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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.32 (862 reviews)

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1.33

Based on 862 reviews, last reviewed 24th Dec 2024

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

67% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

5

Customer satisfaction They are vgery focussed and always go the extra step to ensure we are happy Reviewed on: 24th August 2024

Latest lowest rating:

1

Disaster of a credit card company - total fail! We recently tried adding our John Lewis Partnership Card to Apple Pay, only to find it blocked by NewDay, the card provider. Shockingly, this happened... Read more Reviewed on: 24th December 2024

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About this product

Read our John Lewis Finance Partnership Card reviews to help you to find out about the pros and cons of taking out the Partnership credit card. What kind of features does the John Lewis Partnership card have? What do people think of John Lewis' customer service? Does the card have great benefits?

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John Lewis Partnership Card reviews (862)

Review of the John Lewis, Partnership 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

No Problems with Partnership Card

Trouble free switch to new card provider: no problems: same credit limit: monthly direct debits with no issues: second card holder arranged with out difficulty: but I was not expecting problems: if you have a bad experience go to another card! Reviewed on: 10th February 2023

Sadly A Change For The Worse

My John Lewis card, when managed by HSBC, was my goto card and I used it consistently every month even paying for holidays on it. The change over to New Day was a bit complicated and I had to pay 3 times in the first month. I find the credit period has been reduced and this extra payment at the start of each month is un unwanted additional thing to think about. I no longer use the card and would not recommend it. The wrong move John Lewis. Reviewed on: 8th February 2023

Payment returned to my bank

Set up payment for 2nd Feb. The payment was returned to my bank. I had payed previous payments to the card with no problems but checked the details anyway. No notification from new day that they had returned money to my bank . Just as well I checked my bank statement! Reviewed on: 6th February 2023

New Day, New Nightmare

Like many other JL existing credit card customers I had to apply for a new card when JL changed the finance company from HSBC to New Day had a credit limit of 13k now just £250 this make the card unusable due to the low limit. Contacted New Day to ask why and they just sent an automated response asking me to provide countless bank statements to prove income. I paid my credit card in full every month white is this not used to prove I can afford it. I will now be cancelling this card. Very poor decision by JL Reviewed on: 6th February 2023

Simply not as good

I find it really frustrating that I now only get 2 weeks to pay my card..that's not really the idea of a credit card. Also my daughter who has just got her first jl card gets a month to pay..why is that???? Looking at your transactions on the app or actually on your physical statement is not as clear. And most annoying of all when I want to make a payment it does not link to my banking app so asks for my log in and use of a card reader every time. Don't change what is working brilliantly jl. Reviewed on: 5th February 2023

Charged equivalent APR of 0ver 1000%!

Just one more poor review of the new JL card provider, New Day. I logged in to pay my latest statement to find I had an interest charge of £7.59. I eventually got through the labyrinthine telephone selection process and spoke to a very nice "collaborator" or whatever stupid name they have for call centre operators who advised, after a lengthy investigation that this was interest charged on an outstanding amount on my last statement of 79p. That is an APR of more than 1000%! When I queried this, the operator said that was correct. Daily interest is charges at 20%. To his credit, he said he would refund the interest amount, but I'm wondering whether I want to stay with a sharp "payday" loan shark like New Day. Beyond surprised that John Lewis would use them. But I guess they don't care about trashing their reputation... Reviewed on: 3rd February 2023

Lacking in Human Touch

Given New Day's arrogant response to my complaint over the significant fall in service quality compared with the old card, plus JL's apparent indifference, I have moved to Tesco. The financial side was arranged quickly ( by a human! ), and I am impressed by their wider range and better prices . Reviewed on: 1st February 2023

Appalling

We had a £13000 monthly credit limit on the old card, used it for as many purchases as possible and always paid it off. If there were any problems we just rang, spoke to helpful people and made interim payments. We were forced into using this new card which has been a catalogue of headaches and insults, including: 1. My wife being rejected for a new card and me being offered a 2k limit 2. Frequent Pin and locked card problems 3. Confusing payment schedules and credit balances 4. I went £69 over the £2k limit and have been fined £12 and told that all outstanding balances are to be charged at over 30% interest despite making a hefty payment within 4 hours of notification 5. Inability to understand what I need to pay in order to clear the card and then cut it into little pieces. Idiotic insult to customers of over 30 years standing. The old system worked, someone needs to be taken to task for this Reviewed on: 30th January 2023

Total lack of customer appreciation and business management

We have been holders of the John Lewis Partnership Card for in excess of 12 years credit limit of £25,000 cleared fully each month. A considerable weekly spend at Waitrose and monthly purchase of capitol items on-line. The account was terminated by John Lewis as we reside in Jersey UK. A poor business decision by John Lewis Management. Reviewed on: 29th January 2023

DIRE

I have had a Partnership card and before that a JL store card for about 40 years with an impeccable payment record and yet I was refused a new card when the system changed. I complained to New Day who initially said the correct decision had been taken so I made a formal complaint to John Lewis. Eventually New Day relented and said they would issue a card - with a £600 credit limit until I had proved myself! If you don't fit the computer algorithm you are stuffed because your previous record is irrelevant, I don't think they even look at it. John Lewis has lost a customer . Reviewed on: 25th January 2023

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