Credit Cards & Loans
Points change looms for the John Lewis and Waitrose Partnership Card
John Lewis has confirmed changes will be made to its Partnership credit card in September. Will you be a winner or a loser from the points shake-up?
From 4 September, Partnership card holders shopping at John Lewis and Waitrose will earn an extra 25% on spends.
Currently shoppers earn one point per £1 spend whether shopping in-store or online at John Lewis or Waitrose.
Customers will continue to earn one point per £1 spend, two points per £2 spend and three points per £3 spend. But a £4 spend will trigger a bonus point so customers can earn five points, or 50 points per £40 spend and so on.
However, it confirms customers won’t receive fractions of points, with fractions being rounded down.
At the moment, customers shopping at John Lewis and Waitrose can get a £5 voucher when they’ve accrued 500 points which means they need to spend £500 at the chains.
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As of 4 September, to get a £5 voucher (500 points), they’ll need to spend £400.
So, the changes are a positive for regular John Lewis and Waitrose customers.
However, for those using the fee-free Mastercard Partnership credit card elsewhere, the changes mean customers will earn less points, with double the amount required on spends to gain the same £5 voucher.
Currently, customers earn one point for every £2 spend outside of John Lewis and Waitrose where Mastercard is accepted.
Come September, cardholders will earn one point for every £4 spend.
This means to get a £5 voucher (500 points), customers now need to spend £1,000 elsewhere. From 4 September, shoppers will need to spend double (£2,000) to get a £5 voucher.
It also means any spending under the minimum £4 threshold will not attract any points.
A John Lewis spokesperson, said: “Since the Partnership Card launched in 2004, our Reward Programme has remained unchanged. After 16 years, we decided to review our scheme to ensure we can continue to be as generous as possible in the long-term when rewarding our customers’ loyalty.
“The changes mean it is now more rewarding to use the Partnership Card to shop with John Lewis or Waitrose. Customers will continue to receive double points events in-store and online, ticket offers, travel exclusives and giveaways, contactless payments up to a value of £45 and up to three additional cardholders on your account.”
Vouchers are automatically distributed in February, June and October each year. Points that have been carried over expire after two years of inactivity though the £5 vouchers do not expire and can be spent in John Lewis or Waitrose, in-store or online.
Just last week John Lewis announced eight stores were set to close with job losses on the horizon in a bid to “secure the business’s long-term future”.