Over 50s frequently asked questions.

If you are aged between 50 and 80 and a UK resident, and you reside in the UK for at least 183 days per year, you're guaranteed to be accepted for the Over 50s Life Insurance Plans.

After we have received your application, you have 30 days to change your mind. A Cancellation Notice will be sent once the plan has started confirming your right to cancel. If you decide to cancel your plan we will return any premiums paid. You can cancel your plan after the 30 day period by writing to us. However, as the plan has no cash-in value at any time you will not get any money back.

Your partner can also apply for a plan providing they are aged 50 to 80 and a UK resident and reside in the UK for at least 183 days per calendar year. However, as the plans are set up individually, they cannot be held in joint names.

When you apply for our Over 50s Life Insurance Plans we won't ask you to have any medical assessments.

Once you've submitted your application, your cover will start immediately and you'll receive your documents within 7-10 working days. If you have any questions in the meantime you can call us on 0370 051 5013 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Call charges will vary and we may record and monitor calls.

As the plan has no cash in value at any time, you will get nothing back if you decide to cancel the plan after the first thirty days of applying. If you cancel the plan within the first 30 days, we'll refund any premiums paid.

The Increasing Plan is a simple way to give your family a helping hand. The cash sum pay out can be used towards funeral expenses, unpaid bills or even as a gift to your family.

With the Increasing Plan, your cash sum is reviewed in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI). Your premium will increase by 1.5% for every 1% increase in your cash sum.

Find out more about the Increasing Plan.

The Retail Prices Index (RPI) is used as a measure of inflation. It measures the changing prices of everyday household goods and services like food and energy bills, and shows how the cost of living rises over the years.

If applying for the Fixed or Increasing Plans, these can be placed in Trust to ensure the people you want receive the benefit of your plan. Find out more about Trusts.

If applying for the Insured Funeral Plan, this can not be placed in Trust. A legal ‘Charge’ will be placed on the policy so that the benefit of the Insured Funeral Plan will be paid to Dignity towards your funeral costs.

This means that the Insured Funeral Plan cannot be placed in trust while the legal charge is in place. You can choose to remove the legal ‘charge’ by contacting Dignity, at which point the Insured Funeral Plan will then be treated like any other life insurance policy and the funeral costs will not be covered as originally arranged when you took out the plan.

Once the legal charge is removed you can place the policy in Trust, where you then specify who the benefit can be paid to so that it doesn't get paid into your Estate.

If you don't remove the legal charge to Dignity and there is a surplus after the costs of your funeral service is covered, the excess will be paid by Legal & General to the legal personal representative of your estate. If the benefit to be paid is a refund of premiums, as described in the policy schedule, the legal charge to the funeral service provider will be removed and the refund will be paid to the legal personal representative of your estate. Please remember that any amount paid back to the estate, that isn't placed in Trust may be liable to Inheritance Tax.

What's included in your Insured Funeral Plan:

• Advice and guidance on all aspects of the funeral
• 24 hour telephone bereavement counselling.
• Cremation fee, minister’s or officiant’s fee, doctors medical cremation certificates (these are known as disbursements).
• Family viewing, during week days by appointment.
• Transport of the deceased to the Dignity Funeral Director’s premises (up to 20 miles) – in the UK only.*
• Quality wood effect coffin with high quality finish, fully lined and fitted
• Preparation and care of the body (embalming not included).
• Funeral procession from home to place of worship and crematorium or burial site.
• Provision of hearse and one limousine.
• Dignity appointed Funeral Director and staff to attend the service.
• Collection of charitable donations.
• Once you’ve taken out a plan you can choose to personalise your funeral with elements such as hymns, music and readings.

• If you prefer a burial then the benefit will pay a contribution towards the costs.
  

*Excludes ferry or airfare

We've teamed up with Dignity to bring you the Insured Funeral Plan. They're one of the UK's leading providers of funeral services, with a network of 550 experienced funeral directors in towns and cities across the UK - many of whom have served their local communities for generations.

Find out more about Dignity.

You can usually find your sort code on a bank statement or cheque book. It will usually have six digits in the format of xx-xx-xx. If you still can't find it, call your bank and they will be able to help.

You can usually find your account number on a bank statement or cheque book. It will usually have eight digits. If you still can't find it, call your bank and they will be able to help.

