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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?

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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

Rubbish partnership card

The old John Lewis partnership credit card was very good and myself and my wife used it for every thing even holidays and we always paid the full balance off every month. With all credit cards you have a set period of time during which no interest is charged (This is called the interest free period), usually between 20 and 55 days. For some reason John Lewis or New Day has decided this is far too generous and has reduced this to a very mean 10 days. We have other credit cards that allow at the very least 24 days interest free credit. Goodbye John Lewis Partnership card!! Reviewed on: 6th October 2022

Poor Service

Having spent over one hour on the telephone trying to resolve an issue with my purchase of foreign currency on line I reluctantly gave up. I tried another retailer and had my order processed within five minutes. I remember well the days when John Lewis was renowned for its customer service, those days have sadly gone. I'm considering like so many others cancelling my account and moving to a retailer who can genuinely look after customers. Reviewed on: 5th October 2022

Inexplicable rejection for new Partnership Card

After initially being incensed and frustrated after several long calls, appeals and letters having been a long standing John Lewis cardholder with a sizeable credit limit, at my seemingly inexplicable rejection, homeowner, 999 credit rating sizeable income etc etc, I have read these reviews and am now intensely grateful that I have been rejected. If anyone is collecting ageist or sexist reasons - I exactly fit the bill I am a widow over 60. Why on earth John Lewis has gone out of its way to change provider from a respected bank to a bunch of cowboys who are immediately alienating their primary target shoppers by denying them a credit card is a complete mystery. I had always associated John Lewis with quality and customer service and New Day is a very long stretch away from that. I have now switched to a Sainsbury card and looking forward to saving money on petrol and my groceries. Good bye John Lewis. Reviewed on: 5th October 2022

There are no stars, but had to put one, reluctantly.

Having had a Partnership card for nearly 20 years with a £17000 credit limit, I have been issued with a new card issued by Newday, (who are not an actual bank) with a reduced credit limit. This has also reduced my 999 credit score to 987. Like so many long standing and loyal customers of John Lewis I have therefore cancelled my account and am appalled how John Lewis can disregard so many of us. This would never had have happened on Andy Street's watch who had Customer Service run through his veins. Reviewed on: 5th October 2022

A complete and utter waste of time and effort

John Lewis has been on a downward spiral for some years now and this New Day credit card is helping them continue the process. This new credit card gave me a credit limit of less than 8% of the one being withdrawn making it useless. Talking to their telephone operator was pointless and having waited more than 30 minutes to log a complaint (the operator's suggestion) and all I heard was the usual garbage of there being an exceptionally large number of calls but no Human Being answered . I tried again and wasted my time with a New Day Robot asking for the card number over and over again. Then of course there is the John Lewis complaint procedure that has been moved to the Carribean where it is so difficult to even understand the operator at all. I was given a number for the UK but ended back in the Carribean again to be told that I should try again and hopefully I will be lucky. John Lewis please please please wind your retail operations up and put us all out of our misery and then perhaps some new operation can emerge that might offer new a never being knowingly undersold slogan with genuine customer support and not a hopeless automaton that you think, quite incorrectly, are mankind's salvation. Finally the card from New Day sent to me: I shall not bother to activate it despite of all those emails asking me to. Reviewed on: 5th October 2022

Accepted ,no card

After much frustration Finally sorted out transferring to new account after giving up on the phone and on line and eventually going into a store. That was over a month ago received pin nos immediately but still no card ,can’t get through on phone , am now applying for M and S instead Reviewed on: 5th October 2022

Partnership Card debacle

After reading the reviews and having experience of New Day in the past I have mad a decision to cease doing business with John Lewis Finance and move my business to M&S. Interestingly M&S card services are provided by HSBC and my customer service experience was flawless - I didn't receive a confirmation email for my application so I contacted M&S (HSBC) and they resolved it within minutes, acceptance email sent and signed all within a few minutes of calling, oh and no 45 minute wait either! New Day are sub-prime specialists (credit builders) and I suspect the way they finance their financial commitments is not the same as major well funded banks. I work in finance, so I suspect their credit capabilities are based on what they can leverage from the markets - which may explain the reduced credit limits as they simply can't underwrite that volume of debt. It also explains their reduced interest free period as they need the cash flow to fund their markeet exposure. Is this really the kind of business JLP wants to be associated with? Anyway I'm looking forward to a long and rewarding relationship with M&S now. Reviewed on: 5th October 2022

Very unfaithful with customer

They closed the old credit card for odd reason but refused their existing customer to have the new one card despite of having good credit with them. Very disappointed Reviewed on: 4th October 2022

Time to do a Truss turnaround JL

The above one-star review relates only to the fiasco of applying for the new card. In fact my own application sailed through without a hitch, but my husband was refused in spite of much discussion with New Day. I then received an email from JL congratulating me on having been successful. The gall of it. In view of the comments from other users on this site, I doubt I shall use the card when it finally arrives. Reviewed on: 4th October 2022

New JL credit card

Had my old card for around 15 years, always paid on time and have great credit rating. Applied for and received new card but queried the new credit limit of £250 (versus my old limited of over £6k !!) just received letter to say my complaint has been rejected and the £250 stands ! Sorry JL but that’s not even enough to do my sainsburys shop ! So I’m off and can’t even be bothered to activate my new card . Think you will come to regret this decision, all you seem to have achieved is to alienate your loyal customer base….. so long ….. Reviewed on: 3rd October 2022

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