Funeral Cover for Over 65

There are three routes. You can take your own policy on a plan built for older entrants. You can take a standard plan whose entry age is high enough. Or a child or relative can add you as a parent to a family plan, and several of those accept parents to 84 or 85.

Standard plans differ a lot. Absa's Flexi plan takes the main member and spouse from 18 to 70, and OUTsurance accepts applicants up to and including 69. Vodacom takes 18 to 74, and Nedbank, Hollard and Affinity go up to 75. Metropolitan says lives to be covered must be younger than 85. The pensioner plans at AVBOB and Assupol, and the RFA plan for main members over 65, are designed for older applicants.

Every cell comes from the provider's own published terms. Premiums are printed examples for the cover shown, so ask for a quote at your exact age.

Assupol's plan page does not print the cover amount or waiting period for the Cornerstone plan in a form we could verify, so ask before you apply.

Premiums rise with age, and the printed examples above show it. Affinity's R10 000 cover costs R308 a month at 70 to 75. AVBOB's pensioner scheme prices R8 000 of cover at R150, R180 and R220 a month across three age bands. To compare two quotes fairly, multiply the monthly premium by twelve and by the number of years you expect to pay, then set that total against the cover.

Premiums also change every year. FNB says premiums increase 8% a year and cover 5% a year, and that cover stops increasing at age 65 (you can opt out of the escalation). Clientele says premiums escalate by 10% and benefits by 6%. Ask how the yearly increase works before you sign.

By law the waiting period for natural death cannot exceed six months, or a quarter of the policy term if that is shorter, and none may apply to accidental death. At 65 and over, a natural death is the more likely claim, so the waiting period matters a great deal.

If you already have funeral cover, a new insurer may not impose a waiting period if you had a previous policy with another insurer at least 31 days earlier, on similar risks and the same lives, and had completed that waiting period. AVBOB's pensioner scheme has no waiting period on a once-off payment. For the full picture read funeral cover with no waiting period.

Assupol's Cornerstone Pensioner Plan has no age limit and needs no medical examination, and its premiums can be deducted directly from state grants. See our guide to funeral cover for pensioners for more.

SASSA does not pay a funeral benefit as such. If a grant was not withdrawn in the month of death, the family member who paid for the funeral can claim the unclaimed amount with the death certificate, both IDs and the funeral invoice and receipt. SASSA cancels the grant on the last day of the month in which the recipient died, once the death is registered with Home Affairs. This is not a substitute for cover.

If a child holds a family plan, you can often be added as a parent. Capitec accepts parents from 26 to 85, Liberty and Standard Bank to 84, and Old Mutual to 84, including parents over 65. On these plans the policyholder pays and the policy sits in their name. Compare age limits, cover per parent and the waiting period in best funeral cover for parents.

Choose a premium you can keep paying for years. If a monthly premium is missed, the insurer must notify you within 15 days and the cover must stay in force for 15 days after the due date. After that the policy can lapse. When the insurer reinstates a lapsed policy the rules say it must be on at least the same terms with no new waiting period, but some providers describe it differently, so ask.

Give your age and health details accurately. Old Mutual lists incorrect age as a reason a claim can be declined. If a claim is declined and you disagree, try the insurer first and then contact the National Financial Ombud on 0860 800 900. The service is free.