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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?

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 Partnership Card - a joke

I am a loyal John Lewis customer and have been 100% satisfied with my John Lewis partnership card (HSBC backed). The credit limit offered by the new provider (NewDay) is an insult to customers who pay off their credit cards in full each month. I shall be taking out an alternative credit card. Choosing NewDay as your credit provider was an extremely poor management decision. Reviewed on: 2nd November 2022

Agressive text messages

If you eventually get a new John Lewis credit card be prepared for unwanted agressive text messages! Reviewed on: 2nd November 2022

John Lewis what have put done !

Why oh why has John Lewis transferred their credit card to this company ! I’m a loyal JL partnership card holder Of ten years plus and trying to transfer my credit card to New Day has been dreadful . I’m now Looking to move to a new credit card . Such a shame as The old HSBC Partnership card was excellent with great customer service and ease of use . I think JL are going to lose lots of loyal customers . If I could give them a zero stars review , I would . Reviewed on: 2nd November 2022

Useless

Card works OK at John Lewis but useless else where and can't set up payment from my bank account as not recognised. I had to search for acct details finally found on online statement. Will stop using this as not worth hassle. Another loyal customer lost JL Reviewed on: 1st November 2022

Appalling

Took hours to get through on the phone. Told them app won’t work as it says my phone number is wrong (which it isn’t). Still can’t use the app. My card eventually came but has a different number from the one on my bill (both different from my original number. Don’t know how to pay my bill as haven’t had a cheque book for years. I have been with John Lewis over 50 years but I am certainly not using them any more. Reviewed on: 1st November 2022

Good grief, what is happening at John Lewis?!

Just to repeat other reviews- I've found New Day are terrible, nothing to recommend the card. Unlike others I was approved for a card quickly (and my credit limit was increased, which I didn't actually want). But that is where the 'good' news ends. Whereas I always found the previous customer service via HSBC outstanding and easy to speak to an actual person, its almost impossible to find a contact or speak to anyone at New Day (or at John Lewis to raise a complaint). Like others, I struggled to find a way to pay directly via bank transfer. New Day are constantly emailing or messaging to encourage me to a) download their app b) set up a direct debit and c) transfer a balance, but its very much a one-way communication flow! Some online retailers don't 'recognise' the card and won't accept it, but I can't of course contact anyone at New Day to find out why this is. I'm disappointed that John Lewis haven't spoken out about the poor experiences so many loyal customers have been having and explained their decision to change providers, re-assure people the service will improve etc. Clearly the days of customer service being important to John Lewis are long over. And last week I had an email from John Lewis to say they were closing down their broadband operation. I'm looking to take out a new card and close this one as soon as I've got my last vouchers! Reviewed on: 1st November 2022

Had a card for years the new one is a disaster

Have spent hours on the phone with. I reply. Paid the full balance on my account through the App 2 days ago still not appeared in my account they say there is a problem with the Payonline service. Not a good start to their new card provider. Also trying to renew house insurance with them but also hanging on the phone for hours also another new company Reviewed on: 1st November 2022

Car Crash!

Appalling! Ive spent hours trying to activate the new card, waited on the phone several times to speak to "an associate", once for over an hour! Whichever way I try to go, online or by automated phone ( I cannot do via the app, as we don't have mobile phone signal where we live) I only get so far until I'm told they need to put me through to "an associate" and I'm back in the queue! I am beginning to think it's a parallel universe and there isn't anyone answering the phones, they are hiding under their desks. I cannot set up any of my DD's and I am fuming at the waste of time and money. Get some more staff in and contact people to sort out this chaos John Lewis. Reviewed on: 1st November 2022

COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME - the rating should be 0, not 1

I have wasted two hours on two separate occasions trying to down load the app. I am computer literate. The physical card hasn't arrived - been waiting for weeks; and I am being told that my John Lewis details are wrong. They are not. An utter shambles. I will probably just return it. when it does arrive. Reviewed on: 1st November 2022

Fuming!

What an awful experience! I feel I’ve been punched in the gut. I’ve gone from £10000 credit limit on my old card to £250. My average monthly spend on old JL card was £1500-3000. I had the card for 20+ years. Always paid it off in full every month. In addition it was a right pain to set up. We’ll done John Lewis - great way to treat your loyal customers- not so loyal anymore! Reviewed on: 1st November 2022

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