Cedar Tree Reviews 7.670

We had to cancel our holiday due to mother in law being diagnosed with a terminal illness. We contacted customer support to make a claim. They were helpful and advised of all the necessary documents we needed to submit, which we duly did. A week later we received an email asking for supplementary health questions regarding my MIL. We contacted customer support again and were told they were sent to us in error and ignore, instead we needed to sign another declaration and again were assured that we had submitted all the required documentation. Another week passed and we were now told that bank statements were required as further proof of payment of holiday although we had already submitted the travel company cancellation invoice which originally we were told would be sufficient. We submitted bank statements and then were told it would be a further 10 days before being reviewed again. After having spent hours during this process trying to get through to customer service at a very stressful and difficult time for the family as MIL sadly passed, we requested to speak to a manager to discuss the claim delays. We were informed that no manager was currently available but would call us within 48 hours. We received no call! We’ve phoned customer service yet again and have been informed our claim still needs to be approved and can take up to a further 10 days!!
UPDATE received another email today requesting further information from us. Phoned customer service again! and have been informed another error on their behalf as we have already submitted the requested information some 4 weeks ago. Still have not received any call back as requested. Very inefficient! WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.

Extremely Disappointing Experience – No Support When We Needed It Most

We took out a “travel insurance” policy with Cedar Tree believing it would protect our family in the event of unexpected disruption. Unfortunately, when our return flights from Sri Lanka were cancelled due to conflict in the Middle East, we received absolutely no support.

We were left stranded overseas with two small children, facing enormous stress and uncertainty. To make matters worse, because it was the weekend, there was no one available to speak to about what to do next. No emergency assistance, no guidance — nothing. We had no choice but to purchase new flights home at significant additional cost.

After returning home, Cedar Tree refused to reimburse the cost of the replacement flights. The whole experience has left us feeling that the policy was mis-sold and did not provide the protection we were led to believe it would. At a time when we were vulnerable and needed urgent assistance, they were completely absent.

I would strongly advise others to carefully review the small print before purchasing a policy here. Our experience was deeply disappointing and incredibly stressful for our family.

IN REPLY to comment::

Thank you for your quick response.

I would like to clarify that I did attempt to seek assistance at the time, however when calling the 24/7 number it was advised that it was for medical emergencies only. This left me in an extremely difficult position, as there was no practical support available despite the urgency of the situation. In the circumstances we were facing, clear and accessible guidance was crucial, and unfortunately that was not my experience.

While I appreciate that the policy has paid a small amount under the delayed arrival section, this does not begin to address the significant additional costs we incurred. The airline was unable to reroute us within an acceptable timeframe and did not provide a viable alternative, which left us with no realistic option but to purchase replacement flights ourselves at a substantially higher cost. By that point, prices had escalated considerably due to the ongoing disruption.

I understand your position regarding the airline’s responsibility. However, as a policyholder, I reasonably believed that my travel insurance would provide meaningful support in circumstances such as these particularly during a major international conflict causing widespread disruption. Instead, I have been left approximately £3,000 out of pocket despite acting responsibly and in good faith to return home safely.

I await your formal response to my complaint. I sincerely hope this matter is reviewed thoroughly, as my experience has been both financially and emotionally distressing, and far from what I understood “travel insurance” to provide

Update:

Thanks for your reply. However, I remain disappointed with this service. This rule sits uneasily with the fact that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond, recognising the significant health benefits for both parents and children. Penalising new parents for routine but temporary breastfeeding issues seems disproportionate, especially when other insurers I contacted do not apply a premium for resolved mastitis beyond six months.

I hope you might consider reviewing your approach so that new parents are not discouraged from breastfeeding or penalised for short-term health issues.

Original review:
Have been a customer for years and went to renew my policy as usual. I was shocked to find that because I had mastitis during my breastfeeding journey 8 months ago, an additional £94 was added to our policy that already cost £300. Mastitis is a very common and temporary condition that had fully resolved months ago, so it's bizarre to be penalised for it.

Because of this experience, we will not be renewing and will also be advising friends and family to look elsewhere. Punishing new mums for a common breastfeeding issue is unacceptable.

