Funeral Cover Frequently Asked Questions

Funeral cover, also called funeral insurance, is an insurance policy that pays a cash lump sum when a covered person dies, so the family can pay for the funeral. With Ubuntu Life, the payout goes to the nominated beneficiary and can be used for any funeral cost, such as the coffin, transport, catering or the venue.

Funerals are expensive, and the costs usually have to be paid within days of a death. Ubuntu Life funeral insurance pays out quickly so the family is not left with that financial burden, and can focus on grieving and honouring their loved one instead of finding money.

Ubuntu Life funeral cover starts at R60 a month. The Advanced Family Plan and Golden Care Plan start at R60 a month and the Advanced Pensioner Plan starts at R152 a month. Your premium depends on the plan, the cover amount you choose and how many family members you add.

You can apply for Ubuntu Life funeral cover online at app.ubuntulife.co.za or by calling 087 551 3306. There are no branch visits and no paperwork to post — sign-up is completed online or over the phone.

To apply for Ubuntu Life funeral cover, the policyholder gives their title, first name(s), surname, South African ID number, date of birth, gender, contact number, email address, residential address and postal address. You also give the details of each family member you want to cover and of the beneficiary who will receive the payout.

No medical exams are required to join Ubuntu Life. You answer a few simple health questions during sign-up. There are no doctor visits, no blood tests and no invasive examinations.

Yes. Ubuntu Life policies have no lock-in period and no cancellation fees, so you can cancel at any time. A 31-day cooling-off period also applies from the start of the policy.

Yes. Every Ubuntu Life policy has a 31-day cooling-off period that starts when you receive your policy schedule. You can cancel during those 31 days, provided no benefit has been paid or claimed.

The cost of a funeral in South Africa varies widely with the type of service, the location, the coffin, catering, transport, the venue and the tombstone. The Ubuntu Life funeral cost calculator at www.ubuntulife.co.za/funeral-calculator lets you add up the likely costs for your family and compare them with the cover you have. Getting quotes from more than one funeral parlour also helps you understand the options.

Ubuntu Life is a juristic representative of EAP Financial Services (Pty) Ltd, an authorised financial services provider with FSP number 46772.

You can contact Ubuntu Life by phone on 087 551 3306, on WhatsApp at 061 998 8775, or by email at info@ubuntulife.co.za. Claims documents can be emailed to claims@ubuntulife.co.za.

The Advanced Family Plan and Advanced Pensioner Plan cover up to 18 people per policy. Golden Care covers up to 11. On the Advanced Family Plan, the main member can add up to 7 dependants (including a maximum of 1 spouse) and up to 10 extended family members. Check the plan details for each plan's limits.

The Advanced Family Plan covers the main member and up to 7 dependants, including a maximum of 1 spouse, plus up to 10 extended family members, subject to the 18-person policy limit. The nominated beneficiary receives the payout and is not counted as a covered person.

Yes. You can cover your parents, and your parents-in-law, on your Ubuntu Life policy by adding them as extended family members. A family policy can include up to 10 extended family members.

Extended family cover lets the Ubuntu Life policyholder add relatives such as parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to the same policy. There are four extended family options. Under each option the total cover amount is divided equally among the extended family members covered — for example, an option with R4,000 of cover and two extended members gives each member R2,000 of cover. The premium depends on the option chosen and how many members are added.

The Advanced Family Plan allows up to 7 dependants in total, including a maximum of 1 spouse. That means up to 7 children if no spouse is added, or up to 6 children if a spouse is added. Check your policy schedule for the selected cover option.

Under the Ubuntu Life policy terms, dependent children are covered until age 21 last birthday. A dependent child who is a full-time student stays covered until age 25 last birthday.

Call Ubuntu Life on 087 551 3306 or email info@ubuntulife.co.za and our team will make the change for you. Adding or removing family members, updating your personal or banking details and any other policy change is handled by our team — these changes cannot be made in the Ubuntu Life app. The app is for viewing your policy, members, payments and documents.

Cover depends on the plan, age and option selected. The Advanced Family Plan offers main-member cover up to R30,000. Golden Care offers primary main-member cover up to R20,000, depending on age and option. Advanced Pensioner cover depends on the Blue, Green, Red or Black tier. Check your policy schedule for your exact cover.

