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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

20% decrease 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

An insult.

Having had a JL CC with a credit limit of £6,000 for many years, the new company have insulted me by dropping my limit by more than 90% to £450! Barely enough for a tank of petrol a week. Have now cancelled card and been welcomed with open arms by M&S. Reviewed on: 10th October 2022

"JLP" aka Just Lost Plot.

Thanks to Newday telling me I am ineligible for the new JL Partnership card despite excellent credit score, 5 figure credit limit, etc, etc 31 October 2022 will mark the end of my JL Partnership card and circa 50 years loyal relationship with JL/W. Thereafter I won't be think of JL or W as my first port of call whenever Ii buy anything, No more recommending JL and/or W. It'll be just another shop which once upon a time had what it took but is no more. I have extolled the virtues of Newday on this board and other sites so the high esteem in which I hold Newday is renowned. As a gesture of goodwill to anyone that may not know this - I didn't until last week - a credit score fluctuates, depending upon how much of one's credit limit has been used at the time. For example if your credit limit is £10,000 and according to the soft check (meaning that your credit score isn't affected) the score is excellent, it doesn't matter that you pay the whole of the balance on each statement. What matters to the credit score is how much of the credit you have used at the date/time you check your credit score. Paying the whole of the balance is past performance: it does not create a binding precedent for the future. Until you receive your next statement and pay the balance on that statement, as far as the credit score is concerned you owe x% of the limit with no certainty whether the amount owed would be repaid in full by the payment date. The existing JL Partnership card can be used as an ordinary credit but really it's a store card that, because it is provided by HSBC, can be used as credit card anywhere. (Unlike Newday's version which can't.) JLP is not the most worldly organisation so probably would never have envisaged let alone intended that its cardholders would spend perhaps the bulk of the credit limit elsewhere and only a relatively small proportion at JL/W. But by so doing cardholders get JLP vouchers regardless, meaning that over the course of a year a high spending cardholder could easily accumulate more than £100 in vouchers to be redeemed at JL /W without having bought anything at JL/W. (I used to get more than £200 vouchers which I saved for use at Christmas.) It is advisable to close your credit card account with JLP before the expiry date otherwise the credit score might be told the bank has cancelled it in which case your credit score would be affected adversely. Just for fun, I am considering this paying all but £1 of the balance due and leave the £1 outstanding and gathering interest for years to come. Or until HBC write it off which the earlier. Reviewed on: 9th October 2022

New credit card

Cut credit limit by 66%. Will be buying larger purchases elsewhere using M&S card instead. Reviewed on: 9th October 2022

Time to move on

As with all other reviews we have been JL card holders for many years with substantial card limit. Always paid on time card limit routinely increased. This has encouraged us to shop at Jl and Waitrose for day to day shopping and all high end goods. Applied for new card and our business is no longer valued. This does indeed herald the beginning of the end of JL and Dame Sharon White. The board should understand the value of long standing customers and will pay the price for the shoddy treatment. Reviewed on: 8th October 2022

I have used the partnership card for 20 years and always made payments on time, Today got rejected for new card on their clunky new application platform

John Lewis have lost the plot. They are alienating their most loyal customer base. Reviewed on: 8th October 2022

New Day transition farce..

Whoever in the John Lewis organisation agreed to change their Partnership Card to New Day has brought the company into disrepute with a lot of their customers. Having used the card for most purchases and settled the bill in full each month it appears this is not the type of user New Day want. It would seem they are more interested in people who can’t pay, and have outstanding credit each month, hence they can levy huge interest charges on them. Shame on you John Lewis in this current economic climate. Reviewed on: 8th October 2022

Shocked and Very Upset

I have had a John Lewis partnership card for 20 years and always pay off the full amount. I would have given the service 5 stars previously. My application for the new NewDay card has been refused and I can't find out why without writing a letter! John Lewis you are alienating your most loyal customers! Reviewed on: 8th October 2022

New JL card service is inferior

after years of using the old partnership card with good service I am very disappointed with the new card provider. Twice my card has been rejected on line and the provider claims no trace of the attempted transaction which went through when I uedv another cc. The wait time and ridiculous number of options on the phone is unacceptable. The staff don't seem surprised at the problems and admitted they are new and having issues. I guess this new provider is cheaper for JL and mirrors the rest of their failing customer service. Reviewed on: 7th October 2022

Dealt with John Lewis fianace for 20 plus years have now closed account.

I have used a John Lewis Credit card for more than 20 years with no problems at all until they changed provider. I applied for cards for myself and my wife to replace the old cards. I have been unable to activate the cards. I have been completely unable to get an answer to my phonecalls from the new provider. John Lewis do answer but say they cant do anything phone the new provider. I have cut up and binned the cards and closed the account. Reviewed on: 7th October 2022

Total Foul up for New day Credit Card applications

I have been a loyal John Lewis for many years but it seems JL does not value such as their transition to New Day has left me and others fuming with their ineptitude..Avoid. Reviewed on: 7th October 2022

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