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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

25% increase in 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

Poor service from New Day

After being locked out from registering my card and a New Day representative talking me through and problem still occurring the card got blocked and advised me I'd missed a payment when we've always paid our balance in full on time for over 15 years. I asked at local Waitrose and drove 70 mile round trip to John Lewis who basically didn't want to know. I emailed JL head office who just didn't wish to know and redirected me to New Day. They still charged me although bill cleared as soon as able once I was able to get registered. Contacted to make a complaint - interest was reimbursed but the email acknowledging my complaint with reference nos didn't materialise! I chased this up with a fobbed off solution by New Day! As soon as New Day acknowledge my complaint I will cut my card up and never shop at John Lewis again. This was not the customers option to change card but John Lewis who should take some responsibility for this. Appalling service by both companies. Reviewed on: 24th November 2022

Poor experience with NewDay credit card

The app is awful. My bank is not listed so can't pay my bill online. NewDay has felt underprepared from the start. In all my years with John Lewis Partnership Card never had any problems. Now sadly considering changing to a new credit card company if things don't improve. Reviewed on: 24th November 2022

utterly appalled by very poor experience at NewDay after many good years with my John Lewis card

I forgot my pin number and requested a reminder. When it eventually arrived the accompanying letter told me I needed to put the card in the machine and use the pin before contactless would work. I tried this but the card was declined causing awkward situation in shop. When I rang New Day I could not speak to an associate straight away but when I eventually got through to someone I was told the card did not work because it had been blocked so I would have to go to an atm to unblock it. When I suggested that it might have been helpful to tell me that in the letter with the pin reminder I was told that doing so might cause confusion for some customers whose card had not been blocked. At the very least I should have been told that my card might have been blocked and the procedure to follow if it had been! This was the second time I have had cause to phone New Day. The first time I waited ages to speak to someone about my direct debit. New Day has also reduced my credit limit to a third of the old one when I cannot recall ever missing my monthly payment of my complete balance with my old card. No explanation was given. While shopping at Waitrose in Putney and Chichester the cashiers have told me that many customers are unhappy with the new card so it seems that I'm not the only one! Reviewed on: 24th November 2022

What a poor card and service after many happy years...

Not really sure what JL think they're doing ... but every time I want to pay online or in store they practically refuse payment. Why has my online payment to a trusted retailer been declined (for both cards)... why do we have to keep inputting the PIN every other time we shop in store (even in JL or Waitrose). I'm very quickly going out of love with JL... I rarely shop with Waitrose now, so it could be good-bye to the JL card soon. Reviewed on: 24th November 2022

Payment on credit card made in full and not credited

Card was refused today and the account page said payment, made in full before due date and debited from my bank account, had not been made. Reviewed on: 23rd November 2022

NEWDay Card worse than awful

Loyal John Lewis and Waitrose customer for over 30 years, but the transition to NewDay and subsequent processing doesn't even warrant one star. Both my and my wife's card have been refused or not accepted as contactless at many outlets, including Waitrose. I am going to start food shopping at Sainsbury's using my new Sainsbury's credit card (which gives Nectar points (more flexible than JL vouchers). Such a shame! Reviewed on: 23rd November 2022

Lack of Information

I could not find a new payee in the lookup list to pay through my online First Direct account. First Direct informed me that I needed to search for Debenhams(?) in the list! - and use the card number as reference. On the JL statement it says to use the account number as reference. Still not sure what to do. Very confusing. Reviewed on: 23rd November 2022

Gave up and binned the card

Transfer from old card was abysmal. We didn't get the new card in time before the old John Lewis card expired and then when it arrived the pin did not. Some friends with a JL card received the card but not the pin, some received the pin but not the card. The layout of the statements is poor, with the transactions in small faint type. Worse, the card is not recognised by some providers. Their customer services were bizarrely rude and aggressive. In short, we've binned the card completely. Why on earth John Lewis signed up with New Day I have no idea they are known to be rubbish. Reviewed on: 23rd November 2022

Transfer from previous card provider to NewDay badly implemented

The transfer process to the new card provided failed at every stage. I did not receive the initial notification of the change, was asked to use a code I didn't have to apply for the replacement and was initially rejected. The latest problem is NatWest Bank cannot verify the account details provided by Newday, who are administering the replacement card, so the payment process from NatWest is restricted and it is not possible to set up a planned payment at a future date. All in all it has been a shambles. Reviewed on: 23rd November 2022

New John Lewis Partnership Card

Just awful attempting to complete new card application! What on earth is JL doing. Not impressed with the application which I'm still unable to complete! Reviewed on: 22nd November 2022

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