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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

Useless

My earlier review reported that I am intermittently unable to log into my Partnership card account, because it is falsely claimed that my 'details do not match' their 'records', This is now invariable. I am unable to investigate fraud on my account because I cannot see the transactions. Reviewed on: 18th May 2022

Worse fraud protection customer services ever

Appallingly bad customer services. 2 days to unblock a card that triggered a security alert. Endless repetitive security questions to verify my ID... question after question. Ask for impossible to remember details about transaction dates and amounts. Their weekend staff are even worse. Avoid this card you could be stuck with a non working one in a difficult situation. Reviewed on: 9th May 2022

Customer Service agent did not have a clue what he was doing.

I had a wrong booking from JL Financials / HSBC on my credit card. Instead of a notification that my 0% period had ended, by making both a debit and a credit booking that would cancel each other out, they booked a charge of £10 twice, leaving me having to pay £20 for the notification that I hadn't asked for. The customer service agent, working from home in Cairo in Egypt, had to talk to his supervision several times, and after 38 minutes of trying stuff, he still didn't know how to resolve this. When I asked to speak to a supervisor or a more experienced colleague, he initially said they were not available, even where he had been talking to them several times. Only after I threatened with a formal complain to both JL Partnership and th HSBC, was it suddenly possible to talk to the manager. At leat that is what he said. Some 20 mintues later and a full hour into the call, I gave up and hung up the phone. Next steps: formal complaint to HSBC (of which John Lewis Financial Services is a subsidary) and to John Lewis Partnership, whose brand is being used on this credit card. Reviewed on: 29th April 2022

Rejected chargeback claim

JL rejected my claim, saying they don’t cover bad quality of service. My claim was not about bad quality, it was about a service that was not as described, and therefore in breach of contract. Absolutely useless, would not recommend using their card. I will be closing my account. Reviewed on: 20th April 2022

Refused chargeback claim

I was advised to submit a claim online. I did this but it only allowed me to upload 4 documents. After not receiving any kind of notification about the claim, I called them a couple of weeks later to be told they had rejected my claim. They had classed it as ‘bad quality service’ not being covered. My dispute was not about ‘bad quality service’. My claim was about a service received that was not as described and clearly in breach of the contract. Would not recommend using this card - they are absolutely useless. Reviewed on: 20th April 2022

Outrageous and despicable behaviour

Tried to purchase online order this mondayonly to Tried to purchase some items on line and after completing details and using partnership card it was declined ! This started a long and exceedingly stressful saga. I was told security would have to phone me as they did not know reason card blocked ! They could not unblock card ! Day 3 no phone call from security ! If this was my only credit card imagine the consequences. You cannot block someone’s credit card without informing them the reason why. DO NOT GET A JOHN LEWIS CREDIT CARD. It will let you down and will go unresolved ! Reviewed on: 6th April 2022

Disappointed in John Lewis Credit Card

The card is run by HSBC bank and the customers services for it is now outsourced to Cairo in Egypt, This is very disappointing. How can JL pretend that the card is related to their UK Business. I don't want to talk to people in other countries about my finances. I am going to finish with the card. Reviewed on: 6th April 2022

Professional, competent, reliable

Never had any problems with John Lewis; good company Reviewed on: 4th April 2022

What has happened to JL

Just in the last week every time I make a purchase I get a call from fraud services. I refuse to give the unexpected caller my details but then that means I have to go through another queue with someone who refuses to put me through until they’ve updated my contact details despite me telling them I did it yesterday and the day before. When I eventually speak to someone they are so passive aggressive it takes all my self control to not lose my temper. All in all spectacularly awful service. Reviewed on: 26th March 2022

Very frustrating.

I have been using my card for online Waitrose grocery delivery regularly for the past 2 years and have used the account for many years in both Waitrose stores and John Lewis for many years (10/15 years). This week, for no apparent reason, when trying to pay online for my groceries, I have had a notice on the screen telling me that my account cannot be authenticated. I phoned the number as suggested and had one of the most frustrating experiences I can remember. A pleasant lady, who had obviously received lots of "customer care" training kept assuring me that she had no doubt that I was a genuine customer but was very sorry but she couldn't connect me on the system. "Computer says no" in other word!!. She tried a series of security questions with "ah, bless you" interjected between what she explained were progressively easier questions. I do understand the need for security BUT please make it clear the information you need to have ready when phoning and train your call handlers that being apparently "kind" can result in a perception of condescension. Quite frankly, I ended up feeling stupid abd incompetent. I am neither and still have no proper explanation as to why my account cannot be authenticated. I now have to wait, goodness knows for how long, for Accounts to phone me. Not good enough and very poor customer service! Reviewed on: 18th March 2022

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