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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.31 (890 reviews)

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1.31

Based on 890 reviews, last reviewed 27th Mar 2026

No new 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

20% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

4

The JLP card offers cashback based upon spending and... The JLP card offers cashback based upon spending and it is possible to generate £100+ cashback per year. Managing the account is straightforward via t... Read more Reviewed on: 22nd January 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

I used my card to pay for petrol at my local Sainsbu... I used my card to pay for petrol at my local Sainsbury's. Later that day I received a message saying there was a suspicion of fraud. A simple glance a... Read more Reviewed on: 27th March 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?

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 (890)

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

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

Shame on you. Loyal customer, perfect pay history, credit limit slashed

High earner, long standing customer, regularly spending 10k or more per month on the card and paying off in full. Processed the new application with code provided and got credit limit slashed by 90% to a fraction of typical monthly spend. Pressed cancel and applied online for Amex card. Accepted in seconds with a credit limit more than double the previous JLP limit, plus loads of extra benefits and services besides. Bye, bye JLP & Waitrose. There’s plenty of alternatives out there. Your loss their gain. Shame on you for teaming up with such a low quality company. It’s clear from all these reviews they are not interested in better credit-rated customers who spend a lot of money and pay off their balance, but only those who pay interest, even encouraging payment of the minimum amount which financially costs those customers the most. That will come home to roost when they realise the amount of money spent is a fraction of the amount that HSBC processed (and John Lewis see their sales tumble too) whilst lower credit quality loans are the first to default in a recession- which is looming fast. Reviewed on: 3rd October 2022

This is specifically about the new JL credit card - not JL in general. And it's pants.

It's a mess. If you want to keep your rewards going, you have to switch to this card provided by 'New Day'. As many others have remarked, the website is set up to encourage you only to pay a minimum amount, and thus pay interest. Which, of course, is how credit card companies earn their money, but this is pretty blatant. The website is also inaccurate, and frequently impossible to login. I paid the full amount of my first statement balance; three days later I got an email telling me I had to pay £5 within 6 days. No explanation. I wish I had not taken out this new card, and I will stop using it. I'm really surprised and disappointed at John Lewis getting into bed with such an outfit. Reviewed on: 3rd October 2022

Ageism is illegal

Ageism is illegal around the modern world. But it seems NewDay and John Lewis will take their chances with the law and the Financial Ombudsman. I've written for clarification of my interpretation of the NewDay approach to "responsible lending". At 60+ and now retired since first having the JLP card for many years I'm now surplus to requirements. I have a 999 credit rating and a good pension. I've been refused the replacement card by NewDay. Whereas my son who's in his first low paid job with no real credit history was successful and had his credit limit tripled without even asking. Actually to a level he could never pay back. NewDay are irresponsible lenders and either by design or stupidity have discriminated against aged JLP customers, who will take it personally and not return. In my written exchanges with John Lewis and NewDay, they have both avoided a response with any reference to Ageism. I've made a formal complaint to the Financial Ombudsman as it is illegal to knowingly or indirectly act in a way that financially discriminates. The outcry on t'internet is palpable. This is John Lewis's "Ratners" moment and they appear to have a new slogan... Never Knowingly Going Under. I feel for the "partners". I would bet that JLP will not recover their current staggering seasonal debt by this Christmas and January sales as normal for the sector. Watch this space. I'd guess Dame Sharon White will be needing to take dramatic action early 2023. Clearly the crucial strategy of customer retention doesn't appeal. Reviewed on: 3rd October 2022

free credit period chopped!

The previous HSBC run card wasn't perfect but at least I could get minimum 25 days' free credit. New day only gives 15 days between statement and payment which is a significant reduction in utility and value. Reviewed on: 3rd October 2022

Designed to make you pay the minimum and incur debt

The design of this new app clearly encourages users of the JL card to incur debt as it has minimum payment right in the middle and this doesn’t clear even when you have paid off the debt in full for that month. It would also appear that the usual £99 taken to check viability when buying petrol from Tesco is not removed quickly as in the past. Inevitably this may have to be paid for one month before being returned the following month. This is totally unacceptable. I have been a loyal and long standing customer of John Lewis but now I am seeking another card provider. What a pity for me and others caught in this changeover that no-one requested. Maybe that's what they want. I guess there is no profit in those of us who pay up every month. JL will need to consider this move very carefully if they are not to lose many more customers. Reviewed on: 3rd October 2022

Utter Shammbels

Have been trying for over a week to register the new John Lewis Partnership Credit Card (NewDay), whenever I attempt to register, I get the message 'system currently unavailable. please try again'. After 10+ attempts, I have better things to do with my time and I won't be trying again. M&S here I come. Reviewed on: 3rd October 2022

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