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure, using the latest secure server software that encrypts (turns into code) all the information you provide us before you send it to us.  This means that any information you send us, using our website, stays private and secure whilst it is being sent.

Read more about our security policy.

When you apply for a plan online you'll see a 'Summary' screen containing all the information you've provided before submitting your application. If you realise the details are incorrect you can use the 'Back' button in the bottom left of the screen to go back and change your details before submitting your application.

This depends on the type of Over 50s plan you choose.

With the Fixed Plan, premiums are guaranteed never to go up, and so this plan is ideal if you want the reassurance of a fixed premium.

The Insured Funeral Plan and the Increasing Plan are both reviewed in line with inflation, which is measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI). We’ll review your premiums and benefit each year and inform you in writing about any changes to your policy.

The premiums are reviewed and will increase by 1.5% for every 1% increase in your benefit. If RPI ever rises to over 10%, the maximum increase in benefit will be 10% and the maximum increase in premium will be 15%. The premium increases will continue until you reach the age of 90 or decline the annual review. Although you stop paying premiums on your 90th birthday, your cover continues to be reviewed for the rest of your life. You can choose not to accept the annual review. In this instance, for a Insured Funeral Plan, your premium and benefit will remain fixed at the value at that time and will provide a contribution towards the cost of a funeral.

For the Insured Funeral Plan, if cremation funeral prices rise beyond inflation in the future, then Dignity guarantees to cover the increased costs as long as you accept the annual review when we write to you on the plan anniversary.

If you have either a Insured Funeral Plan or Increasing Plan then your plan will be subject to an ‘annual review’.This means that each year we’ll review your premiums and benefit to ensure they keep up with the cost of living.

We'll write to tell you at least three months before the plan's anniversary. You can choose to decline the review when we write to each year, but if you decline please remember that inflation may reduce the benefit of your plan. You will not be able to restart the increases later if you decline and your plan benefit will remain fixed at the value at that time.

The Fixed Plan is not subject to the ‘annual review’ process as the premium and benefit are fixed from the start of the plan. So please remember that inflation may, over time, reduce the value of the benefit of your plan.

The Insured Funeral Plan does not guarantee to cover the costs of a burial funeral. The plan is designed to cover the costs of a traditional cremation funeral. However, we understand that everyone is different and if you prefer to have a burial then the plan will provide a contribution towards your burial funeral costs. Read more about the Insured Funeral Plan and what's included.

You can take out as many policies as you like as long as the total initial monthly premiums you pay do not exceed £50. This includes any existing Legal & General Over 50s plans you may have. However, you can only take out one Insured Funeral Plan.

The cost to provide cover increases with age, as you are more likely to die as you get older.

If you die within the first two years of your plan we will not pay the benefit but we will return all the premiums paid. If you do not place your plan benefits in Trust, then these premiums will be paid to your estate and may be subject to Inheritance Tax.

However, if you die within the first two years of the plan, as a result of an accident, then the full benefit will be paid. Exclusions and limitations will apply, please refer to the section titled 'What exactly does accidental death mean?' in the Policy Summary.

For the Funeral Benefit Option, if you die within the the first two years of your plan all the premiums will be returned and the Funeral Benefit Option will be automatically removed from your plan.

Our Insured Funeral Plan is designed to cover the costs of a traditional cremation funeral and as long as the initial monthly premiums added together do not exceed £50 (this includes any existing Legal & General Over 50s plans you may have), then along with the Insured Funeral Plan you can take out our Fixed Plan and Increasing Plan. These additional plans can then be used as a nest egg for your family or used to cover other costs.

The Insured Funeral Plan is reviewed in line with inflation, as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI). We will review your premiums and benefit each year and inform you in writing about any changes to your policy. If cremation funeral prices rise beyond inflation in the future, then Dignity guarantees to cover the increased costs as long as you accept the annual reviews. Your premiums will increase by 1.5% for every 1% increase in your benefit.

You can choose not to accept this review. In this instance, your premium and benefit will remain fixed at the value at that time and will provide a contribution towards the cost of a funeral. Learn more about what's included in the Insured Funeral Plan.

