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assurance obsèques / assurance funéraire


KO12
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Does anyone have any useful experience(up to a point!)/links/tips on this subject?

There are many web sites, including those that offer free comparisons and quotes but no doubt they result in unwanted phone calls and 'pub'.

Also, does anyone know how they compare in value with straightforward life assurance?
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I think that a lot depends on your age at the start of the contract.

I pay just over 7€ a month for an insurance that will pay out about 2000€ for funeral expenses.

I belong to an association crématiste , since cremation is not automatic in France, it is done at the expressed wish of the deceased.

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Norman, thanks for response.

Current age 67.

Probably my wife and I will opt for cremation (still only one crematorium in Aveyron, but a new one due for Rodez).

There was an association crématiste in Aveyron but it died in 2010 (did they burn the 'Déclaration d'une Association'?).

Do these contracts work the same way here as in the UK? I recall seeing TV ads there about 'no medical' (apparently with a period when only accidental death was covered).

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I took mine out when I was 50. At that time there was no medical.

My Mutuelle  also offered me a similar policy recently (thet didn't know that I already have one) and I noticed that it was at a significantly higher premium, about 22€ a month.

I reckoned it was better to save that up. For 25€ a month (300€ a year) I would soon get enough to pay  a cheap funeral.

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And I guess it's important to make sure that those who might have to deal with your funeral actually know you have a plan in place.

Some friends had to deal with the UK death of a distant relative, and had a feeling she had once mentioned a funeral plan. However, they were unable to find out anything about it so they paid for the funeral.
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Are you obliged to have some sort of service in a church?

In the old days in the UK, you could not have a service that was not in some way religious, not even in a crematorium because they'd be a church person of some sort and you'd still have hymns sung, etc.  I believe that nowadays you could have what is called a "humanist" funeral.

An elderly friend and neighour killed himself recently and I was quite surprised that there was a church service because, years ago, if you were a Catholic, you couldn't be buried in consecrated ground because it was a mortal sin to kill yourself.  Hah, they don't call it a "mortal" sin for nothing see?

Just trying to lighten the mood because suicide is far from being a joke; that's the second suicide I have known in France of persons I have known and often spoken to.  In both cases, the family were completely devastated and inconsolable.

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My mother died here in France two years ago. She wanted no religious service. We had a cremation, no clergy. I said a few words and we has some music. That's it.

It is important to think about music even with just the crematorium. We put some on a USB stick.

One cremation (again no clergy) had a tv/monitor which had a slide show of photos. I did not like that  myself and her son looked very upset as photos of him and his Mum went by.

 Do whatever you like as far as we can see.

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We've been to two funerals in France in the last couple of years; each was very different from the other, but both matched the deceased.

At the funeral of a neighbour there was a slide show, which the family had put together and were very pleased with. It was also a different type of formal occasion as the deceased was the ex- fire chief of our town; there was a large turnout of firefighters and it was a senior in the fire service who was the only person to speak. There was no religious element at all.

At the other funeral, that of a friend, the death was very sudden and his family and some friends only just arrived in time from abroad. A priest attended but there were no hymns, just one very short prayer and a reading by his widow from Kahlil Gibran and memories of our friend recalled by his brother and a friend.
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In France, I've been to two or three simply in crematoria, and there was just input from family and friends. It really was up to them what happened, and if there was music, for example.

OTOH, I have also been to some that began with traditional church funeral services and ended with a burial along the road.
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I have also been to 2 very different services. The first was held at a crematorium where the family were allowed to choose their own music. We had Barbra Streisand, Adele and Elton John songs amongst others. Very simple service but that was how the deceased would have liked it to be.

The second was a full requium mass in a catholic church with an English guy translating the service for us expats who were present. A very emotional service with the immediate family all having input.

Personally as an agnostic I'll go for the 1st option and I've left instructions as to what music I want played!!!!

Sandra

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Just a simple thing about the original question.

I believe that an 'assurance obsèque' will pay out much more quickly to cover the funeral costs than a life-insurance one will, so if whoever is responsible is not in a position to advance the fees that might be an advantage.

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Norman, yes, thanks, that is my belief also.

Principal objective is to minimize financial problems for the children (especially since the 'lead' one will be in the UK while the other, here in France, has no resources at all)..

Still searching for clues as to which company/companies may be the most likely candidates. I had thought that something like http://votreargent.lexpress.fr/ would be able to clarify a bit, but haven't found anything useful yet.
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Hi

I have all my insurances with Allianz (car, house, health etc) so it seemed that keeping all my insurances with the same company was the easy thing to do. I pay €21 a month for €3000 of cover. The last funeral I went to in France cost €1700 so on that basis there will be a few bob left for the mourners(?) to have a drink on me!!

Sandra

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