A prepaid direct cremation plan lets you fix the cost of a simple, unattended cremation at today’s price – protecting your family from rising costs and the stress of making arrangements at a difficult time. But with plan prices ranging from £1,425 to £2,095, what you get for your money varies significantly between providers.
In this guide, we compare prepaid direct cremation plans from five major UK providers. We look at what each plan includes, what it costs, and what to watch out for, so you can make an informed decision.
| Provider | Plan Price |
|---|---|
| Memoria Direct Cremation | £1,595 |
| Co-op Funeralcare | £1,700 |
| Simplicity Cremations | £1,799 |
| Distinct Cremations | £1,795 |
| Pure Cremation | £2,095 |
Prices correct as of May 2026, excluding promotional discounts. All providers cover mainland Great Britain.
Memoria Direct Cremation’s plan is the cheapest by £105 compared to Co-op, and £400 less than Pure Cremation. But as with any financial product, the headline price only tells part of the story, what matters is what’s included, what’s guaranteed, and what the terms are.
All five providers cover the core essentials: collection of the deceased, care before cremation, a coffin and the cremation itself. Every plan provider is FCA-authorised and FSCS-protected, meaning you’re covered if the provider fails.
The differences are in the extras: whether hand delivery of ashes is included, whether you get a choice of crematorium, what the cancellation terms are, and how flexible the payment options are. These are the details that matter when comparing plans side by side.
| Feature | Memoria Direct Cremation £1,595 | Co-op (£1,700) |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral Directors fees, services and cremation fees | Included | Included |
| Collection of the deceased from anywhere in mainland UK | Included | Included |
| 24/7 collection of deceased from a residential address | Included | Included |
| Own Crematoriums | 11 crematoria across mainland UK | No |
| Oversized coffin | Included | Included |
| Removal of pacemakers | Included | Included |
| Provision of ashes for collection, or scattered in the memorial gardens | Included | Included |
| Hand delivery of ashes | Included | Not Provided |
| Cancellation fee | £95 | £125 |
Memoria Direct Cremation is £105 cheaper and includes hand delivery of ashes as standard, something Co-op doesn’t offer at all, meaning your family would need to collect from a funeral home or crematorium, or your local Co-op branch.
Co-op’s main advantage is its high-street presence, it’s the only provider offering face-to-face arrangements at local funeral homes, which may matter if in-person support is important to you. Co-op’s cancellation fee is also higher at £125 compared to Memoria Direct Cremation’s £95.
| Feature | Memoria Direct Cremation £1,595 | Distinct (£1,795) |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral Directors fees, services and cremation fees | Included | Included |
| Collection of the deceased from anywhere in mainland UK | Included | Included* * Weekdays 8am – 6pm, mainland Great Britain only |
| 24/7 collection of deceased from a residential address | Included | +£250 |
| Oversized coffin | Included | Included |
| Removal of pacemakers | Included | Included |
| Provision of ashes for collection, or scattered in the memorial gardens | Included | Included |
| Hand delivery of ashes | Included | +£100 |
| Cancellation fee | £95 | £275 |
The two providers offer very similar services, with both including oversized coffins, pacemaker removal, and residential collection at the same additional cost of £250.
The most significant difference is the cancellation fee. Memoria Direct Cremation charges just £95, compared with £275 from Distinct. This means families would pay almost three times as much to cancel their arrangements with Distinct, making Memoria a more flexible and reassuring option should circumstances change.
| Feature | Memoria Direct Cremation £1,595 | Simplicity (£1,799) |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral Directors fees, services and cremation fees | Included | Included |
| Collection of the deceased from anywhere in mainland UK | Included | Included |
| 24/7 collection of deceased from a residential address | Included | +£275 |
| Oversized coffin | Included | Included |
| Removal of pacemakers | Included | +£90 |
| Provision of ashes for collection, or scattered in the memorial gardens | Included | Included |
| Hand delivery of ashes | Included | +£75 |
| Cancellation fee | £95 | £300 |
While the two providers offer many of the same core services, Memoria Direct Cremation includes several features that incur additional charges with Simplicity. These include the removal of pacemakers, which costs an extra £90 with Simplicity, and hand delivery of ashes, which costs an additional £75.
Memoria also offers a lower charge for collection from a residential address, at £250 compared with £275 from Simplicity.
The most notable difference is the cancellation fee. Memoria Direct Cremation charges just £95, while Simplicity charges £300. This means families would pay more than three times as much to cancel their arrangements with Simplicity, making Memoria a more flexible and cost-effective option if circumstances change.
Prepaid direct cremation plans are regulated financial products, so there are protections in place. But there are still important differences to check before you commit:
For the majority of families, Memoria Direct Cremation’s plan at £1,595 offers the best combination of price, inclusions, and terms. It’s the cheapest plan from any major provider, includes hand delivery of ashes as standard and has the lowest cancellation fee at £95.
If face-to-face support matters to you, Co-op is the only provider with local funeral homes where you can arrange things in person.
All five providers are FCA-authorised and FSCS-protected. Your money is safe with any of them. The question is simply which combination of price, inclusions, and terms best fits your priorities.
Talk to the Memoria Direct Cremation team about a prepaid plan - call free on 0800 007 3921
Competitor pricing sourced from providers’ published standardised price lists and websites, correct as of May 2026. Prices may change without notice. This comparison is for prepaid funeral plans. Memoria Direct Cremation is not responsible for the accuracy of third-party pricing.
Last reviewed: May 2026. Industry statistics sourced from the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026 (www.sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs).
