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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

Downgraded credit limit

I have been a loyal customer of John Lewis for as long as I can remember and had a partnership card for the last ten years. My John Lewis credit limit was £11,000. I regularly spend up to my limit and I paid in full every month. My new card credit limit is £7,000, which I know will be insufficient. I submitted a complaint about the credit limit but heard nothing more. Very disappointed by the poor service. Reviewed on: 29th October 2022

New Credit Card

I was informed by letter some months ago that I would receive a letter with an unique number for smooth transition to the new credit card when the old one expired on the 31st October. Today is the 29th October and I am still waiting for my unique number. The old credit card managed by HSBC was brilliant but the new one is managed by New Day and I have not found them very good from my dealings with them in the past. Wrong move John Lewis as some of your others recently. I am looking elsewhere for my new credit card. Reviewed on: 29th October 2022

Card not recognised for online payment to Land Registry

Tried to make online payment to Land Registry today with new card. Message said card not recognised, so had to use old card, which was fine. Shame that can’t be used for long now. Please don’t tell me to phone helpline as life is too short to wait for that. Reviewed on: 28th October 2022

Problems at every turn

Having gone through multiple hoops to transfer from old to new (Newday) provider, including being rejected, then accepted when Newday admitted that there had been mistakes and problems for many people, I have now had a nightmare trying to pay the first bill. Nowhere on the bill is the name of Newday given for the account - they just give sort code and account number which is insufficient for online banking. Why are the account number and card number different? Both 16 digits. Does John Lewis know or care what this is doing to their reputation? They need to take action. Reviewed on: 28th October 2022

BACS Payments to Debenhams? FFS

I wanted to set up BACS Payments from my First Direct account. After searching the list of available payees - no trace of the "Newday" Partnership card. Thank goodness FD still have people you can speak too - apparently JL have contracted with Debenhams to process the BACS transfers - so FD set it up and there it was with the correct sort code and account details. So BACS payments to my new Partnership card aka Newday (which was/is? also Santander) is via Debenhams. And I thought the Prime Minister debacle was bad - So I made a test payment of £1 to see if it arrives! Reviewed on: 28th October 2022

Nightmare

I have bee trying to arrange a balance transfer from my card to other credit cards with better rates. Each time i enter the JL card it isnt recognised. I've contacted New Day and they say its the other companies not fault not theirs, but 3 different cc companies don't recognise the JL card number. I'm going round in circles - don't know what else to do?!?!? Reviewed on: 28th October 2022

Impossible to understand account balance on new card

The new card software is driving me nuts. The mobile app makes it impossible for me to understand what is in the current statement, ie what I've spent and what I owe. The version I get on my laptop is marginally better but still tells me I need to make a payment despite having paid off the balance already. Please do something about it and soon Reviewed on: 28th October 2022

New Partnership Card! Why! Goodbye to JL.

Why close my credit account after 25 years plus! I’m not going to apply for a new card, which results in a hard credit check, just to stay with JL. Their rewards are now watered down. In store service is appalling- stat answer always “have you looked online”. The York shop has closed. The other stores I use regularly (Birmingham and Tamworth Home) are also closed. Pathetic management at JL - you should be ashamed of yourselves! I’ll use my Barclaycard credit card in future - and earn free nights at Hilton Hotels the world over … and I’m unlikely to continue to spend with you when I can’t find a store! I guess I’m a hopeless credit card customer as I always pay in full on time every time … Reviewed on: 28th October 2022

Partnership card mess

Invited to replace current John Lewis Partnership card provided by HSBC by one from Newday. Declined. Tried to find out why - passed from pillar to post on phone lines. HSBC simply replied to letter with "not our problem". Appealed to NewDay - no reply. Wrote to John Lewis - told to complain to Newday. Wrote to Newday weeks ago & awaiting response. Meanwhile card stops working on 31st October Reviewed on: 27th October 2022

Appalling treatment from john jewis

Total mess up by john jewis on move to new day credit card. Appalling customer service impossible to contact anyone. JL / new day definitely don’t want customers like me - perfect credit score 40 years payment history and loyal customer but no longer! Card goes into the bin today. Reviewed on: 27th October 2022

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