Easy to get a quote. The workmen came on time were very professional and pleasant. They did an excellent job and cleared away all the mess leaving everywhere tidy.
I would highly recommend this company.

Make sure you read their policies very carefully. Whilst you would expect travel disruption to be a core part of a travel insurance policy, Cedar Tree does not cover additional travel costs in the case of a train/flight cancellation unless you buy an 'add-on'.

Wish we'd read these reviews before purchasing. Trying to speak to a human on the phone is so difficult and then it's hard to make a meaningful claim without an absurd amount of red tape and hoops to jump through compared to other providers we've had to deal with over the years. It takes FOREVER. We will now look to cancel our annual policy as a result

I usually take an annual travel insurance based on the quotes, this has been the second time from Cedartree. I am not into gadgets etc so my main interest/focus is always on medical cover.
Earlier this month I had injured my knee (ligament tear) while holidaying on African island; this is/was my first experience of needing medical help abroad ever.
I couldn't really easily identify the what-to-do process, hence I sent the email to what turned out to be sales team :D They answered back with some helpful links (thank you!), I followed, requested a phone consultation with the doctor in UK (sort of must-do even when no point), got told to go to local clinic. Few more calls over next few days and bit of chaos as well as some lack of support and lack of right decisions; either way, I visited the local clinic twice and paid just my access fee, everything else was covered. I made it back home and claimed back for extra transport I had to use and got back answer withing their 10 days SLA, followed by the payment in full into my account well in their SLA as well.

Overall, given I take travel insurance for medical cover, positive experience. Processes could be better and friendlier given the stress one goes through in given situation and it would also be good if the first-contact responders were easily understandable.
However, it does feel weird to be writing review for Cedartree as their medical cover seems to be provided by Axa and hence the review is (mostly) for them I guess...?

We have held travel insurance with Cedar Tree for 8 years and only needed to raise a claim this year. Hospitalisation was needed following a seizure mid-flight. I had never suffered a seizure before, had been well and had clearance to travel. On contacting Cedar Tree we were advised that all medical costs needed to be covered by us as the policy works on a reimbursement basis. The incident happened in Sep 25, it is now Dec 25 and despite providing receipts, medical discharge summaries, and past medical history the review of my case still has not happened.

On calling the team this morning, they say that the correct internal processes have not been triggered and will now be actioned. This has been a consistent theme: the local administrator abroad was not appointed, and the initial request for medical history were both not done at the point of the incident, with the same reason being given.

I will not be renewing, and I have today asked the Ombudsman for it's support.

I would avoid relying on Cedar Tree for medical assistance if you: do not have significant funds to cover medical costs whilst abroad, or need to rely on those funds to be reimbursed in a reasonable amount of time.

It was too good experience with this site.

I’m really disappointed with this insurance. My claim was rejected simply because my phone / gadgets wasn’t purchased in the UK, even though it’s a genuine Apple product with full global warranty and repair coverage.

I completely understand that terms exist, but this one makes absolutely no practical sense. My family has only been living in the UK for about three years, and like many people, we own devices bought abroad or while travelling. Apparently, none of these are covered — even if they are brand new, genuine, and fully serviceable in the UK.

I bought this policy through MoneySuperMarket, and the restriction wasn’t clearly highlighted. I used to be insured with Admiral before, and their policy didn’t have this kind of unreasonable limitation.

Honestly, I regret choosing this company and wish I had read every single line of the small print. If you’re considering Cedar Tree, please read the exclusions carefully before buying, especially if your gadgets weren’t purchased in the UK.

Hopefully, Cedar Tree will review this outdated and misleading clause, because it really doesn’t reflect how people buy and use tech in 2025.

[update Oct 8]
I’ve now received Cedar Tree’s “final response” to my complaint.
They refused to review my case or offer any goodwill refund, saying that I should have clicked a small “Need Help?” link during the quote process to discover that gadgets must be purchased in the UK.

Realistically, no normal customer buying insurance would dig through a 50-page policy PDF for such a major exclusion. That’s not “clear disclosure” — that’s hiding behind fine print.

