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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

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

JLP forever tainted by association with new provider

Further to my post of yesterday, I would like to add the following comments: I wonder if Sharon White is aware of the proverb: “He who lies down with dogs, catches fleas”. Thanks to the knock - on effects of JLP’s association with New Day, on her watch, I very much doubt if JLP will ever recover from the “fleas” gained from this ill - advised link, nor should it. As far as I am concerned, ceasing the association with HSBC and getting into bed with New Day is tantamount to treating loyal customers with contempt, and what business can afford to do so in these financially difficult times? Anyone who is accepted for this card can also expect to receive what I consider to be aggressive, bullying texts, should they decide not to pay via Direct Debit. Before deciding to leave this disappointing, shambolic scheme, I had considered setting up a Direct Debit so that I wouldn’t incur further unwarranted ( in my opinion ) charges, but having read several comments, I am very glad that I didn’t. It will be a faff having to yet again go through my regular payments from the card, and to change the payment method on the websites of all of the businesses that I use, but it will be worth every second that I spend doing so. Again, if I could award no points, as a very disappointed ex - customer, I would. Reviewed on: 27th November 2022

JLP customer no more since New Day

I would have liked to be able to give this company no stars. I have had a Partnership Card for years, and paid the balance off in full every month as I do with my other credit card. HSBC was very easy to deal with, and I never had any problems. The New Day card has been nothing but trouble from the word go, having been blocked without me being informed, causing much embarrassment. Fortunately I have a card from a reliable provider, so was able to use that. Thanks to the difficulty I encountered in arranging payment, I have now incurred a £12 late payment fee, as well as over £18 in interest. No doubt there will be even more to pay once I receive my next bill. I have now cut my card up and will be closing my account. That is pretty bad going for an account that I have had for about two months. I have spent many thousands of pounds in John Lewis and Waitrose over the past four decades, but this is the end of the line for me. That JL even considered using New Day as their credit card provider tells me that they have lost sight of the people who matter - their loyal customers. I thought it was a shame when several John Lewis stores closed, but at this rate, having alienated their core customers, they will no doubt be heading for well - deserved failure, and will have only themselves to blame. Reviewed on: 26th November 2022

Utterly hopeless

Ok, I understand fraud protection is important. However, NewDay decided to lock the credit card after suspecting fraud, stopping the card working for the whole weekend. Guess what, only way to lift the block was to call them, but their phone lines are closed at the weekends. Honestly, did no one think this might be a problem? Really stupid things like this are so infuriating I wont be using my JLP card anymore. Off to M&S and credit provider with more common sense. Why on earth did they switch away from HSBC. Reviewed on: 26th November 2022

Oh John Lewis what have you done?

This has been a disaster from the start. Today is the final straw. 3 weeks after complaining I have now been advised by Mr David Land, “Head of Service Delivery “, that he “has been unable to identify an error by NewDay” despite having checked all the details of my complaint carefully. If this is the level of incompetence that NewDay endorses then I will not be using this account again. Reviewed on: 26th November 2022

Good payers not wanted

Had a jlp card for many years. Paid full balance monthly and a five figure credit limit. New Day not interested. Reviewed on: 26th November 2022

Contactless and card scan does not work

Ever since we have the card the contactless option does not work! Additionally you can not take a scan of the card to make payments so it is now back to all being manual.John Lewis has gone way down in my estimation,will look to replacing the card with one that works.Have been a customer for over 15 years.They are now more interested in being 'woke' than resolving real issues.Another brand that has gone down the pan. Reviewed on: 26th November 2022

NewDay

NewDay card failed on line to EasyJet. NewDay said it was not their fault but fault of other providers who don’t have updatedBIM software. Not up to them to sort it out. Wrote to JL to advise disappointment in this credit card. Reviewed on: 25th November 2022

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