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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?

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.

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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

John Lewis Great. Partnership Card Poor

Having been a regular John Lewis customer and well-behaved Partnership Card holder for over 15 years, the move to New Day has been a massive backward step. Won't give me anywhere near my previous credit limit, so I've already unknowingly gone over the current one. Never happened with the old provider except once when I got permission in advance for a special purchase. They were excellent. Reviewed on: 2nd December 2022

Awful card awful customer service.

The card will not link with Google pay. No explanation as to why or any solution. Now it just doesn't work at all. Tried to use the app to contact new day. The live chat didn't work. And after 30 mins on the phone gave up. So I will just nit use it. It doest work. Thank you John lewis Reviewed on: 1st December 2022

Card pre-approved - but declined everywhere I've tried to use it

I applied for this card, read the documents, verified my information, set up a direct debit, got a temporary card number, etc. I then tried actually using the card - and everywhere I've tried it, including Amazon, it's been declined. Not impressed. What's the point of a card I can't even buy a cheap book with? Reviewed on: 1st December 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

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