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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

Absolute disgrace - the new John Lewis Chairman should be FIRED immediately she is set to RUIN JOHN LEWIS

Ex - Loyal John Lewis 'Partnership Card' holder and Customer. NOTICE THE EX- STATEMENT. Should any company treat its long-standing loyal customers with absolute disdain and lack of respect, they should fail and go out of business. I hope you read this JL as you have LOST a life-time loyal customer , who has spent many thousands on JL expensive purchases over many decades - well lets say enough is enough! Since you farmed out your HSBC credit card to the UTTERLY APPALLING JOKERS 'NEW-DAY' WHO ARE CLEARLY AN UNFIT FINANCE COMPANY WITH ONE OF THE WORST REPUTATIONS IN THE WHOLE FINANCE INDUSTRY AND WHY 'AMAZON' DUMPED THEM. CLEARLY JOHN LEWIS KNOWS THEY HAVE BEEN FINED OVER £1000,000 BY THE FSA AND YET THEY DECIDE TO GET IN TO BED WITH THE SHOWER OF CLOWNS TO SAVE SOME MONEY!!!!!!! JOHN LEWIS - YOU ARE ON THE PRECIPICE AND IF YOU CONTINUE WITH YOUR DELINQUENT DISREGARD FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS - - - - YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED ------ AND YOU WILL FAIL AND BECOME YET ANOTHER BANKRUPT COMPANY!! Reviewed on: 10th December 2022

Oh Dear

I see the bank that New Day use to process payments (or not) have been fined £ 107 million for failures to operate securely and risking financial crime . Reviewed on: 9th December 2022

John Lewis abandons loyal customers to Newday

Well not at all what you expect from John Lewis, the new partnership card handled by Newday is not a suitable substitute for the original. Credit term has been cut by 10 days and should you leave a balance amount interest is charged on all new purchases as well. Shall pay off full amount and curtail further usage. Reviewed on: 9th December 2022

Poor substitute

Worse on every measure - poor service and short time between statement print date and due payment - designed to demand interest and making it difficult to clear your balance Reviewed on: 8th December 2022

John Lewis no longer care about customers

Had the old card since it was launched and well satisfied. New card regularly demands full chip/pin insert. Amazon refused to accept new card "your bank requires verification". Yet another John Lewis change that falls flat and they clearly don't care. Reviewed on: 8th December 2022

Purchases declined and card blocked!!!!

I got a John Lewis credit card but when I used the card it was declined. I called customer service but it was 7.01pm and their phone lines close at 7pm and they don't use any other mechanism to prove that it's the cardholder making a genuine purchase - like a text or automated service like we now use in 2022!!! I called them the following day to be told that I am not the cardholder and they believe the purchase to be fraudulent!!! After some time on the phone trying to convince them that I am indeed the cardholder I was told that I will have to wait for a call back from them to discuss the matter. Well guess what, it's been 2 weeks and no one has called me to unblock my card or apologise for the inconvenience of them blocking my credit card, so today I called them to cancel the account and it was completely automated (so they use automation when it suits them - not to actually help the customer). They don't care why you're leaving, they don't even want to speak to you! So my advice is steer well clear - this company does not deserve our money! Best to stick to reputable banks such as Barclays. Reviewed on: 8th December 2022

Does John Lewis Not Care?

The new partnership card is hopeless and the service offered by Newday is non-existent. Having used the old Partnership card (and having been a loyal John Lewis/Waitrose customer for decades), I applied for the new credit card and received it in October. I quickly found out that it was unreliable and would not work for many purchases and/or failed to register with companies/apps I regularly use, was virtually impossible to settle the balance via bank transfer, and had a ridiculously short period between statement date and payment due date - all things others have mentioned. I wrote to complain, hoping it would be seen by someone at John Lewis, but so far have only had two texts on 11 and 28 November from Newday, saying I will hear from them 'soon'. I can only assume that the delay is due to the volume of complaints being so large. I wonder why no-one from John Lewis seems in the slightest bit interested in the fact that so many of its loyal customers are frustrated and furious. Like many others, I have now transferred my credit card transactions to another retail provider and now do my grocery shopping anywhere other than Waitrose, because John Lewis simply do not seem to care. Reviewed on: 7th December 2022

Friendly customer service but card operation nearly utterly useless

Since receiving the new card I have had to contact customer services three times. Their system to get through to an actual person is beyond ridiculous. Once answered they are friendly and helpful but be sure to ask them to promise to call you back if you get cut off, otherwise you'll go through the whole soul-destroying process over again. The reasons for the calls have all been the same - the card has not been accepted on a number of websites which is very unhelpful, especially just before Christmas. Having been a JL customer since the early 80's I'd like to stick with them but I confess that wasting my time having to phone them is making me think twice, I feel that if they can't get the card to work then I think I may have to give it up. Such a shame they didn't do this change-over more successfully, especially as HSBC delivered good service, as did their customer service in the past. Reviewed on: 7th December 2022

Worried about NewDay credibility

I've had the misfortune to be scammed on a purchase made on the NEWDAY credit card. Dealing with customer services has been so poor I'm beginning to wonder if this company is working properly. Since reporting the problem and sending in relevant documentation over a week ago I have received 1 text saying they were now going to send 4 questions. I haven't received them. I contacted them again and spent over an hour getting through. When I did I was told to wait for them to come through. They still haven't. I'm worried. What is going on? Reviewed on: 7th December 2022

Rubbish provider - New day

absolute nightmare with the new provider. No statements at all for nearly 2 months as others has mentioned. Payment due date is the 20th and new statement date is on the 5TH OF DECEMBER!!!! DUE DATE 20TH DECEMBER!!! what sort of credit card company is this? 15 days to generate a statement - such a big gap and payment is requested in 15 days!! I was under the impression you need to give customer at least 21 days to pay.. List can go on.. totally disappointed with John Lewis choice of underwriter.. Loved the HSBC backed partnership card. Reviewed on: 7th December 2022

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