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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

valued customer refused card

I had a partnership card for the last 20 years but now apparently I don't earn enough to be given a card (even though they also checked my husband's income). When I complained about this to John Lewis financial services they basically said that the new partnership card was nothing to do with them. Reviewed on: 12th January 2023

This new Partnership Card is a disaster. I

The new Partnership Card is a disaster as far as I am concerned. It never allows me to 'flash' it despite using the much slower PIN way occasionally. Such a bore. And the bumph they send you about what you owe them and whether or not the DD has been taken is toally indecipherable. Assistants at Waitrose today said they had endless trouble with it and did eye-rolls. What shame JL changed their provider. Hopeless decision. Reviewed on: 12th January 2023

Awful new card

JLP credit card was entirely trouble free. This new one is not to the same standard. I’m trying to renew a subscription and apparently it’s being refused. However the bank has not contacted me for verification. Reviewed on: 12th January 2023

Disaster

I have been with the old JL card since 2001 and have been very disappointed by the new day JL credit card they only give you 2 weeks to pay your balance instead of the normal 4 weeks which to me is not user friendly in my option they are taking advantage of there JL loyal customer base I am in the process of looking into changing my credit card company and spending my money elsewhere good bye JL & Waitrose. Reviewed on: 10th January 2023

Disasterous

The New Day (Santander) John Lewis Credit card is a disaster! What on earth have John Lewis done? I've binned it off now after my experiences at the beginning of November. There was a distinct lack of help, customer service, common sense and logic. Underhand tactics was certainly my suspicion. disguising the total amount to be paid. It should show this on the front page. I do not like "Payment Requested Amount" showing the minimum amount so if you aren't careful you will get interest charges. My credit limit has plummeted to £1,900 when my old JL card (HSBC) was £8,300. I requested the 5th of every month as the payment date but it was ignored and surprised to see it being the 10th of the month to pay. This meant at the start, I had to pay two bills (statement from my old card and statement on New Day card within 5 days of each other. The statement did not give any information on how to pay or who to pay by online banking so I rang the help line. The assistant was incapable of giving me correct information, she said, just pay Amazon! I got several aggressive text messages suggesting that I should set up a direct debit. No sadly I would not recommend this card service to anyone. Reviewed on: 9th January 2023

Not to be trusted

Found out when paying for shopping that my card was invalid. Last December statement told me my balance was £0 and have nothing to pay on Jan 5th On accessing my account online discovere I had defaulted on a payement and would be charged £12 for late payment. Problem caused by JL sending me a another statement on line and asking for payement on Jan 5th, On telephonng was told I need to set up a new Direct Debit to cover my new card. This was never made clear and we shouold have been told the card was invalid before the embrassment of rejection. I have had a JL card for over 25 years and never defaulted on full payment. This disrepectful to loyal customers Reviewed on: 9th January 2023

JLP need to check with whom they get into bed....

I have been shocked by the antics of this new JLP contractor as have many others. The Partnership would have had a clue if they carried out some due diligence and found that one of the private equity owners of this 'newday' entity was, in July 2021, fined £43m (yes £43,000,000) by the UK Competition and Markets Authority for its part in a generic drug pricefixing scandal, which had resulted in the National Health Service being overcharged by 'hundreds of millions of pounds' over several years" Reviewed on: 8th January 2023

HOPELESS

The new day application is a disaster for some customers without smart phone or internet . My elderly chum had to got to Peter Jones twice, where everything was kindly set up with him , but then , a month later , the direct debit was not taken. Previously he had paid by checque . He was shocked, unable to speak to anyone on the phone. Wonderful Peter Jones staff helped him again, but the card has been cut up and he has decided he no longer with be a JL / Waitrose customer. Reviewed on: 7th January 2023

Nothing good about it

Advertise balance transfers to from old card still get charged interest then find out no other card takes balance transfers from this card Reviewed on: 7th January 2023

Avoid this card

I transferred to the Newday card on 1st November 22 after 6 years with the old partnership card. I had a nil balance in November and by mid December, I had been charged £27 in interest. As previous reviewers have said, I have not paid interest before, I make payments on time etc and this feels like a complete scam. I am with the other reviewers - don't do it. Reviewed on: 7th January 2023

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