Rewards shake-up for John Lewis and Waitrose Partnership credit card

Here's what's changing for new and existing cardholders from 4 September 2020:

• You'll earn five points for every £4 spent with John Lewis or Waitrose. That's 25% more than what you get currently (one point per £1 spent).

• You'll earn just one point per £4 spent elsewhere. That's half what you get currently (one point per £2 spent).

Each point is worth 1p in John Lewis and Waitrose vouchers, so from September you'll earn the equivalent of 1.25% back on spending at John Lewis and Waitrose (currently 1%), and 0.25% elsewhere (currently 0.5%).

For more info on the best cards that offer cashback or other rewards, including our current top picks, see our Credit Card Rewards guide.

Is it worth keeping the Partnership card?

If you do a lot of shopping with Waitrose or John Lewis, then it may be worth keeping the card for those spends, as the rewards you get there are already decent and increasing – from September, you'll get 1.25% back on spending in the form of John Lewis and Waitrose vouchers.

Yet while the John Lewis and Waitrose Partnership credit card has featured regularly on MoneySavingExpert.com as one of our top store reward credit cards over the past few years, the rate it pays on other spending currently can be easily beaten – and that's even more the case from September, when it'll give just 0.25% back on other spending.

Other top pick cards comfortably beat the rate that the John Lewis and Waitrose Partnership card will pay on other spending – and for an introductory period will even pay more on John Lewis and Waitrose purchases too. Our top picks currently are:

• The fee-free Amex Platinum Everyday card, which has an introductory 5% cashback for six months (max £100 cashback) and then offers between 0.5% and 1% cashback on all spending. You need to spend at least £3,000/year to get any cashback. While Amex is not accepted everywhere, you can pay with it in both Waitrose and John Lewis. Repay IN FULL each month to avoid 22.2% rep APR interest.

• If you'll spend more than £10,000 a year, the Amex Platinum card is a better option. It has a £25/yr fee, but you can earn 5% cashback for six months (max £125 cashback) and then 1%-1.25% cashback. Repay IN FULL each month to avoid 27.3% rep APR interest (including the fee).

For more info and options, see our Credit Card Rewards guide.