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Buy your funeral plan today and pay in January for peace of mind this Christmas. Click here for full T&Cs.
Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Buy now, pay in January
Buy your funeral plan today and pay in January for peace of mind this Christmas. Click here for full T&Cs.
6 minute read
In this article we are going to take a look at the concept of the “cremation only funeral”, asking what it is, why we might choose one, and how much they cost, among other things.
A cremation without a funeral, also known as a ‘direct cremation’, is a type of end-of-life ceremony that occurs without any mourners present. The body of the person who has died is brought to a crematorium in a private ambulance from where they are resting. Then, after a staff member at the crematorium speaks a few words out of respect to the deceased, they are cremated.
A no-funeral cremation is a form of ceremony which is growing in popularity across the UK. Its growth is down to three important reasons:
Our changed funeral tastes in the UK mean that more and more people are looking for alternatives to the standard, traditional funeral options. So why would anyone choose this option?
There are great advantages available to you if you opt for a cremation only funeral. To name just two, you could make great financial savings, and organise something that is more true to you.
Funeral costs are at the forefront of people’s minds when they are organising a ceremony, either for themselves or for their loved ones. And with the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2024 suggesting that the average cost of a funeral in the UK is £4,141, it’s easy to see why.
In comparison to that, the average cost of funerals without a service during the same period is given by SunLife as £1,498. This is less than half the figure they give for the general UK average.
Traditional funerals often have lots of additional extras that push up the final price. These include floral tributes (between £40-£400); catered wakes (~£467); and limo hire (~£402). The fact that we are able to avoid spending extra money on things like this means that we can spend it on things that might matter more to us.
You can follow this link if you’d like to read about funeral costs in more detail.
Another big reason people opt for a direct cremation is that it gives them the freedom to take care of their own send off their way.
Some of us don’t feel comfortable with the typical formalities of traditional funerals, like hearses and pallbearers. Instead, lots of us want to take care of the mandatory stuff as concisely as possible. This would leave open the possibility of a proper end-of-life celebration later down the line that truly does the memory of the deceased justice.
So a direct cremation could not only suit those who don’t like to be the centre of attention, as we don’t have to put anyone to any hassle or inconvenience on our behalf. But we could also put our own stamp on things and be remembered in our own way.
With Aura, you could secure a no funeral cremation at the point of need from £1,095, and a prepaid direct cremation plan from £1,595. And, with one of our plans you’re not only getting a price that is less than half of the average UK funeral cost (as given by SunLife), but you are locking it in permanently.
No matter how expensive funerals get in the future, yours will only ever cost the price that you paid when you bought your plan. This gives your family peace of mind knowing that everything is taken care of ahead of time. They don’t need to worry about forking out thousands of pounds at short notice to arrange your funeral from scratch whilst they are grieving your loss.
Given that the cost of funerals (according to SunLife) has increased by 126% in the last 20 years, this is a valuable benefit.
With Aura, you absolutely can. Our simplest prepaid direct cremation plan is exactly that: a cremation without a funeral or any mourners present.
With that said, we are proud of the flexibility of our plans. If you purchase one of our prepaid cremation plans without a funeral, but then later decide that you would like to have mourners present after all, you can easily make this amendment. You can even cancel at no cost for any reason, and we will provide you with a full refund.
We will never penalise you with admin fees for needing to make changes, as we know that life can often come along and throw a spanner into the works. You will only ever need to pay the difference between plans if you are upgrading from a smaller to a larger one, but we won’t charge any administration fees.
The main difference between the two is that a direct cremation typically doesn’t have any mourners present, where a traditional funeral would. Tastes have changed in the UK, meaning that a larger number of people are looking for alternatives to the traditional model. Direct cremation is a versatile kind of funeral, as it suits a range of different personalities.
It works for those who would prefer not to be in the limelight, letting them depart this life through the back door, so to speak.
It suits those who want to make things more about their own lives and experiences, as the format can be tailored more extensively than a religious funeral.
It also frees those who are uncomfortable with the solemn formality associated with tradition, as direct cremation funerals don’t normally include things like hearses, pallbearers, funeral processions or formal tributes.
Aura has a range of different cremation choices that you could make, which are available for both prepaid cremation plans, and funerals needed in the here and now:
If you’d like to ask us any questions about cremation only funerals, or if you’d like to discuss our prepaid direct cremation plans, we’d be more than happy to talk to you. You can give us a call on 0800 066 3346. You can also request a free quote directly from our website.
