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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

A total nightmare

I have also already experienced fraudulent transactions on the new card. Two of those were on someone using my credit card on PayPal. PayPal were absolutely useless dealing with it and to cut a very long story short so far it looks like I have lost $1400 which is the amount that has been fraudulently charged to my credit card. It’s a lot of money and it’s very upsetting. I was hoping against hope that I would be able to sort this put on Monday but from what I gather from other reviews the customer service is non existent or appalling. More stress to look forward to and probably no result. In any case, I am going to cancel the card now. All the reviews say the same thing, which is that the new card is a shambles. I expected better from John Lewis, they have really let their customers down. Reviewed on: 19th November 2022

Truly awful since moving to newday

Awful service - only had the card a week and fraudulent transactions detected - unable to speak to anyone directly (did have someone call me) - just going round in an awful automated phone loop - very stressful and will cancel this account as soon as I can speak to a human - wish me luck ! JL - why did you change from HSBC to NewDay ? Reviewed on: 19th November 2022

Truly awful

epic inbound call barrier, inadequate security, inadequate printed statement detail, exhausted sounding staff - no one seems to give a fig. The worst customer experience ever. I'm closing acct to go to a proper card servicer. If I were at JL, I'd be thinking its time to take the whole account away from Newday and give it to some professionals Reviewed on: 19th November 2022

Rubbish, very poor customer service.

NewDay like a con artist. Formally complained to John Lewis, it was past onto NewDay, after six weeks they get back to me complaint not upheld. The complaint was could not pay my bill by bank transfer. My bank told me that they had not been informed about the new card. My bank got back to me with a work around so I have to pay Amazon Master Card with my new JL account number. It worked, thanks to my bank. Why, why, why can’t they not separate the two cards transaction instead of listing all together. A final point of note, NewDay took over Laura Ashley card service, which I also had issues with; they also took Frasercard, then both companies went into administration. Beware JL! Reviewed on: 19th November 2022

Time wasting Statement Confusion

I’ve been a devoted JL account customer for 66 YEARS, during which I have classed it as the most reputable of firms to deal with. Laboriously taking up the balance transfer offer, having paid the fee and arranged repayment by monthly DD, I have just received my new statement. which does not display my new card number so, when phoning, I had to give a minutely printed and very long account number. I was questioning why, in view of my arrangement, there was a predominant bright green box stating boldly PAYMENT REQUESTED £5.70 Due 29 Nov. 2022 - beneath which is another pale box explaining:This is made up of your contractual minimum statement £5.70. Of course I’ve always been shown the amount of the minimum statement - but why in earth, to those who pay in full or by DD, do they send this totally unnecessary BOLD GREEN BOX! I despair at the lack of foresight this causes. I had assumed the answer but had to check in case, by ignoring the request, I would be put through a turmoil of telephone calls for breaking my contract. I’m sadly disillusioned about the changes in John Lewis Financial Services, as this probably echoes changes in the former highly reputable Customer Service the company has proudly adhered to in the past. Lutena Yates S. Devon Reviewed on: 19th November 2022

Change of credit card supplier

I hope that the financial value to JL is worth the aggravation that their new credit card supplier is giving to their loyal customers. New Day only want you to set up Direct Debit payments and go paperless ( savings for them). I have requested paper statements so I can check receipts before payment it takes 5/7 days for a statement to arrive from their Leeds office gives a whole new meaning to snail mail. The trusted supplier is a joke twice now whilst shopping in Waitrose have I had to input the security code despite Waitrose being selected as a trusted supplier. Last year i spent in excess of £18k on the old HSBC card without any dramas, despite the loyalty points being useful I think its time to use another credit card provider. Reviewed on: 19th November 2022

Absolute debacle with new partnership card

Despite boasting that they have strong security measures in place to spot suspicious activity…those strong measures did not detect 2 fraudulent transactions totalling nearly £2000. I spotted on line as normally I only used the card for groceries and fuel. The fraud involved a Harrods and Moet purchase!! I called and card immediately frozen…good…3 weeks later the fraudulent amounts were credited back…and a new card issued. Been with John Lewis for ages but do not trust them or their card security anymore….why change to a different partner like Newday? I have closed the account. John Lewis…what have you done? Reviewed on: 19th November 2022

They are now a pain

An unnecessary disruption to my life changing my cards around. Now everything needs verification so all my automated Amazon orders are getting delayed. John Lewis did not think about customer impact here. I have moved to M&S card. Reviewed on: 18th November 2022

New John Lewis credit card not recognised by some organisations

Although our application for the new John Lewis credit card provided by New Day was fairly straightforward, since we have had it, several websites and companies have said their ‘system’ does not recognise NewDay card numbers! How on earth can a company such as John Lewis force us to change to a credit card company that hasn’t ensured that their cards are accepted everywhere. The companies not recognising the card include my local council authority, not just small local shops and businesses. Really not impressed with the way this has been handled. John Lewis- you really haven’t impressed your once loyal customers with this mess Reviewed on: 18th November 2022

Extremely unhappy with newday card

Like many others I have been with John Lewis for many years and never had a problem. I always paid promptly, more recently online rather than by post. The App is a restricted method of payment and like others I could not find details if paying online through my bank. I have cleared my balance through telephone banking. It does not feel like a John Lewis account anymore, just John Lewis telling me which credit card I should use. I still love John Lewis as a shop; I will just make future purchases via my M&S card! Reviewed on: 18th November 2022

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