New research highlights the value of Vitality’s Advanced Funeral Pledge for bereaved families
1 April 2025
The value for bereaved families
New research, conducted by Vitality, has highlighted the significance of Vitality’s new Advanced Funeral Pledge for newly bereaved families.
Organising a funeral can be both financially and emotionally challenging, with the funeral often taking place before a life insurance claim is cleared through medical evidence and probate, meaning people have to pay the cost of a funeral upfront before the life insurance payment is made.
Vitality’s research with advisers found that almost nine in ten (86%) advisers believe their clients’ families would be financially better off if they received funds up-front to cover immediate costs of a funeral, with around two in five (42%) saying they’d be much better off.
The biggest benefits stated by advisers of providing up-front funds for funeral costs were relieving the financial burden on family members who would otherwise be expected to cover the costs (70%) and reducing financial stress for grieving families (70%) respectively, followed by providing reassurance and peace of mind for clients (67%).
What’s more, the research also revealed that almost all (99%) of advisers said it is important for clients to have access to funds for the immediate costs associated with funerals, without waiting for probate or medical evidence.
Coinciding with these findings, £2,000 of Vitality’s £10,000 funeral pledge funds can now be advanced from a life insurance claim directly to the funeral director on evidence of death such as the death certificate, with no need to wait for further medical evidence. This initiative allows families to grieve without the added stress of financial concerns. The findings from the research with financial advisers has demonstrated that this initiative has the potential to make a real difference for bereaved families.
Andy Philo, Director of Strategic Partnerships, said: “The emotional and financial impact of a death can be monumental, and it’s something that our Life Intermediary Advisory Board has discussed at length. I’m therefore really pleased that we’ve been able to go a step further than the original Funeral Pledge, and advance £2,000 immediately to funeral directors without needing to wait for medical evidence. We know that this will provide much needed peace of mind and reduce some of the financial pressure for the families of our members at what is a really tough time.”
Emma Thomson, Vice Chair, Protection Distributors Group, said: “The PDG created the Funeral Pledge to reduce financial pressures on families who would struggle to pay for a funeral due to probate delays, and Vitality has been signed up to the pledge for many years.
“We’re delighted Vitality has built upon the pledge’s principles to further increase support given to claimants. It can take time to obtain the evidence needed to assess death claims, and this £2,000 advancement will help bereaved loved ones much sooner.
“This new initiative is therefore a very welcome addition to the support Vitality already offers as it will improve customer outcomes, which is the PDG’s core objective.”
Notes to Editors
Online research was conducted on behalf of Vitality by OnePoll between 6th and 10th March 2025 with 200 insurance advisers.