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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

1.32
Based on 882 reviews, last reviewed 12th Nov 2025
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Latest highest rating:

5

had a partnership card for years now. had a partnership card for years now. love the rewards vouchers on spends and the points you are awarded for using their credit card which i normally ... Read more Reviewed on: 12th June 2025
carol cheshire's avatar
carol cheshire

Latest lowest rating:

1

Lost my £3000 payment to my Partnership card Lost my £3000 payment to my Partnership card through their app for 2 weeks, causing much stress and many phone calls trying to get my money back - as ... Read more Reviewed on: 12th November 2025
Malcolm L's avatar
Malcolm L

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 (882)

Appalling Credit Card

1
My credit card has been blocked twice in the last 2 weeks and is still blocked. My wife's account is also blocked, there has been no notification or explanation of the blocking. What is the purpose of an online secure message system if it is not used. At least send an automatic message to say what/why it has happened. Reviewed on: 11th November 2016

Apalling customer service

1
On checking my bank statement I noticed that the direct debit that has been set up for over a year had not been taken for the November payment. Like other reviewers getting through to the call line is an impossibility at any time of day. I contacted John Lewis head office and was advised that it was HSBC s problem and not theirs !! I was told to contact the lost card section and on actually speaking to a person was advised that the direct debit had been cancelled and they said that my bank had done this !! I had not cancelled the direct debit but checked with my bank ,which confirmed that the direct debit had NOT been cancelled. I then phoned JLFS again and was then told that perhaps they had made an error but that they could not reinstate the direct debit and that I would have to complete another direct debit authority. I the meantime they would cancel the late payment charge and interest but was told to pay the balance by fast payment or by cheque. John Lewis used to pride themselves on their customer service and by promoting their credit card and must accept ownership of the problem but I find their dismissive attitude arrogant in the extreme and when this saga is eventually sorted out I will cancel my card and avoid the store at all costs in future. What ever happened to customer service and apologising for THEIR mistakes. Reviewed on: 10th November 2016

a loan shark would be better to easier to deal with

1
I've been trying to close my partnership account for 3 months, first they say on the phone when you try and close that they keep the account live for 6 months in case you change your mind, no thanks close the account, then they say you will probably get blank statements for three months erm why, in case you change your mind...I won't, sends letter, gets response, quote " to assist us in closing your account we will not issue a new card (which is due in 2018) during this period you will still be responsible for any transactions. Im not sure what part of I want to close the account they don't understand, at this,point I wanted firm written correspondence the account was closed, there is no way I want to be in limbo until 2018 in case they decide I had made a transaction, which I wouldn't as the card had been destroyed. So I wrote to there complaints team, took the, 6 weeks to acknowledge my complaint, they confirm in the letter they would provide a final response in 10 days, 15 days later I'm still waiting...I simply want to close the account and want written confirmation its closed..this is the worst financial institution I have ever had the misfortune to deal with, do yourself a favour avoid this so called partnership card at all costs and got to an real hint street lender for a card..I've never had this issue ever before. Reviewed on: 7th November 2016

No replacement credit card.

1
On top of all the other experiences detailed on your website, which I've also experienced, my card expired this month and I have received no replacement. Last night my card was declined on Amazon so I guess that's it. Can't contact them so have had to resort to shaming them on FB which may be achieving results. Reviewed on: 6th November 2016

Statement asks me to pay last month's paid bill AGAIN on top of new transactions!!!

