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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?

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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

Great

Quick loan without any problems. Only took 15 minutes to fill out the application and receive the money. I'm very satisfied. Reviewed on: 4th June 2018

A card for all reasons

I spend a lot on my credit cards and pay them off monthly and wasn't getting any sort of perk so I have switched to a John Lewis Partnership card because now I will at least get some vouchers which I will save for Christmas or hand over to my costly daughters for setting up home. Reviewed on: 3rd June 2018

Refuse a card

Unbelievable credit card company, sent everything that they wanted, tax returns, bank statements, passport. And still not enough, what more , doctor or solicitors sign letter, so my shopping at john lewis is a no no. Paul Reviewed on: 8th May 2018

Good cashback, but poor customer service

The card gives good cashback, but the credit limit I was given is ludicrously low (only £3500, when I have other cards in five figures) and if I pay of part of the month's spending in advance they deduct that from my monthly direct debit, leaving me with less leeway than I had anticipated. I want to clear the card every month in order to start the next month with a full £3500 available to me, but they make it difficult to do that! Reviewed on: 9th April 2018

John Lewis

Quality products. Trusted retailer Reviewed on: 9th April 2018

Almost hilarious how appalling this company is ...

I was sent a promotional leaflet for this card (I shop in Waitrose several times a week). I thought I would apply - I like Waitrose and John Lewis. I tried 5 times to apply online - apparently they had problems. They recommended I 'guess' where the tick box was on the web page and try to tick it to accept the t&c's! In the end I telephoned them and applied that way. That was on 14 February 2018. It is now 19 March 2018 and they've just sent me an email saying they've processed the application! I can't access the decision online because I can no longer remember my 'memorable word'! As a result I called - my application is apparently approved (not a surprise). But because I can't remember my memorable word, the only option is for them to send me a legal agreement ... by post! I can't imagine what they have by way of IT facility - but it's truly shocking. I thought Nat West were bad. And they are. But this lot are actually a laughing stock! John Lewis, you are in serious reputational danger. Reviewed on: 19th March 2018

Issued resolved ...............

After 42 days and 6 attempts/requests/staff intervention for a replacement card. Adequate compensation given and points added for “lost” shopping. Still be wary though of 0% offers, read the t and c’s carefully and avoid a secondary issue I encountered. If you have to similar interests rates runnng on the card JL deduct your payments from the oldest first. Eg, I took out an introductory 0% 18 month balance transfer and then made purchases using the 9 month 0% deal for new customers. It was only when I started making payments to them that I noticed only the longer 18 month deal balance was falling. On reading the conditions, I soon found out why. LESSON: do not take out a balance transfer as a new customer and then shop with the card, also on the same interest rate. My 18 month deal, has effectively become on 9 months now, if I wish to avoid charges, lucky I didn’t take out anything near the maximum balance transfer my credit limit would allow. John Lewis have been very underhand in my opinion even offering this combined deal, without any warning of the consequences of using the card, firstly to transfer a balance and then shop with the card. If I had say, transferred £5000, on the 18 month deal, then shopped another £4000, on the 9 month deal, I would be expecting, as I made payments into the account, for the shopping spend to fall first as it was on a lesser “time” deal. Instead, to avoid any charges, I would have needed to repay the full £9000 in 9 months!!! as the balance transfer is the “older” and therefore takes your payments first. What a con, regardless in the t and c’s!!!!!!!!!!! Reviewed on: 26th February 2018

I would also check out "trust pilot" reviews!!!!

What a shambles of a company! Do not apply for this card if (a) you might loose your card, (b) have an apostrophe in your name, and (c) want to take advantage of the 0% balance transfer deal and use the card for purchases using an introductory 0% deal. I lost my card, it is now 6 weeks later and still no replacement. Their system has been unable to work out how to send out a replacement because it does not recognise “apostrophes”. Many, many calls and promises that the fault has now been understood and overcome, but still no card. How I got the original card I do not know. I took advantage of a 0% 18 month balance transfer deal and then made purchases using the introductory 0% 9 month on purchases deal. I had not understood how the deals sat with each other until I discovered that if you have similar interest rates, then the older one gets paid off first. So as I made monthly payments, only the older balance transfer total was being reduced. John Lewis have been deducting credits from the 18 month deal first, as I took this out first. Therefore in practice, as soon as I made a purchase my 18 month deal fell to 9 months. My fault for not reading the t and c’s fully, but who does. They should make this situation much clearer. I took a £1000 balance transfer and then spent £1500 on the card, meaning now I have to pay off the full amount in 9 months, if I wish to avoid any charges. What a total con! Lucky I didn’t take a larger balance transfer. PS : It is now 40 days, and still no new card, no one in this company seems to know what they are doing. Reviewed on: 19th February 2018

Good company, good deal

Happy to support an ethical company and get rewards at the same time. Reviewed on: 23rd January 2018

Still no app!

I used to use this card as my main credit card, but keeping on top of spend and statements isn't as easy as it is with other cards - because there is STILL no app. Have asked several times and each time I'm told it's "on its way". Two years later - nothing Reviewed on: 23rd November 2017

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