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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.33 (876 reviews)

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1.33

Based on 876 reviews, last reviewed 25th Sep 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

No new 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

5

had a partnership card for years now. had a partnership card for years now. love the rewards vouchers on spends and the points you are awarded for using their credit card which i normally ... Read more Reviewed on: 12th June 2025

Latest lowest rating:

1

If your phone is stolen, you cannot verify anything. I had my phone and card stolen, to cancel your card you need your phone... to do anything, you need your phone. So then decided to used the chat servi... Read more Reviewed on: 25th September 2025

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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 (876)

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

Useless Credit Limit

Bought a TV in JL and new card declined at payment counter. Later discovered new provider had reduced my limit from £2000 to £600. No explanation. Always clear payments monthly. Callcentre no help. App no help. Sending card back and will use my other cards. Reviewed on: 16th January 2023

New credit card is useless

I tried to buy shoes online from a trader I had not used before but the card was refused twice using different security options which all passed. When I telephoned Newday they told me that they block all new traders even though security checks are passed. What use is that? Supposing it was an airline ticket or a hotel and booking was lost. In the end I could not use the card after it was unblocked as the trader would not accept it after 2 failures. This card is ruining JL's reputation. Reviewed on: 14th January 2023

Appalling app and equally appalling customer service

I have held one of the old Partnership cards for 20 years and have been very pleased with both the app and the customer service behind it. The new John Lewis credit card is a disaster - the app is tortuous and almost impossible to get any help from. It takes hours of frustration to get a response to a phone call and the chat facility is a waste of time. I disputed a transaction from Uber in Amsterdam as I never used Uber and hadn’t left the UK in over 3 years. It took hours, literally, to report this and, eventually, after emailing senior executives in Newday and John Lewis, I was told that the money would be refunded, which it was after 3 weeks from the original Uber transaction. Then, on two occasions, my credit card was rejected. After further frustrations trying to contact Newday, I was informed that my card had been frozen due to possible fraud use. Never was I informed about this by either Newday or john Lewis. The CEO of Newday is: Mr John Hourican and his email is john.hourican@newday And the Executive Director (Finance) of John Lewis is Ms Bérengère Michel, Executive Director and she can be contacted via [email protected] Reviewed on: 14th January 2023

WATCH OUT BE CAREFUL USING THIS CARD

As previous reviewers have stated, I too have fallen foul of the reduced minimum time to pay and as everything is online i missed the first payment costing me £42.88 in fees and late payments to date. Be very careful, I am not impressed with this card to date, but will stop using it except for emergencies so JL and the credit card company lose in the end. A little bit more understanding of their customer base would go along way. M&S fortunately is improving - maybe worth going there now? Reviewed on: 13th January 2023

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

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