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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.86 (894 reviews)

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1.86

Based on 894 reviews, last reviewed 30th Apr 2026

No new 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

700% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

4

High interest although you gain points using your cr... High interest although you gain points using your credit card whilst shopping in John Lewis Reviewed on: 17th April 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

Zero TRUST, and HONESTY Customer service is shocking. A distinct lack of ANY rewards for points earned. You call to say you have recieved zero vouchers depite clocking up ove... Read more Reviewed on: 30th April 2026

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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 (894)

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

absolutely appalling

i have never ever been in debt on a CC or not paid but now I am, for some reason my initial payment never went through so i used the app to check i had the correct details to tranfer. the agent on the app chat gave me sort code/account and i then transferred over the money he then realised he gave me the wrong details so i paid over £500 into another of their accounts I am now waiting for the money to reappear on my account so i can try again. In the mean time I am now a late payer, can not use my card and possible now have a bad debt showing even after two calls - one that cut off after 30 minutes of conversations I am no where my suggestions DO NOT USE John Lewis you have really got this wrong Reviewed on: 11th October 2022

John Lewis Partnership Card

Like many others on here I have had a JL credit card for a number of years with absolutely no problems. At their request I applied for a replacement card with their new partners New Day but was rejected for no apparent reason. I have a good credit rating and pay off my credit card balance every month. Complaints to both New Day and John Lewis have met a brick wall. I will be taking my business elsewhere. Reviewed on: 11th October 2022

Total catastrophe

Received the card ok but since then payments to them have been lost. They don’t seem able to tell me the correct payment details and gave my bank details and said to use a Debenhams reference! Once I have cleared my total balance by DD I am unlikely to use it again. Reviewed on: 11th October 2022

john lewis new credit card

have a held John lewis card for years 14000 credit limit and paid off in full each month applied for their card and was rejected with no reason at all. Then told old card cancelled end of month . A disgraceful way to treat a loyal customer. Reviewed on: 10th October 2022

John Lewis - name and shame!

Have been a John Lewis Partnership Card for 15 years, I have a £25k credit limit and pay off the card monthly - I have been refused a card by JL's new provider but no-one will tell me why. Shame on John Lewis - could I have never have thought I would describe this organisation in this way. Reviewed on: 10th October 2022

Just awful

Like others.. loyal JL customer but rejected for a new card. Just bought a dishwasher and coffee machine from another company. Reviewed on: 10th October 2022

hopeless service

they cancelled old card .new company kept me on hold and disconected after 14 minutes. do not use this new company. they are based in the far east. john lewis have let there card custormers down badly. Reviewed on: 10th October 2022

New John Lewis partnership card

Some serious problems with applying for this card. I have been a customer for 20 years + and have found it pretty much impossible to apply/ get accepted for this card.. Am applying to M+S instead now. Senior JL management I would suggest you sort this fiasco out quickly as you have managed to alienate a lot of loyal customers very quickly. Reviewed on: 10th October 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

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