The maximum cover Ubuntu Life offers is R30,000 per main member life.

Yes. Under the Ubuntu Life policy terms, no one life assured may have insurance cover exceeding R30,000 with EAP Financial Services (Pty) Ltd. Cover for a life assured above R30,000 requires two or more application forms to be completed in full.

You can increase or decrease your Ubuntu Life cover amount by calling 087 551 3306 or emailing info@ubuntulife.co.za. If you increase your cover, a waiting period applies to the increased amount, and a new policy certificate is issued within 31 days.

All three plans have a six-month waiting period for natural death and a twelve-month waiting period for suicide, counted from the policy entry date. Accidental death has no waiting period once the first premium is received.

The standard waiting periods are six months for natural death and twelve months for suicide, counted from the policy entry date. Accidental death has no waiting period once the first premium is received. If you later increase your cover, a waiting period applies to the increased amount as set out in your policy terms.

Yes. The Advanced Pensioner Plan is for main members aged 60 to 84, costs from R152 a month and offers Blue, Green, Red or Black cover tiers. It can cover up to 18 people per policy, with optional dependent children and extended family plans. Golden Care is for ages 60 to 79, starts at R60 a month, offers primary main-member cover up to R20,000 depending on age and option, and covers up to 11 people including up to 10 extended family members. Both offer an optional accidental death benefit.

On both pensioner plans, natural death has a six-month waiting period and suicide has a twelve-month waiting period, counted from the policy entry date. Accidental death has no waiting period once the first premium is received.

Yes. An Ubuntu Life policy can be reinstated within two months of the date it lapsed. No new waiting period applies if you had already completed the waiting period on the lapsed policy. If you had not, the unexpired balance of the waiting period applies to the reinstated policy.

The claim benefit is paid between 48 and 72 hours after all required documents are received.

An Ubuntu Life claim must be lodged within 6 months of the date of death. A claim lodged later than 6 months after the death becomes null and void, so report the death as soon as you can.

To claim with Ubuntu Life you need a certified copy of the death certificate, a certified copy of the deceased's ID, a certified copy of the claimant's ID, a completed Ubuntu Life claim form and a stamped bank statement no older than three months. Unnatural or accidental deaths also require a police report.

Call the Ubuntu Life claims team on 087 551 3306 to report the death. The claims line is available 24/7 and an agent guides you through the documents needed and the rest of the five-step claims journey.

Email your claim documents to claims@ubuntulife.co.za or send them on WhatsApp to 061 998 8775. You can also bring them to the Ubuntu Life head office at Ground Floor, Fountain View House, Constantia Office Park, Cnr Hendrik Potgieter Road & 14th Ave, Weltevredenpark, Roodepoort, 1709, Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 17:00.

Yes. Under the Ubuntu Life policy terms, claims are not paid for deaths arising from war, military action, riots, unlawful strikes, civil commotion or terrorism; a disease, epidemic or pandemic; an act of government; a deliberate violation of the law by an insured person; or self-inflicted injury or illness, or voluntary exposure to obvious danger. The full list is in the Ubuntu Life terms and conditions.

Ubuntu Life premiums can be paid by debit order or in cash at participating retail stores.

Yes. Ubuntu Life cover runs month to month and premiums are paid monthly. A premium received in a month provides cover for that month. Premiums cannot be paid in advance.

An Ubuntu Life policy lapses if two consecutive premiums are missed and the arrears are not paid within the 15-day grace period after the premium is due. Ubuntu Life sends the policyholder notice of outstanding premiums and of the lapse. Once a policy has lapsed no benefits are in place, but it can be reinstated within two months. If a claim is made while the policy is still active, any outstanding premiums are deducted from the payout. Call 087 551 3306 if you are struggling to pay.

Your Ubuntu Life premium depends on the plan you choose, the age of the people covered, the cover amount, and how many children and extended family members you add. Choosing a higher cover amount, adding extended family members or adding optional extra cover increases the premium.

Ubuntu Life policies are underwritten by African Unity Life Ltd, a licensed life insurer and authorised financial services provider (FSP No. 8447). Ubuntu Life is a product of EAP Financial Services (Pty) Ltd.