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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

Admitted they mislead me

Been a loyal and faithful customer for over 15 years. After taking a payment break which they advised me to do after I lost my job. When I made the first payment after the break and having secured a new role they advised me all was ok with the account but still sent a default notice which effected my credit card account. I took them to the FCA where they admitted their mistake but couldn’t reverse the notice. I won damages but it does not make up for the stress and now damage to my credit rating. Avoid this company and taking this card. Reviewed on: 16th July 2021

Terrible Service

Had terrible problems getting this card working- several wasted trips to the shop and several calls being left on hold for 15/20 minutes at a time. Avoid Reviewed on: 14th July 2021

Change of points to receive vouchers

Well John Lewis you have lost me as a partnership card customer since changing your point system less than half what I used to get instead of trying rip off your loyal credit card customers why don't you cut your 25% discount what you give John Lewis staff on top of any other discounts. Reviewed on: 6th July 2021

No vouchers ever sent

Since having card the points build up quickly and disappear off statements, however never seen any of these promised vouchers. Reviewed on: 5th July 2021

Extremely poor customer service

Trying to deal with a disputed purchase has made me lose the will to live. The online form is hopeless and when I sent in a complaint I received a pleasant telephone call but nothing changed. What a waste of time when we are told that if we purchase something with a credit card we will have extra insurance if something goes wrong. Also where do you find an address to complain about anything! Just give it a try. Reviewed on: 14th June 2021

Hair tearing frustration

I have been a mostly satisfied John Lewis shopper for most of my life. However the Partnership Card which serves me well when using it. Badly let’s me down when I need to access my card account. In fact never, have I ever succeeded in being able to do this. Locked, locked & locked again! Phone call after call. Zero result. Utterly timewasting & frustrating. Having recently been defrauded online I was really anxious to see my transactions. The stress has been great, in fact it very nearly bought me to tears. The site is appalling BAD. JL needs to remedy this ASAP! Reviewed on: 21st May 2021

AVOID AVOID AVOID

I have 3 disputed transactions with JL Credit card, amounting to £2,500 which is a lot of money to lose out on. They deny receiving disputed transaction forms and try their hardest not to help in any way. Their on-line dispute form is just as difficult to manage. I am now using AMEX for large purchases as their chargeback scheme is so much more manageable than JL. I've been a loyal customer and JL credit card holder for many years but not for much longer. Their customer service has gone severely downhill, it isn't even worth hanging on for the vouchers that they give! Disappointed is an understatement. Avoid this credit card, with so much choice out there please don't choose this one! Reviewed on: 14th May 2021

Complaints process incompetent

I filled a dispute over non-arrival, and then arrival with damaged goods. Partnership Card mishandled this opening a closing the complaint twice, not reading emails that I sent before responding and then wrote a patronising letter calling me a liar over the order of events. Complaint now with the Ombudsman. Reviewed on: 3rd May 2021

Earning vouchers is fun.

It's always a nice treat when your points reach a voucher threshold. Prior to using the app, the online banking was a nightmare and would regularly shut me out. Reviewed on: 29th March 2021

AVOID, avoid, avoid.... at all costs

What a decline for such a well respected company of so many years service and 'service' is once what they were once all about, not any more unfortunately as our experience highlighted. In good faith we decided to open a JL Partnership card as brand new customers who often shopped in the stores and online for over many years we decided to go for a credit card with them. Much filling in of required information followed when applying, we were of course approved and then duly received our new cards. We 'activated' them as requested, online and then again when they didn't work, via the telephone to Customer Services........ guess what they still didn't actually work(!) and have been declined whilst out shopping for goods. Not the sort of experience anyone wants, we have a gold star credit history and if anything are probably the very kind of customers JL dearly would like to attract and keep. We are left with little choice but to close the account before we could even use it due to their lack of resolution to the ongoing technical issues with the card, in fact we were advised it can take up to 8 weeks to resolve a problem. Unbelievable, who would honestly wait 8 weeks to use a credit card! This is the very opposite of SERVICE. Stay away and save your time there are much better credit cards out there who offer a professional and efficient service. JL get your act together before people continue to leave in droves, check your reviews below from other reviewers, not a good feedback?! Reviewed on: 11th March 2021

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