Prepaying funeral on wifes Credit Card

Andyph

Evening everyone,

Have this week found out my wife has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, we have been told there is no cure and she has at best 2 years to live, we also have 2 young boys and so things are slightly all over the place at the moment.

basically would it be considered to be fraud if we were to pre pay for her funeral on her credit card, knowing that when she does pass away the debt will be written off. We rent and have no savings nor did we have a life insurance.. all things i regret but cant change now.

Thanks in advance for any replies

Yorkshireman99

Andyph wrote: »

Evening everyone,

Have this week found out my wife has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, we have been told there is no cure and she has at best 2 years to live, we also have 2 young boys and so things are slightly all over the place at the moment.

basically would it be considered to be fraud if we were to pre pay for her funeral on her credit card, knowing that when she does pass away the debt will be written off. We rent and have no savings nor did we have a life insurance.. all things i regret but cant change now.

Thanks in advance for any replies

Don't do it! If there is no money in the estate the local authority or the hospital where the person dies are legally liable to pay for the funeral. It will be a simple, but dignified, ceremony almost certainly with cremation. So put you wife's mind at rest and concentrate on more important things. Please understand that relatives are not liable to pay. It is called a public health funeral and there is no shame associated with it. If you need more help you will find it here.

Keep_pedalling

Really sorry you find yourselves in such a terrible situation, but as YM says don't do it, all it will do is cause you even more worry at this difficult time.

SevenOfNine

I'm so sorry you & your family are in this terrible position.

Do you really want the added nightmare of being chased every month by a credit card provider? You know they won't just sit back, they'll be hounding your wife for monthly payments. Debt collectors on your doorstep at the worst possible time maybe?

YM99 has indicated an option, there is no shame in that & you can certainly be in attendance with your family & friends if that is what you wish. This happened with the brother of a friend of mine, they had 'time for reflection' music, read some poems & had flowers etc. Not so very different from any other funeral.

Also see this link https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments for another option perhaps.

I wish people would remember that funerals are about LOVE, not how much money is spent on them.

My advice/opinion is the same as the others - don't. Spend your time now building memories for your children, not worrying about the next letter in the post or knock on the door. Each day for you now is about TODAY, not tomorrow, next month, next year.

Yorkshireman99

The OP really should not contemplate paying anything! He should concnetrate on more important thing in the time he has left with his wife.

-taff

Let's put it this way.
If it is fraud, then who are they going to take to court for it? not you.....unless you have any joint assets, which you don't seem to.

Owain_Moneysaver

I'm not advocating committing fraud, but there would be a lot more nicer things to spend on than a funeral if you've only got two years left together.

Yorkshireman99

-taff wrote: »

Let's put it this way.
If it is fraud, then who are they going to take to court for it? not you.....unless you have any joint assets, which you don't seem to.

But there is absolutely no need whatsoever for the OP or his wife to take out a funeral plan as shown above.

Yorkshireman99

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

I'm not advocating committing fraud, but there would be a lot more nicer things to spend on than a funeral if you've only got two years left together.

But there is absolutely no need whatsoever for the OP or his wife to take out a funeral plan as shown above.

-taff

Funerals are more important to some than to others.....It's his wife's credit card, it's up to her hwat she spends it on.....
Personall, I wont be worried about anything after i die, what happens before is more important.

Margot123

If the OP or his wife is on certain benefits, then the DWP may (stress the word 'may') help pay for a basic funeral. However, I have heard of people only receiving £750 when a basic funeral can cost upwards of £3,000.
Awful situation to be in, and I think I'd be inclined to use the credit card, and then hope the DWP might top up any deficit. Benefits rules change all the time and there is no guarantee a funeral payment will be available in the future.