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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.32 (863 reviews)

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1.33

Based on 863 reviews, last reviewed 20th Feb 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

40% 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

Ever since NewDay took over it has been chaos. Ever since NewDay took over it has been chaos. This happens frequently. I receive messages stating my bill was not paid on time, when it was.. All fi... Read more Reviewed on: 20th February 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 (863)

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

New credit card lousy

This is just about JL's new credit card, not John Lewis in general. I got new cards for myself and my wife with only a limited amount of annoyance and wasted time compared to the problems experienced by many others. But, with our cards working OK, we have not fully escaped the incompetence of the new card company, New Card. I have just received our first monthly statement and, very annoyingly, it does not distinguish which card was used for what. The old card did, as does our bank cards. Why is New Card unable or unwilling to do that? And why do they make it so difficult to complain about their incompetence? Even their complaint chat procedure does not appear to be functioning. Last year my wife and I spent over £28000 using the old card. We are contemplating abandoning the new card altogether. It's sad that John Lewis appears to have a death wish financially. Reviewed on: 1st December 2022

Dreadful Service

ved a statement from the new cardI have had a john lewis credit card for years and all worked well until they changed provider a couple of months ago. The change over process was clunky and confusing. However having got the new card was hoping things would settle down. But no. Having paid my last bill from the old card on Nov 28th several £k, I received a statement from the new card saying they would collect £K several from me on Dec 2th. Having been used to paying one credit card bill per month I am now being asked for 2 payments within 4 days. I called them, and a long wait was eventually told there was nothing that they could do. So likely to end up overdrawn just in time for Christmas. Shocking, avoid Reviewed on: 30th November 2022

John Lewis New Day card - unfathomable administration

When I look at my account online, I can see a different 'balance to pay,' depending on which page I'm on. When I try to make an online purchase, sometimes it's declined and other times, they go through. Online support people do their best but I think they know it's a shambles. I'm looking around for an alternative provider. I do not recommend New Day Reviewed on: 29th November 2022

Extemely difficult to pay bill online

Santander for Newday have returned my full payment, even after I jumped (I thought) through all the hoops to do online payment, so presumably I'll be liable for interest. So annoying. Reviewed on: 29th November 2022

BACS Payment

If you want to make a BACS payment try NEWDAY CARDS LTD. That is the name which came up on my statement after I had paid my bill. It took me three shots using other John Lewis/Newday combinations before my payment went through. Reviewed on: 28th November 2022

Good shop. Shame about the new credit card.

I got a JL partnership card in 1978/9 and have used it fairly often over the years but their new card company are pretty awful. The online statement is difficult to understand and the figures on it don't make sense. Reviewed on: 28th November 2022

The new John Lewis Credit Card does not live up to the service provided by the old Partnership Card

Changing to the new John Lewis credit card was forced upon existing Partnership Card customers and I have received poor customer service and hidden charges have appeared on my statement. I advise looking carefully at the terms and conditions Reviewed on: 28th November 2022

OMG

Just seen all the reviews and have the same problem, sometimes the card works online other times it’s declined, even though I submit the security code JohnLewis sends by text! Weird organisation, I think I’ll stop using this card and use my old faithful! Sadly the MasterCard that JL used to use was always superb.! All good things come to an end. Reviewed on: 27th November 2022

What a disaster

In all my life in Financial Services I have never seen anything as bad as card provider Newday. How on earth did the JL Partnership get involved with such a shambolic company. Whoever negotiated the deal should be fired. I have already seen the list of complaints on this website and they all apply to me too. Trying to pay them via BACS is a nightmare. In the end my Bank, NatWest, could only verify their account as John Lewis Partnership ANYDAY! As we all know Anyday is a line of reasonable priced goods and has no association with Newday. Interestingly the bank payment details are the same as Newday, so I am assuming our payment will be received OK. John Lewis your reputation is being torn to shreds and you should all take note of what happened to the Ratners, the jewellers, after their CEO made a stupid remark about the quality of his merchandise. No institution is too big to fall!! Reviewed on: 27th November 2022

John Lewis offer their customers a 'Pig in a Poke' called NewDay

I give up! As a loyal JL customer for over 20 years receiving excellent service and paying on the dot with no default I must now seriously consider taking my services elsewhere. Whoever was responsible for setting up the new banking strategy, rules, conditions of service and all the other bits and bobs of lending financing from the previous Lender to this new kid on the block (NewDay) need sacking or shooting - preferably BOTH! I had to give a 1 x star but would have liked the opportunity to give a -5 star rating. Reviewed on: 27th November 2022

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