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John Lewis: Partnership credit card reviews

Name: Partnership credit card
Rating: 2.07 (908 reviews)

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2.07

Based on 908 reviews, last reviewed 6th Oct 2026

67% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

100% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

87%

Latest highest rating:

5

I am happy I am happy to share my experience about John Lewis credit card. It's amazing and they provide high credit. Good service. Excellent app. Reviewed on: 14th July 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

BEWARE THIS UNTRUSTWORTHY CREDIT CARD So many bad experiences with this card – automated telephone systems that end in dead ends, making it impossible to report fraud; refunds from third p... Read more Reviewed on: 6th October 2026

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About this product

With the John Lewis Partnership credit card, you earn points on eligible purchases to get John Lewis and Waitrose gift cards.

You can check your eligibility in minutes without affecting your credit rating. There are also John Lewis Partnership cardholder offers, prize draws and opportunities to boost your points.

John Lewis Partnership credit card reviews help you find out what it’s really like to be a customer. If you’ve used John Lewis before, you can also leave a review and share your experience.

John Lewis Partnership credit card reviews (908)

Review of the John Lewis, Partnership credit card:

JLP and Newday in cahoots.

Told I'm ineligible - despite >50 years loyal JLP customer, 5 figure credit limit and score excellent - I have after communications with JLP managers concluded that this oust has been orchestrated by JLP. From sources including JLP and Newday websites,, I speculate: JL stores are in financial difficulty, currently supported by Waitrose itself on the brink. It’s not that JLP doesn't want higher spending loyal customers, it sure does; but what it wants is custom that doesn’t sap profits.    With the HBSC JL Partnership card, each £1 spent qualifies for a point, whose number depends upon whether spent at JL and/or W or elsewhere. The more elsewhere the less JLP gets the more it costs JLP. I think it used to be one point for every £1 spent in JLP, two for every £1 elsewhere. Nowadays for some eligible purchases at JL and W 5 points for every £4 spent; and for other eligible purchases at JL and W 1 point for every £4; 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. Fewer vouchers for spending elsewhere is not a deterrent. For example, if a card-holder with £5,000 credit limit spends £4000 a month elsewhere then JLP issues vouchers. Vouchers can only be used in JL or W but it doesn't follow the purchase price has to exceed the vouchers value. A cardholder could amass a substantial sum in vouchers without having spent a penny at JL or W. When using vouchers to buy in JL or W not have to buy anything involving any extra payment for the difference between the vouchers and price. JLP would make a loss. JLP says that over the last five years £230m has been issued in vouchers. How much of approximately £126,000 a day average has gone to customers that haven't paid JLP anything. By enlisting Newday to either render higher credit limit existing Partnership cardholders ineligible or where the applicant is eligible a substantially lower limit JLP is reducing the value of vouchers issued. JLP is probably getting a share of any interest paid by new card-holders and paying a lower commission on receivables (transaction sales). JLP I suspect envisages that where an existing Partnership cardholder is rejected that person would obtain a desired credit limit from another card provider and continue to buy from JL/W whenever. Whether enough existing Partnership cardholders would want to continue loyal to JLP is a separate issue. A JLP partner qualifying for discount told me that for most goods and services there are cheaper deals elsewhere. Not a deposit-taker Newday hasn't any revenue beyond credit cards. It borrows to re-lend, loan note interest between 2% and 6+% a year - with interest rates rising costs will go up: for how much longer its business is sustainable is anyone's guess. To finance JLP's transaction, Newday has taken out a loan of £650M. Any cardholder paying the whole balance monthly is getting an interest-free loan from the date of purchase to balance payment date - if you time it carefully then up to 45 days - so for that reason alone an existing JL Partnership cardholder is ineligible. Newday plans to float shares on the stock market next year so boosting the number of cardholders is to impress shareholders. A £5000 credit limit to one card holder (unlikely to pay interest) is akin to £500 limit to 10 card holders (likely to pay some interest). The net proceeds of a stock market float (rumoured capitalisation £2.5Bn) would provide a injection of interest-free cash. The sad part is that JLP could increase its profit margin and number of loyal customers without having to resort to destroying long-term customer relationships with JLP. Instead of the vouchers issued regardless of where a JL Partnership cardholder spends, the vouchers should be linked to the myJohnLewis and myWaitrose cards. Show or scan a my-card before paying and have the voucher value credited to the my-card - and since printing on paper is costly to administer, to issue every JL and W customer a my-card which can be produced by the customer at the check-out for credit and debit with the points/voucher value. Reviewed on: 5th September 2022

