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John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.32 (862 reviews)

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1.33

Based on 862 reviews, last reviewed 24th Dec 2024

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

67% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

5

Customer satisfaction They are vgery focussed and always go the extra step to ensure we are happy Reviewed on: 24th August 2024

Latest lowest rating:

1

Disaster of a credit card company - total fail! We recently tried adding our John Lewis Partnership Card to Apple Pay, only to find it blocked by NewDay, the card provider. Shockingly, this happened... Read more Reviewed on: 24th December 2024

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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 (862)

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

Disaster of a credit card company - total fail!

We recently tried adding our John Lewis Partnership Card to Apple Pay, only to find it blocked by NewDay, the card provider. Shockingly, this happened just after purchasing the iPhone directly from John Lewis! The experience with NewDay’s so-called fraud department was appalling—by far the most incompetent we’ve ever encountered. An elderly family member was subjected to invasive and idiotic questioning by untrained staff and low-IQ managers who then arbitrarily decided to block the card. Their handling of this situation was completely devoid of logic or reason. It’s hard to believe a company with such disastrous customer service could gain FCA authorisation. By partnering with NewDay, John Lewis is risking its well-earned reputation for quality and reliability. Many loyal customers, including us, are now rethinking their relationship with John Lewis because of this poor choice of provider. Please, John Lewis, reconsider your partnership with NewDay. The previous provider was leagues better, and good customer service isn’t rocket science—it’s common sense. This fiasco proves NewDay isn’t up to the standard your customers expect and deserve. Reviewed on: 24th December 2024

The Worst CC that has ever existed

If anyone is considering JL money/credit cards, please don’t bother. They are simply the worst you’ll ever come across. We love John Lewis and as a matter of fact it is an insult to have this trustworthy establishment being associated with such a low service from this company that handles the credit cards. The cards are often blocked from no obvious reasons and to no fault on us. Trying to unblock it, you’ll be faced with an illogical process, low intelligence staff and most frustrating experiences. John Lewis, please do something about it, if only this could be possible without change of supplier. At the end of their contract, please consider bringing on board people who can represent you and your names adequately and provide your clients with a reliable service. So far, the only thing we are faced with is a crap service and high frustrations. They are pushing your loyal clients away and competitions do exist. JL, you have to act and very promptly. Reviewed on: 20th December 2024

JL/Waitrose card(s) are a waste of time.

I’ve had this card (John Lewis / Waitrose) for some years now. I used to get a set of 5 Waitrose money-off vouchers each week from which I could choose a couple. I now get two specific vouchers for products I just wouldn’t buy. As for John Lewis I get no benefits at all, not even a cup of coffee. If the JL partnership wants my personal shopping data surely they should be a tad more generous? Simple solution - stopped wasting checkout time scanning my card and have now deleted the apps. Reviewed on: 17th October 2024

Lost my £1,120 payment for 3.5 weeks

I have been driven to write this review as I am so cross and even after retrospective complaint letters (sent by recorded delivery), I have had no response. In August I made an in-month payment of £1,120 - I had paid for an event for someone else and once they repaid me, I wanted to return the money to my account. I used the John Lewis Partnership card app to make the payment as I have on a number of times before. However on this occasion despite the money leaving my Natwest account immediately, it did not arrive in my credit card account. So began 3.5 weeks of phone calls, emails and letters, during which New Day consistently gave me the wrong information and did not do anything at all. They even asked me to check if the £1,120 had been paid back to my bank account - as if I am so rich I wouldn't have noticed!! I finally decided to elevate it to a complaint (previously I was just trying to find the money) and a week later, finally after I provided yet more information from my bank (who were excellent), the money was located in a New Day account and returned to my account. There was no apology, simply a letter thanking me for getting in touch and stating that New Day believed my complaint had been resolved. I was fuming. I wrote a latter to both New Day and John Lewis with a details account of ALL the calls and emails etc. asking for an apology and compensation. I sent both letters by recorded delivery and both were signed for. John Lewis got in touch and said they had forwarded my letter to New Day (despite the fact that theirs was simply a copy to notify them) but to this day... some 4 weeks later, I have had absolutely no further contact from New Day. I cannot make it any clearer about how completely inefficient and frustrating this company are and what a disgrace they are to John Lewis who in turn don't seem bothered. If it is any consolation to other people in the same situation, after a lot of work BY ME, my money was found so don't give up. This is the worst financial service I have ever received from any organisation. Reviewed on: 28th September 2024

NewDay is trashing of the John Lewis brand

Just another example of deterioration in the service quality branded under John Lewis. Ever since NewDay took over the old JL card, the amittedly few occasions we have had to contact them have led to poor customer experience and a total lack of human service. Their processes such as for fraud prevention are lamentable. They blocked a small regular monthly payment to our mobile phone service provider as it was a suspected fraud, even though the same amount had been paid each month under all the same process many times before. We had to launch a complaint to be heard properly, but all this resulted in was a standard 'we didn't make any errors' complaints decision. Their processes are too automated and designed by people who really don't seem to be very experienced as customers at all. And there seems to be very poor understanding of what the JL brand has meant in the UK psyche for so many years. We would say NewDay is possibly going to be viewed as the final nail in JL's coffin over the next few years. Reviewed on: 12th September 2024

Please dump Newday for a more reliable supplier

I couldn't agree more with the person who reported "New Day are Trashing John Lewis's reputation ". Trying to prepay for a large item is virtually imposible. Getting a credit limit anywhere near the one available with the previous card supplier (HSBC) is impossible and to add insult to injury, today my card is not being accepted, although it is nowhere near the credit limit. I have just tried to look at my transaction history and the site is "currently unavailable".PleaseJOHN LEWIS, PLEASE DUMP THIS USELESS NEWDAY CROWD. Reviewed on: 12th September 2024

New Day are Trashing John Lewis's reputation

Since John Lewis moved to New Day as their Partnership card service provider, I have had nothing but trouble using the card. They decline some of my purchases for what they say are “Security reasons”. The latest decline put me in difficulties at the start of a family holiday where they declined the charge that was required to cover the damage deposit on the car hire. This would have meant I couldn’t hire the car, even though I’d paid for the hire of it in the UK using the same card. Luckily, I was able to juggle my finances apps and made sufficient room on another car to complete the hire. New Day say on their website that I didn’t need to inform them when travelling abroad, but maybe I should have tried anyway. Why do I not have any issues with any other credit card? Having returned to the UK, I called “New Day” to complain and to understand why I keep getting my card declined only to be told by the handler that “there is a lot of fraud about”. They also said I should have called them to “get permission” to make the purchase. I pointed out that I was abroad, and a credit card is supposed to be a convenience not a hindrance. Unfortunately, from my point of view, “New Day” are also trashing John Lewis’s reputation at the same time as their own, so will be steering clear of both “New Day” and John Lewis in future. Reviewed on: 28th August 2024

Customer satisfaction

They are vgery focussed and always go the extra step to ensure we are happy Reviewed on: 24th August 2024

Rubbish card

It takes 5 days from when my direct debit is paid from my bank to clear my account with this credit card provider. So if I’ve used it to its limit I am unable to use it again till 5 days into the new month. Also I am unable to pay into the account by a bank transfer if I want to make an extra payment. This was a useful credit card till it was changed to New Day. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2024

Just love the rewards with this card

Just love the rewards with this card Reviewed on: 16th June 2024

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