If RPI exceeds 10% when we review your plan, the most your benefit amount will increase by is 10%. In this case, the premium will not increase by more than 15%. If RPI is 0% or less when your plan is reviewed, there will be no change to your benefit amount or premium until at least the next annual review.

We use a company called Dignity to help organise your cremation funeral. Dignity is one of the UK's largest funeral plan providers and since they launched in 1985 they have sold more than 415,000 funerals. They have a network of 550 funeral directors around the UK and they’re also the founding members of the Funeral Planning Authority, the official body that oversees the operation of companies offering funeral plans. In 2009 alone, Dignity conducted 65,000 funeral's in the UK.

After you take out the Insured Funeral Plan or Funeral Benefit Option, Dignity will send you a welcome pack to help you make arrangements for your chosen funeral.

When the time comes, your executor just needs to make one phone call to Dignity, and they will appoint an approved Dignity Funeral Director. They have a network of 550 funeral directors around the UK. To contact Dignity, please call 0800 151 3789, they are available 24 hours a day. Calls may be recorded and monitored.

Yes, you can have special requests for your funeral, such as a choice of hymns, music or readings. When arranging these special requests, if there are additional requirements not covered by the Insured Funeral Plan you may need to consider taking out one of our other Over 50s plans, so your family don't have to bear the costs.

No. If you decide at any time that you no longer want your funeral to be provided by Dignity through their network of funeral directors, you can write to let us know. The Insured Funeral Plan will no longer pay the benefit to Dignity to provide a funeral and the plan value will be paid out to your estate when you die and be taken into account for Inheritance Tax purposes, unless you have placed your policy into Trust.

If you decide you do not want to use Dignity, you just need to contact us to arrange for the legal charge to be removed from your plan.

When the time comes, a claim can be made in writing or over the telephone for the Fixed and Increasing plans. If you have the Insured Funeral Plan your representative simply needs to make a call to Dignity, our chosen funeral plan provider, to set your plans in motion. Read more about our claims process.

Our Funeral Benefit Option is designed to help pay towards your funeral costs. With this option, the cash sum from a Fixed or Increasing Over 50s Plan is paid directly to an agreed Dignity Funeral Director, rather than to your estate. When the time comes, your family simply make one phone call to Dignity to set the plan in motion saving them the worry of finding a funeral director. Also, the Funeral Benefit Option will provide an extra £250 on top of the cash sum amount when your plan is used to pay for your funeral costs with a Dignity Funeral Director, at no extra cost to you.

The Insured Funeral Plan guarantees to provide the funeral services covered by the plan, providing all premiums and benefit increases are accepted at each annual review.

The Funeral Benefit Option does not guarantee any funeral services, its a process for 'charging' the proceeds from your Over 50s Fixed or Increasing Life Insurance Plan to Dignity, so that the cash sum can be used towards the cost of your funeral.

'Charge' is the legal term used to describe the process that allows your cash sum to be paid to Dignity to be used towards your funeral costs.

If the cost of the funeral is greater than the cash sum from your plan, then your estate or next of kin will need to pay the difference. If however the cash sum is greater than the cost of the funeral, than the difference will be paid to your estate by Legal & General and may be subject to Inheritance Tax.

Yes, you can change your mind after you have taken out the plan. If you do change your mind about the Funeral Benefit Option please let us know and we will inform Dignity that the 'charge' is to be removed from your plan. Once the 'charge' has been removed your Over 50s Plan will continue as normal, without the Funeral Benefit Option and the extra £250 towards your funeral costs will no longer apply.

Yes, you can remove the 'charge' if you change your mind. If you decide to remove the 'charge' please contact us and we will inform Dignity that the 'charge' is to be removed from your plan. In this instance the plan benefit would be paid to your estate when you die. Dignity will no longer provide the funeral services that you would have arranged with them, when you take out the Insured Funeral Plan. Therefore, the cash sum that will be paid out when you die, may not cover the costs of your alternative funeral arrangements.

The Insured Funeral Plan will cover the costs of a traditional cremation funeral, helping to take away the stress from your family at a very emotional time. It also offers reassurance if you're concerned about rising costs as the plan's value is reviewed each year in line with inflation. Your premiums will increase by 1.5% for every 1% increase in your plan's value.

Find out more about the Insured Funeral Plan.