BEWARE THIS UNTRUSTWORTHY CREDIT CARD

So many bad experiences with this card – automated telephone systems that end in dead ends, making it impossible to report fraud; refunds from third parties not passed on, one of the worst chatbots in the industry and failure to provide consumer protection or follow legal requirements re redirecting refunds from cancelled or expired cards. Instead, they send the refund back to the retailer and tell you it's your problem. Blocked without reasons when travelling abroad so that you cannot rely on it; while allowing over £1000 of unverified fraud to go through. Staggering that the John Lewis brand is associated with such an untrustworthy and frankly shabby product. Reviewed on: 6th October 2026

Appalling customer service

I have been holding a John Lewis credit card for about 30 years. The transition to Newday has been catastrophic. It is clear that they cannot manage or deliver the service. There is no one to speak to after 8pm and if the computer says no to a transaction you are stuck! Their system is very primitive and cannot differentiate between a fraudulent and a genuine transaction. So if in doubt it stops the process. And if you need to complete a payment you'll need to wait till the following day. Service ha! I will be terminating my membership cause it has become very unreliable as a service. Reviewed on: 19th September 2026

Avoid like the plague

I am a senior citizen. A transaction I made at the weekend was blocked. The person I spoke to on Saturday did not believe I was me. I spoke to the fraud people today who treated me like a criminal, called me a liar, and only reinstated my card on the condition that any future transactions, if fraudulent, would not be covered by them. They don’t have to worry on that score, as my card is being closed after a stinging complaint to them and John Lewis. Reviewed on: 14th September 2026

New Day is utterly rubbish

New Day is utterly rubbish hence why Amazon don’t use them anymore I guess! Why does the awful app log you off and insist on entering all the information manually every so often. Even the mainstream banks don’t do this! It’s like they don’t want you to spend money! Reviewed on: 29th August 2026

newday not up to the John Lewis standard

Since John Lewis moved its credit card service to NewDay it’s been awful… so damaging to JL brand. Reviewed on: 15th August 2026

The Partnership card is now virtually unusable.

The Partnership card is now virtually unusable. It frequently refuses to allow online transactions, it blocks transactions particularly for the additional card holder and has become more trouble than it is with. Pity as we have had a card with John Lewis for probaby 20 years. Now its god riddance. Reviewed on: 15th August 2026

Ditched after 15 years

Ever since John Lewis changed their card provider to Newday, it has been abysmal.The gap between when the statement is available and when the direct debit kicks in is far too short, I don’t understand why it takes 3 days to generate a PDF. Their customer service is terrible. The final straw for me was when I was refunded for a cancelled holiday (£5k) , Newday refused to take this into account before taking my direct debit ( £2.5k) and took the whole amount. It meant my account was in credit for ages and I couldn’t actually get my hands on my refund to use for anything else . Interaction with their staff on this was appalling . Reviewed on: 19th July 2026

I am happy

I am happy to share my experience about John Lewis credit card. It's amazing and they provide high credit. Good service. Excellent app. Reviewed on: 14th July 2026

Random blocks on online usage

Random blocks on online transactions including those with large companies like Sainsburys and Boots have meant that we cannot rely on the card. All the problems started when JL outsourced admin to Newday - who are hopeless. After 15 years, we will be moving to a new provider. Reviewed on: 10th July 2026

Poor customer experience

Received a text message to call New Day urgently re suspected fraud when trying to renew my car insurance online and payment was blocked. Immediately phoned the number to find that office hours are nine to five and to call back tomorrow. No way to unblock my card. Others problems are paper statements arriving after due date and lack of contact numbers on the New Day JL partnership website. Bring back HSBC as the card provider. In my view, card now not worth having unless you shop mainly at Waitrose and JL. Reviewed on: 22nd June 2026

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