The Unlimited does not sell a funeral policy. What it sells is Death Cover, and the difference is not marketing wording — it changes what you get and when.
The number
- Customer care, claims and emergencies: 0861 990 000
- Hours: Monday to Saturday, 07:00 to 19:00
- WhatsApp chatbot 24/7; a live agent on WhatsApp during those same hours
- The Unlimited Group (Pty) Ltd, registration 2002/002773/07, FSP number 21473
Death cover is not a funeral policy
A funeral policy is bought to pay for a funeral, and many are sold by parlours who then arrange the funeral itself. Death Cover pays a cash lump sum to your beneficiary, who decides what to do with it. Nobody arranges anything. If what you actually want is a parlour to handle the burial, this is not that product, and you should say so before you sign.
The four plans, as published
- Essential — R150 a month, up to R20 000 cover, R40 000 on accidental death.
- Comprehensive — R190 a month, up to R30 000, R60 000 accidental.
- Premium — R234 a month, up to R40 000, R80 000 accidental.
- Personalised — R275 a month, up to R50 000, R100 000 accidental.
Read the premium split before you buy
This is the part worth pausing on. On the Essential plan the R150 monthly price includes an insurance premium of R43.91; on Comprehensive it is R64.56 of R190, on Premium R85.37 of R234, and on Personalised R106.08 of R275. The Unlimited publishes these figures itself, and they are the honest disclosure that the rest of the money buys membership benefits rather than insurance — a medical information helpline, three virtual GP consultations a year and R60 of airtime a month. Whether that bundle is worth the difference is your call, but you should make it knowing the split.
All your money back, and family keeps cover
Both phrases appear on every plan and both have conditions attached that the summary does not show. Ask for the exact terms in writing: what qualifying period applies before money is returned, what happens if you miss a premium, and precisely which family members keep cover and for how long after a main member dies. Get it before you sign, not when you claim.
Waiting periods
Life and death products carry a waiting period for natural death, and a suicide exclusion in the first months. The plan page does not state them, so ask directly what the natural-death waiting period is and when it starts. A policy bought this month does not necessarily pay out next month, and that is the single most common cause of a declined death claim in South Africa.
Claiming
- Phone 0861 990 000 and get a claim reference on the first call.
- You will need the death certificate, the BI-1663 notification of death, the claimant’s identity document and proof of banking in the claimant’s own name.
- Send certified copies, never originals.
If the claim is turned down
Ask for the decision in writing with the clause relied on. Non-disclosure and waiting periods are the two usual grounds. Exhaust The Unlimited’s own complaints route first, then take it to the National Financial Ombud Scheme, which is free to you and handles life insurance complaints independently of the insurer.