0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards: Pay Zero Interest As Long as 24 Months!

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0% Balance Transfer = Lots of Money Saved!

When shopping for a credit card balance transfer, more often than not you’ll be looking for the lowest interest rate possible. Fortunately, we know zero is the lowest number out there.

And so a “0% APR balance transfer” is essentially the crème de la crème of credit card balance transfers because you pay zero interest for a certain period of time (the longer the better).

That’s right, these types of balance transfers do not accrue interest during the promotional period, which can be quite lengthy depending on the offer you choose.

Simply put, a 0% APR balance transfer credit card can save you a lot of money if you currently hold high-APR credit card debt because it’s essentially a temporary interest-free credit card that gives you a welcome break from finance charges.

As a result, every dollar you pay during the promotional period should go toward reducing the outstanding balance, as opposed to interest. This way you can actually tackle the debt.

To take advantage of these 0% intro balance transfer offers, just move your existing balance(s) to one of the cards below (or a similar one) and it will pay off the balance.

The transferred balance will then be with the new credit card company but subject to zero percent APR for the introductory period. It’s super easy to do!

Take a look at the offerings from the largest national banks and credit card issuers in the list below.

Note that these are just the 0% interest credit card offers from the big guys – there are smaller local institutions and regional credit unions that also offer 0% APR balance transfers, so be sure to consider those as well.

Offers can change frequently so be sure to check back often and do a lot of research to find the right offer for your situation.

0% Interest Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers:

Below I have listed one 0% APR balance transfer offer from each of the big credit card issuers. If you click through on an individual offer you’ll see all of those company’s 0% APR offers. They are grouped by longest to shortest 0% APR for convenience sake.

The longest 0% APR period for balance transfers is 24 months, or two years. If and when a credit card issuer offers 0% APR for 36 months it will be listed here. Just don’t hold your breath…

***List last updated on September 24th, 2019***

0% APR Credit Cards for 24 Months

Santander Bank Sphere Card – 0% APR for 24 months on balance transfers, no annual fee, transaction fee of $10 or 4%, whichever is greater, for each balance transfer.

0% APR Credit Cards for 21 Months

Citi Simplicity® Card – 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 21 months with a 3% fee.

Discover it Card – 0% APR on purchases for six months and 0% APR for 21 months on balance transfers with a 3% fee.

0% APR Credit Cards for 18 Months

BankAmericard Cash Rewards Credit Card – 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 18 billing cycles with a 3% fee ($10 minimum).

Bank of Hawaii Visa – 0% APR for 18 months on balance transfers & purchases with a 4% fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

Citi Double Cash Card – 0% balance transfer for 18 months with a 3% balance transfer fee. No annual fee.

Discover® More Card – 18 Month Promotional Balance Transfer – 0% APR for 18 months and a 3% balance transfer fee.

HSBC Platinum MasterCard® credit card – 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 18 months from account opening with a balance transfer fee of 4% or $10 (whichever is greater).

0% APR Credit Cards for 15 Months

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card – 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. NO balance transfer fee!

Auto Club Member Rewards Visa – 0% APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min).

Barclaycard CashForward World MasterCard – 0% balance transfer for 15 months (if made during first 45 days of account opening), 3% fee, $0 annual fee.

Barclaycard Ring MasterCard – 0% APR for 15 months, no balance transfer fee (first 45 days) or annual fee.

Barclaycard NFL Extra Points Credit Card – 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers with a 3% fee ($5 min) and no annual fee.

BB&T Bright Card – 0.00% introductory APR for fifteen months with a 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

Chase Freedom Unlimited – 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers with a higher 5% balance transfer fee but no annual fee. $5 minimum fee.

Chase Slate No Fee Balance Transfer – 0% APR for up to 15 months on balance transfers (and purchases) NO balance transfer fee.

Fifth Third Bank Platinum Card – 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles with a 4% balance transfer fee (min $5) and no annual fee.

Fifth Third Truly Simple Credit Card – 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers with a 4% balance transfer fee, minimum $5. No annual fee.

KeyBank Latitude MasterCard – 0% APR for 15 billing cycles on balance transfers (made within first 60 days) and purchases with a 4% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

MasterCard Gold Card – 0% APR for 15 months with a 3% balance transfer fee, but there’s a kicker for this metal credit card; a $195 annual fee!

MasterCard Titanium Card – 0% APR for 15 months with a 3% balance transfer fee, 24k gold-plated credit card with a drum roll…$995 annual fee!

PNC Bank Core Visa – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 billing cycles, balance must be transferred in first 90 days from account opening, no annual fee, 3% balance transfer fee ($5 min).

SunTrust Cash Rewards – 0.00% introductory APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee (min $10) and no annual fee.

Upromise World MasterCard – 0% APR balance transfer for 15 months when made during first 45 days of account opening. 3% balance transfer fee, $0 annual fee.

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Credit Card – this new credit card offers 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers with a 3% fee ($5 min) and no annual fee.

Wells Fargo Platinum Visa – 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, no annual fee, and a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum).

Wells Fargo Propel American Express – 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum). No annual fee.

0% APR Credit Cards for 14 Months

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard – 0% APR for a rather random 14 months on both purchases and balance transfers with a 3% fee ($5 minimum).

