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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.32 (868 reviews)

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1.33

Based on 868 reviews, last reviewed 6th May 2025

100% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

33% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

5

Good credit card with money back The JL partnership card is good because it gives some money back, dependent on how much money you spend, in the form of vouchers to be spent in JL or ... Read more Reviewed on: 27th February 2025

Latest lowest rating:

1

If I could score lower than 1 star I would. If I could score lower than 1 star I would.. I’ve been trying to increase my credit limit .. you can’t even GIVE them money! Customer services are no... Read more Reviewed on: 6th May 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 (868)

Review of the John Lewis, Partnership Card:

Reasons for ineligible or derisory credit limit?

Told ineligible for the newday JL Partnership card - despite >40 years loyal JL/W customer, credit score excellent, £12,000 credit limit and superb payment record - I have commented on Trustpilot and Linked-in and direct to upper echelons of JL. I was upset and livid to begin with. Composure regained - withdrawn my application - I have been thinking about why ineligible and why paltry credit limits. Newday is akin to a parasite, not a lender in its own right, it has to borrow to lend. It pays interest between 2% and 6%+ on its borrowings - source: loan notes listed on London Stock Exchange - so cannot afford to subsidise cardholders that do not pay interest. Newday is a puppet, its strings pulled by funds advised by Cinven and CVC Capital Partners. With plans to float on the stock market, newday wants to increase the number of cardholders to boost its standing in the minds of investors. One cardholder with for example £5000 credit limit and paying the whole of the balance monthly (no profit for newday) equates to 10 cardholders each £500 limit, mostly incurring interest (profit for newday). Newday has taken out a loan circa £650M to pay JLP for receivables (source: newday results presentation August 2022) - a loan carrying interest will ultimately have to be paid for by cardholders. The presentation highlights perceived benefit of the JLP account. "Higher customer transaction volume and loyalty. Diversifies customer base towards prime. Delivers growth and attractive profit profile." Newaday’s 28.9% cost to income ratio maintained only if existing and new cardholders pay at least the same amount of interest. Ineligibility is I would think also orchestrated by JLP. A JL manager assures me JLP would have been satisfied with its due diligence. JLP is in financial difficulty. Its overheads and operating costs are unsustainable: top-heavy with overpaid managers and ceo, not attracting enough retired part-time workers for saving on National insurance it is suffering wage inflation, most generic products and services on offer are a soft touch for competitors. With profit margins shrinking, JLP strategy is for JL Financial Services to become an important profit centre in its own right. As agent for insurers, JLP gets commission. Likely a cut of the interest paid by cardholders. I would think JLP wants to reduce the cost of the vouchers cardholders get when using the card whether or not in JL and/or W. A form of cash-back, the idea of the vouchers was that cardholders would mainly buy from JL and/or W, not as I suspect most do to mostly buy elsewhere. The points differential is not enough to deter. As JL Financial Services knows how much cardholders spend, what they buy when and where, I suspect JLP has analysed every existing credit limit and told newday to get rid of what JL regard as unprofitable cardholders via ineligibility or derisory credit limits. Although it appears that JLP has alienated its core customers, from JLP's perspective it could be argued partly our own fault for not regarding JL and W as our sole suppliers. I am proper loyal to W in particular but I gather my attitude is unusual. If f i were to buy elsewhere something that JL or W sells then what I spend elsewhere wouldn't be helping JLP so rather than shop around I only shop at Waitrose. I doubt JLP rates newday for customer service, more likely for ruthlessness. JLP is I suspect using newday to do its dirty work. In its presentation newday says "Moved to the latest version of Customer Management bureau data and tightened growth strategies for existing customers" and "Tightening of affordability criteria and initial credit limits for new customers". On balance if what i reckon is correct or something along those lines then that doesn't say much for JLP's ethics but then again JLP is not what it was. Reviewed on: 30th August 2022

NewDay is trashing of the John Lewis brand

Just another example of deterioration in the service quality branded under John Lewis. Ever since NewDay took over the old JL card, the amittedly few occasions we have had to contact them have led to poor customer experience and a total lack of human service. Their processes such as for fraud prevention are lamentable. They blocked a small regular monthly payment to our mobile phone service provider as it was a suspected fraud, even though the same amount had been paid each month under all the same process many times before. We had to launch a complaint to be heard properly, but all this resulted in was a standard 'we didn't make any errors' complaints decision. Their processes are too automated and designed by people who really don't seem to be very experienced as customers at all. And there seems to be very poor understanding of what the JL brand has meant in the UK psyche for so many years. We would say NewDay is possibly going to be viewed as the final nail in JL's coffin over the next few years. Reviewed on: 12th September 2024

Please dump Newday for a more reliable supplier

I couldn't agree more with the person who reported "New Day are Trashing John Lewis's reputation ". Trying to prepay for a large item is virtually imposible. Getting a credit limit anywhere near the one available with the previous card supplier (HSBC) is impossible and to add insult to injury, today my card is not being accepted, although it is nowhere near the credit limit. I have just tried to look at my transaction history and the site is "currently unavailable".PleaseJOHN LEWIS, PLEASE DUMP THIS USELESS NEWDAY CROWD. Reviewed on: 12th September 2024

New Day are Trashing John Lewis's reputation

Since John Lewis moved to New Day as their Partnership card service provider, I have had nothing but trouble using the card. They decline some of my purchases for what they say are “Security reasons”. The latest decline put me in difficulties at the start of a family holiday where they declined the charge that was required to cover the damage deposit on the car hire. This would have meant I couldn’t hire the car, even though I’d paid for the hire of it in the UK using the same card. Luckily, I was able to juggle my finances apps and made sufficient room on another car to complete the hire. New Day say on their website that I didn’t need to inform them when travelling abroad, but maybe I should have tried anyway. Why do I not have any issues with any other credit card? Having returned to the UK, I called “New Day” to complain and to understand why I keep getting my card declined only to be told by the handler that “there is a lot of fraud about”. They also said I should have called them to “get permission” to make the purchase. I pointed out that I was abroad, and a credit card is supposed to be a convenience not a hindrance. Unfortunately, from my point of view, “New Day” are also trashing John Lewis’s reputation at the same time as their own, so will be steering clear of both “New Day” and John Lewis in future. Reviewed on: 28th August 2024

Customer satisfaction

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

Rubbish card

It takes 5 days from when my direct debit is paid from my bank to clear my account with this credit card provider. So if I’ve used it to its limit I am unable to use it again till 5 days into the new month. Also I am unable to pay into the account by a bank transfer if I want to make an extra payment. This was a useful credit card till it was changed to New Day. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2024

Just love the rewards with this card

Just love the rewards with this card Reviewed on: 16th June 2024

Good rewards

Love the fact that I get rewards for using my card Reviewed on: 28th May 2024

Excellent on clarity and reward

Like the reward and the very clear website and online account management. I have borrowed cash recently. This needed to show on my statement but did not appear quickly enough. However, easy to get the money! Reviewed on: 24th May 2024

Great benefits with John Lewis vouchers, with increa...

Great benefits with John Lewis vouchers, with increased cash back on spend at John Lewis and Waitrose stores. Good app for managing card account, for security checks when making on line transactions and reviewing spend against credit limit Reviewed on: 24th May 2024

Great for Waitrose customers

Great if you shop at Waitrose and John Lewis Reviewed on: 24th May 2024

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