1
Last month I paid my credit card bill in full. So this month's statement shows the previous balance (420.71) and shows the payment received (420.71). Ok so far. Then it gives the new balance, which should be the total of new transactions (405.71) - but it says 826.42!!!!! Then I realised that 826.42 is this month's transactions of 405.71 PLUS last months already paid 420.71. WHAT?!?! I can understand occasional computer glitches but surely they can at least check they have put the right formula in the right box! Needless to say, I haven't been able to get through on the phone and can't message them, so I had to resort to pen & paper.... If I haven't heard anything by the payment date I'll just pay what I know I owe, but they had better not charge me interest on the "remaining" amount that I DON'T OWE...!! Reviewed on: 6th November 2016

Update - a standard letter not worth its postage

1
Having complained by letter to JLP card on 19 Oct about having a payment rejected and late payment fee and interest imposed, I have finally had a response today. I had very low expectations indeed, so I was not unduly disappointed to get a standard letter with my surname misspelled saying that my "comments are extremely valuable" and that I could expect to hear the results of their investigation "within the next eight weeks". So it's scarcely worth bothering to write to Customer Complaints, the "secure message" system is still down (deliberately, to avoid the deluge of angry complaints?) and those patient enough to endure the long wait get what many here describe as an arrogant brush-off from the telephone call handlers. Bravo, John Lewis! It's hard to imagine how you could have done worse. Reviewed on: 3rd November 2016

Astounding Arrogance

1
I naïvely thought that I’d been unaffected by the recent John Lewis Partnership credit card debacle until I tried to log on last night to download my month’s transactions. Of course, my logon was rejected. Yes, I received the email about changes but I don’t have enough years left in my life to read the ins and outs of all the routine correspondence that financial service companies love to bombard us with. The arrogance of JLP is astounding. THEY change THEIR systems and want ME to spend MY precious time re-entering data because they can’t be bothered, or don’t have the technical ability, to migrate my existing data. Like most people I have dozens and dozens and dozens of online accounts, of all sorts, ranging from banking to social media; if they all took the approach of JLP, I’d be re-registering from here to eternity! If JLP want me to do their work for them, they should try INCENTIVE NOT DIKTAT! I called JLP customer services and got the same reaction that countless others have reported. The final exchange was — Me: “I will cease using the card until you migrate my data” — JLP representative: “I can tell you that is not going to happen.” Well, John Lewis, let ME tell YOU that I can do without your card, your stores and your over-priced supermarkets – oh – and your arrogance too. Reviewed on: 3rd November 2016

The current Partnership card problems are the worst case of poor customer service I have ever experienced.

1
I have long used contactless cards for my main bank account, and read that the JLP card was going to be available contactless, (at last!!), so applied for it over 2 weeks ago. The next day I then found that a payment to retailer was declined with my old card. I rang Partnership Card Services was in a Q for over 40 mins, to be told it must be the retailer with a faulty machine, my old card had not been cancelled. Wy wife then went and used the card at Waitrose, it was declined. I rang, the Q was nearly an hour, I was told that yes, the old card had been deactivated as I had ordered a new card! No-one had pre-warned me of this, and I'ver never heard of it before, what are customers supposed to do while they wait for their new card? A few days ago I tried to ring again and gave up after 2 1/4 hours on hold. It is now 18 days since my new card application, I still have no new card and am again trying to get through to the "Support" number to listen to the ever repeating "Unfortunately all our advisors are dealing with other customers....etc" What an an amateurish shambles. Reviewed on: 1st November 2016

MELTDOWN at contact centre Oct2016 - SHAMBOLIC

1
October 2016 into November: John Lewis Partnership Card (operated by HSBC for John Lewis Financial Services Limited) was a nightmare. Spent well over 3 hours in total, trying to get through to contact centre, no answer. One call over was over 1 hour's wait. No answer. They don't have a system for informing you of your place in the queue. Amateurish. Eventually got through by calling at 03.30AM! Said how much time and money lost trying to get through. No apology. Explained I needed to raise my Credit Limit for 30 days, they asked me to call back, and ask for underwriters, meaning waiting all over again. Some overpaid John Lewis Finance executive(s) decided to change their website and statement layout and get customers to re-apply for their online account, triggering tsunami of calls, putting contact centre into meltdown. Unacceptable. Amateurish. Go to another provider. Reviewed on: 1st November 2016

Terrible service and would not let me report a fraud

1
I couldn't report fraud on my credit card. John Lewis does not answer the phone or respond to online messages. The old website was terrible and the new one is worse. AVOID JOHN LEWIS Reviewed on: 31st October 2016

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