The credit card from the John Lewis/Waitrose group has topped a customer satisfaction poll from Which? Money.

The poll of 4,419 Which? members showed 90 per cent of John Lewis/Waitrose customers said they were very satisfied with the service they receive – an increase of six per cent since last year.

The retailer was commended for its accuracy and clarity of statements, customer service and for their offers and discounts.

Nationwide scored 87 per cent customer satisfaction, while Smile recorded 86 per cent.

James Furse, John Lewis and Waitrose director of card services, said: “Having the John Lewis & Waitrose partnership card named top of the Which? Credit Card Satisfaction survey for the second year running shows our dedication to putting customers first.

“The accolade is a ringing endorsement of the value that partnership card provides – as well as continuous high standards of customer service.”

Abbey’s credit card came in with the lowest customer satisfaction with 52 per cent approval.

At the start of last year Abbey brought its credit cards in house from MBNA, but the firm claims this should not have affected customer satisfaction.

The bank also called into question the size of the sample of Abbey credit card customers in the poll.

An Abbey spokesperson said: “We are pleased to see that Abbey’s Zero card which charges no fees for foreign exchange, cash advances and balance transfers came at the top of Which’s? best buys for spending abroad.

“In terms of the broader survey, we would dispute its accuracy given the tiny sample used for Abbey. Only 35 Abbey customers were sampled – the smallest number in the survey – while for many of our competitors over 200 customers were questioned.”

Other firms failing to make the grade included MBNA (59 per cent), Lloyds TSB (60 per cent), Royal Bank of Scotland (60 per cent), Halifax (61 per cent), Bank of Scotland (61 per cent), Barclaycard (61 per cent) and Alliance and Leicester (63 per cent).

The research also revealed consumers are still failing to shop around for credit cards.

The most common reason – cited by 26 per cent – for people choosing their main credit card was that they already had a product with the same company.

Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? Money, said: “You could be wasting money if you don’t shop around and just choose a card from your existing bank.

“Of the big four banks, only Barclays currently offers a card that makes it into the Which? Money Best Buy tables.”

He added: “With the credit crunch making everyone tighten the purse strings, it’s more important than ever that you get the best deal on your credit card. The difference between the worst and the best credit cards can be substantial, so it’s worth doing your homework.”