Write a review

John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.32 (862 reviews)

View other John Lewis products

1.33

Based on 862 reviews, last reviewed 24th Dec 2024

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

67% 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

Disaster of a credit card company - total fail! We recently tried adding our John Lewis Partnership Card to Apple Pay, only to find it blocked by NewDay, the card provider. Shockingly, this happened... Read more Reviewed on: 24th December 2024

Read all reviews See your review

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.

Smart Money People is the UK's leading financial services review and insight hub. Together, we can make financial services work better for everyone.

John Lewis Partnership Card reviews (862)

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

Locked/ unlocked/locked ad infinitum

Is the worst credit card I have ever used. Do NOT use Reviewed on: 29th December 2023

Unlock account

It says unlocked when logging in account locked, round and round again and again Reviewed on: 24th December 2023

remember Never knowingly undersold?

John Lewis change card provider to New Day and now their interest rate on partnership card increased to 27.9%. HSBC have upped their rate to 18.9% (too high), Halifax 22.9% (so can't recommend) Metro Bank 14.9% (they claim this is a low rate. I don't agree)' Just a bit better than most! I now understand why John Lewis has dropped there claims of being competitive and suggest their recent poor performance is due to this kind of poor management decisions' Sems to me the banks have found a way of squeezing a bit more out of those in the UK who might need a bit of credit in the current drop in living standards. Perhaps the government will encourage the return of 100% plus payday loans so those who have sufficient can get a bit more at the expense of those have not.. Reviewed on: 1st December 2023

Loyalty - what loyalty?

Having us a John Lewis Store Card since 1979 I got a partnership card when they closed the store card system - so don’t think you get much more loyal. Well when New Day took over they significantly cut my credit limit and I had to haggle to get half what I had - and with a 100% record of paying balance every month. So now I find myself on holiday and they have halved my credit limit with no warning - so down to £5k. Think they just want clients who can’t afford to pay off the bills now. My credit rating is good. Thank goodness I have another ca re to pay for any holiday expenditure. John Lewis - wake up! Reviewed on: 26th November 2023

NewDay Credit Card terrible

I've had a JL credit card since they first issued them using HSBC as the host bank. The recent (?) change to NewDay has been a disaster as far as I'm concerned. Aside from the frequent failures to accept contactless payments in UK shops, which is merely aggravating, I found myself stuck at a toll booth on a French motorway unable to pay the toll, which only accepted contactless. It wasn't until I phoned up the helpline from France that I found out the card does not do contactless outside the UK. Thank you JL and NewDay for making life so stressful. Reviewed on: 8th November 2023

Panasonic Micro wave NN-E27JWM

Made the mistake of ordering a Micro wave from John Lewis at Kingston-upon-Thames. The item was delivered few days back to my home address only to realize the oven was seriously faulty as I could not open the front door after using it for the first time to warm up a cup of coffee. I did contact the store and to my surprise, the individual I spoke to, ( NOT HER FAULT ) informed me that I should take the Micro wave back to the store in order to be inspected. I explained that I am 72 years old and that it would impossible for me to carry the item on a public bus all the way to Kingston upon Thames. I suggested that, as the item was going to be replaced, to use the delivery driver to take the faulty item back to John Lewis. That was not accepted and the lady in question insisted that there was not any other option. Are you really serious John Lewis ? What ever happened to your once polite, excellent customer service ? The item is still at home, of course I can not possibly use it and I will not be able to take the Micro wave back to the store by bus. Shame on you JOHN LEWIS, SHAME ON YOU JI Caamano Reviewed on: 30th October 2023

Constant problems

While John Lewis used HSBC I rarely had problems. Since New Day took over, lots, including repeated failures with online purchases; a problem reported, apparently corrected; but recurring. Reviewed on: 22nd October 2023

Unclear balance on statement

The new online statement is very unclear , what needs to be paid that month . Consequently you run the risk of paying more than is due , in which case JL make interest or not paying enough and risk paying interest . I like to imagine this is unintentional, however with such a large business I would imagine a product re launch like this would have been seriously pre tested on there demographics!! Reviewed on: 19th October 2023

NewDay - Bad day

When John Lewis changed to New day the credit card went south. Too eager to slap a charge on you and not make it clear the drop dead date for payment. Then when we received a £12 fee for being late on a £5 payment........AND we were told in a text that they now will notify credit collection services !! We have used John Lewis credit card for possibly over 25 years and now we have cut the cards up and use someone else. John Lewis generally going down hill Reviewed on: 7th October 2023

The App and online management is an embarassment

Unlike all the other banking/credit card apps I use, this one doesn't give me live updates on transactions, nor does it log the correct time of the transaction on the app or on the online management. From a security point of view, that's rubbish. It's just basic functionality you would want from it Reviewed on: 19th September 2023

Do you have a different John Lewis product?

Share your experiences with products to help others make smarter financial decisions and learn more about different products available. Write a review

Are you a business? Get insights, reply to reviews, invite customers and understand their needs

Alternative products

Chrome Card
from Vanquis 4.27 from 8 reviews
Instant pay
from Incredible 0.00 from 0 reviews
Avios Credit Card
from TSB 3.79 from 18 reviews

There's still more to see!

John Lewis has a range of products available. Check the ratings of each product to find the right one for you. View all products

Join Smart Money People

Keep up to date on ratings of your favourite businesses. Find out about our awards and write new reviews with ease

Create an account

News, guides and insight from our team

View resource hub