit Bonus on Accidental Death pays out double what it would typically pay upon death should you have both the Funeral Feature and Life Income Feature added onto your policy. If you purchased these two features, they will then only get paid out 100% each.

Benefits of Taking Out Funeral Cover in South Africa

Many benefits come with taking a funeral cover in South Africa. They include:

Peace of Mind

The first reason you should look into getting yourself enrolled is to have peace of mind. The mere fact that you know your beneficiaries will not suffer in case of your sudden demise is comforting. Sudden demise often leads to unexpected expenses and unplanned cut in income flow, especially if you were the sole breadwinner. This can cause distress for family members and loved ones in their attempts to ensure that their departed one gets a good send-off. To ensure this does not happen, insurance companies usually provide funeral covers with death benefits to the bereaved. These plans help families pay funeral costs such as cemetery costs, burial plot fees, and even religious services or celebrants.

Covering Extra Expenses

Insurance policies cater for the funeral budget by funding funeral arrangements and covers burial costs as well as cemetery fees. In some cases, it also provides additional financial support. This means that you’ll have the benefit of paying off extra expenses such as: 

• Embalming and cremation services
• Limousine costs after the service performance
• Medical fees incurred because of illness
• Death; depending on which plan is active at your given time

Financial Aid

When a person passes away in South Africa, their family members might not be able to maintain an account of all the loans & credit cards the deceased had opened to cover daily cost. If these accounts runs for an extended period after death, they might accumulate substantial debt. This will forces creditors to call in and harass them for payment. To avoid these sorts of situations, it is prudent to take an insurance cover for protection. This cover will ensure your beneficiaries will be able to quickly pay off any outstanding debts after your demise.

Quick Payout

Unlike life insurance, funeral plans take a shorter period to pay out. Therefore, if your beneficiaries can access cash quickly, you probably do not need to buy into a funeral cover plan. However, if they can’t get hold of cash in short notice, it is prudent for you to get a funeral cover plan. This will not only ensure they access funeral cash on-demand, but also they do not get into debts. Getting this plan is ideal even if you have a life insurance cover in place. Funeral plans pay out quicker than life insurance, which might pay after a few months from date of demise.

Finding the best funeral cover in South Africa can be quite strenuous. You have to conduct an extensive research on which providers have the best policies. Compare the company’s terms with your needs before committing yourself to any particular product. It is also advisable to get professional opinion if you can’t make up your mind on the best product. An expert is more likely to ensure the funeral cover you settle on, ticks all the right boxes. But before you pick up your phone and call your insurance consultant, call all the funeral cover providers in South Africa listed here.

READ ALSO:

• Medical Aid – Compare Plan Prices – Find Cheapest
• Get Car Insurance Quotes in South Africa
• Travel Insurance in South Africa – Everything Need to Know
• Life Insurance in South Africa
• Funeral Cover in South Africa