Write a review

John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.33 (876 reviews)

View other John Lewis products

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

Read all reviews See your review

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?

Find out more about the Partnership card by reading our reviews from the Smart Money People community - people like you. You can also write your own John Lewis Partnership Card review to share your own experiences.

Smart Money People is the UK's leading financial services review and insight hub. Together, we can make financial services work better for everyone.

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

Total mess

The decision by John Lewis to switch credit card providers has backfired badly. I have suffered no financial loss but the confusion and administration issues (ongoing as third party sites still seem to prefer my old moribund JL card) have been a real nuisance. Thanks to JL for the £5 credit voucher following my complaint to them. I shall still shop at JL but I am afraid I won't be using JL card - that is going in the shredder! Reviewed on: 5th January 2023

Useless since Newday take over

My card gets rejected by half of online websites, absolute waste of time. Reviewed on: 3rd January 2023

Not impressed

Warning - 0% balance transfer doesn’t exist if you use your card to also buy with. Just been informed that because I bought items with the card, I’m now liable to interest payments until I clear the whole amount, including the transfer amount. Reviewed on: 3rd January 2023

Totally unimpressed

Had great difficulty understanding what has happened to my account. Have been charged late payment fee which was due to be refunded, but has not been yet. Charged interest on balance outstanding in spite of making payment by direct debit!. Am still arguing about that one. PIN changed without notification, so card refused in Waitrose. I could go on all day about this. I think JL need to get their act together better here. And the administration/accounting department at New Day seems to be shambolic. Reviewed on: 3rd January 2023

Make it impossible to pay off your card then charge late fees

Every month had to reset password to pay card balance online to point my login was locked each month and eventually gave up paying online, then tried paying over phone but either phone lines would be down or when calling them up would get interference on the line and other people in another language talking whilst it was ringing which seemed extremely fraudulent so gave up on that method in end. Eventually settled on paying by cheque each month which was a hassle itself so was relieved when they informed all customers that the card company was changing and to continue using the partnership card would have to reapply. Took the opportunity to switch to a different credit card company (M&S) which in comparison make it super easy to pay off credit card and check account balance whenever like via their secure app. Was then bombarded with letters, texts and emails from John Lewis for several months despite blocking their number asking me to apply for their new credit card. Out of spite they then charged a late payment fee of £15.67 on the very last payment I made to them (having never incurred any late fees in the 7 years I owned a partnership card) this was a cheque payment during the 2022 December Royal Mail postal strikes so I ensured I sent cheque extra early and the date written on the cheque corroborates this. The fact they would not take the postal strikes into account for their service users who can now only pay off their accounts by cheque due to their incapable and inefficient online and phone services shows what a despicable company John Lewis has become. They can have the extra £15 they decided to squeeze out out of malice as it’s good riddance to a sham company who is clearly on its a**e. Reviewed on: 2nd January 2023

useless

What has JL done/ Absolute chaos I am going to cancel my card this week HNY Reviewed on: 2nd January 2023

We have been thrown to the lions

This changeover to a new card has been an absolute disaster. I have numerous accounts that had the old card details and I am continuing being notified that some renewal or other has failed. The app is unpredictable and I can’t even open it now. What a PR disaster for John Lewis Finance. They must be run by a bunch of incompetents. Reviewed on: 31st December 2022

Balance transfer not actually zero percent

I used the John Lewis offer of transferring my old balance from the HSBC provided card to tye new card provided by New Day. Thinking I would have the extra period to pay this off. Imagine my surprise when I see interest on my next statement. After calling and speaking to a New Day rep on behalf of John Lewis I was advised the only way not to pay interest was to clear the whole balance including the interest free balance transfer. I was advised that the company used money I payed to cover both the retail spend and balance transfer spend. I have put in a formal complaint as I said this is against what is advertised. Plus no other credit card works thi.s way. I am now waiting on a response from my complaint. But after being a John Lewis customer for 35 years I am on the verge of closing my account. Reviewed on: 31st December 2022

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid!

It seems like I am one of many loyal and long-standing John Lewis Partnership Cardholders who have been truly and utterly sold down the river. The change in credit card provider from HSBC to New Day has been nothing short of farcical. The whole process has been confusing, complicated and hugely stressful. Like others have said the 0% Balance Transfer option is a scam. After years of clearing the balance each month I am now being hit with interest charges left, right and centre and I have been left seriously out of pocket at a time when things are hard enough as it is with soaring inflation and the cost of living crisis. The Customer Service was New Day has been non-existent. With this disastrous change John Lewis has shown nothing but contempt for its customers. If I could give them a 0 out of 5 rating I would but unfortunately I can't proceed with this review without giving them at least one star. Reviewed on: 30th December 2022

Waste of time, lies all the way down

Offered a massively worse APR than the previous card despite the offer to transfer over with a comparable APR. Totally pointless. Reviewed on: 30th December 2022

Do you have a different John Lewis product?

Share your experiences with products to help others make smarter financial decisions and learn more about different products available. Write a review

Are you a business? Get insights, reply to reviews, invite customers and understand their needs

Alternative products

Flex Purchase credit card
from Monzo 4.95 from 2512 reviews
Credit card
from Debenhams 2.38 from 13 reviews
Credit card
from Luma 4.00 from 2 reviews

Want to see more from John Lewis?

Travel Insurance
from John Lewis 4.75 from 3 reviews
Breakdown Insurance
from John Lewis 4.00 from 1 reviews
Home insurance
from John Lewis 2.17 from 72 reviews

View all products

Join Smart Money People

Keep up to date on ratings of your favourite businesses. Find out about our awards and write new reviews with ease

Create an account

News, guides and insight from our team

View resource hub