I’m a UK resident who bought this policy in good faith to protect my family’s gadgets while travelling. It’s unreasonable to expect people to predict that a legitimate Apple product with global warranty wouldn’t be covered just because it was purchased abroad.

The company’s response took zero accountability and instead blamed consumers. I’ll be taking this further with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

I strongly warn anyone considering Cedar Tree: read every line of the exclusions before you buy. This policy feels designed to catch customers out rather than to protect them.

「update Oct 8 - 2]
Update – company doubling down with poor reasoning

Cedar Tree replied saying that “99% of UK residents buy their phones in the UK” and that “non-UK devices can be harder to repair.”

That completely misses the point. The issue isn’t about how many people buy phones abroad — it’s about fairness and relevance of the exclusion itself. Apple and other major brands provide global repair and warranty, and any UK Apple Store can service an iPhone purchased overseas.

This means the restriction has no practical basis today. Other insurers (like Admiral, CoverForYou, and Staysure) cover ownership, not just purchase location.

Cedar Tree keeps insisting their disclosure is “proportionate,” but expecting a customer to find a critical exclusion hidden in a “Need Help?” link isn’t “clear, fair and not misleading.” It’s just bad practice.

I still believe this clause is outdated and unfair — and I’ve already referred the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service for review.

Cedar Tree Travel Insurance Company.

Cedar Tree
Travel Insurance Company

I got a family travel insurance policy and got stuck in Paris during Air Traffic control strikes. I called them to report my claim as I was still in France, crossing the country to try to get home, I was told I could claim all costs once I had returned to the UK. I logged the claim and got a £50 settlement notice, 3 month later without any explanation. I had to call them to be told that the "Classic" policy only covers you for delay, not disruption. WT...! Is a delay not a disruption?! It feels like the kind of nuance that should be made clear to customer. They are misleading people into buying useless policies. Don't waste your time!

Great travel insurance, our son had an accident requiring surgery on the day we were due to fly. At an extremely emotive and stressful time the call agents were empathetic and paid the claim to us for needing to cancel the holiday swiftly. A big thank you for making a hugely difficult time easier. Would not hesitate to insure with them again.

Jaye and his team came today and they have left my garden looking brighter and very tidy. They were truly amazing. They wasted no time in pruning the big cherry tree and also gave a service with a smile. Truly thankful and grateful guys you trio make a brilliant team.

Jay and he's Team arrived on time ,did a great job.And cleared up to a very high standard. JOB WELL DONE!!

I have made 4 attempts to contact and make a claim- insured damaged luggage. No reply, no returned call. I would never use this company again. I have a policy no. But can’t add here as the review will be rejected - resolved less than a week later- I appreciate it. However it’s a shame it took me leaving a 1 start review to get a service I had paid for

Went on holiday, had a medical emergency and went to a hospital. Insurance company requested medical history but never actually made the request to the doctor unbeknownst to us, apparently due to "technical issues". This left us unable to get proper treatment because the hospital couldn't confirm cover for expensive treatment.

But, we thought, we'll just claim the treatment we had when we got home. So we did, and we had to get medical history. This took some time, but when we did it was sent from the gp to the insurer, who then didn't contact us at all. When we chased them, again for some technical or human reason the history hadn't been passed to the medical team. We were promised contact after the weekend.
Roll onto the next Friday, still no contact and we chased again. Apparently they need more medical history, but again had not bothered to contact us, and this has now been months.

I understand the need to investigate a claim, but honest this has been an absolute joke of error after error and we've been incredibly patient. We will be making a formal complaint but I wanted to make sure others see this too.

EDIT: While Cedar Tree did get back to me and have asked for a copy of the hospital invoice (which I have provided) I've still yet to hear on a final decision. I will update the review further with the final outcome if I can.

Great service provided by waitress called moon. Child friendly environment and moon had exceptional customer service throughout the visit and was really great with our child.

Needed to cancel our holiday as my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer on 13/06, by 23/06 I had received my notification of refund!! 10 days, wow. Will definitely use again