0% APR Credit Cards for 12 Months

Associated Bank – 0% APR for first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 min) and no annual fee.

Astoria Bank Maximum Rewards Visa – 0% APR on purchases/balance transfers for 12 billing cycles, 3% fee (min $10) and no annual fee.

BankUnited Visa Platinum – 0% APR for 12 billing cycles on balance transfers with no annual fee and a 3% balance transfer fee ($15 min).

Barclaycard CashForward World MasterCard – 0% APR for first 12 months if you transfer a balance within first 45 days of account opening. 3% fee, $5 minimum.

BBVA Compass ClearPoints Visa – 0% APR for one year with a 4% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

BMO Harris Bank Platinum MasterCard – 0% APR for 12 months on balance transfers with a 3% fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

Chemical Bank Platinum Edition MasterCard – 0% introductory APR during the first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

Citizens Bank Clear Value MasterCard – 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles with a 3% fee (min $10) when executed within the first four months of account opening, no annual fee.

Comerica Bank Platinum Visa – 0% APR for the first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 min) and no annual fee.

Commerce Bank Royals MasterCard – 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 monthly billing cycles, $0 annual fee, 5% balance transfer fee (min $10).

Community Bank – 0% APR for the first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

East West Bank Platinum Visa – 0% APR for first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum), no annual fee.

First Bank Platinum Edition MasterCard – 0% introductory APR during the first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

First Citizens Bank Smart Option Visa – 0% intro APR for first 12 billing cycles on balance transfers with no annual fee and a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum fee).

First Merit Platinum Rewards MasterCard – 0% APR for 12 months on purchases and qualified balance transfers with no annual fee and waived balance transfer fee during first 30 days!

First Midwest Bank Platinum Visa – 0% APR for 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

First National Bank of Omaha Amex – 0% APR for 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min), no annual fee.

First National Bank Texas – 0% APR during first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min) and no annual fee.

First Niagara Platinum MasterCard – 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 12 months, 4% balance transfer fee ($10 min), $0 annual fee.

First Tennessee Visa Platinum – 0% APR for 12 months, no balance transfer fee, no annual fee!

Flagstar Bank Visa Platinum – 0% APR for 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 min) and no annual fee.

Huntington Voice MasterCard – 0% intro APR for twelve billing cycles on balance transfers, 3% balance transfer fee ($10 min), no annual fee.

IBC Bank Visa Platinum – 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months with a 3% balance transfer fee (min $5) with no annual fee.

M&T Visa Credit Card – 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 12 months, no balance transfer fee until March 31st and no annual fee! Act fast!

MB Financial Bank – 0% APR on balance transfers for 12 months if completed during first four months of account opening, no annual fee, 4% balance transfer fee ($10 min).

Regions Visa Platinum – 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months with a 4% balance transfer fee (min $10) with no annual fee.

State Farm Good Neighbor Visa – 0% balance transfer for 12 billing cycles with a 3% transaction fee and $0 annual fee.

TCF Bank Platinum Visa – 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months with a 3% balance transfer fee (min $10) with no annual fee.

TD Cash Visa  – 0% APR for 12 billing cycles on balance transfers with a 4% fee (min $10) and no annual fee. Minimum balance transfer request is $250.

The JetBlue Card – 0% APR for 12 months if balance transfer completed in first 45 days, 3% fee with $5 min.

USAA – 0.0% introductory APR for 12 months with a 3% balance transfer fee, no minimum but a $200 maximum, which could come in handy. No annual fee.

U.S. Bank Visa Platinum – 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for first 12 billing cycles, $0 annual fee, 3% balance transfer fee (minimum $5).

UMB Dynamics ePlate Visa Card – 0% balance transfer for 12 months with a 3% balance transfer fee and no annual fee. And a weird LED light on the front of the card.

Zions Bank AmaZing Rate Visa – 0% APR on balance transfers for 12 months, 0% APR on purchases for six months, 3% balance transfer fee ($10 minimum), no annual fee.

0% APR Credit Cards for Nine Months

Capital One QuicksilverOne – 0% APR for nine months with no balance transfer fee (annual fee of $39).

0% APR Credit Cards for Seven Months

Regions Visa Platinum – offers a very random seven months of 0% APR on balance transfers with no annual fee and a 4% balance transfer fee (minimum $10). I didn’t say it was a particularly good deal…

0% APR Credit Cards for Six Months

Dollar Bank Low Rate Credit Card – 0% APR for six months on purchases and balance transfers with just a 1% balance transfer fee ($5 min) and no annual fee! Available to consumers in Ohio and Pennsylvania only.

First Niagara Standard Rewards MasterCard – 0% APR for six months on balance transfers, 4% balance transfer fee ($10 min), $35 annual fee, which is waived the first year.

Schwab Investor Card from American Express – 0% APR for six months on both purchases and balance transfers, 3% balance transfer fee with a minimum of $5, no annual fee.

Trustmark Visa Platinum – 0% APR for six months on balance transfers and purchases, no balance transfer fee, no annual fee.

Let’s look at an example of a 0% APR balance transfer credit card:

Credit card balance: $2,000 @20% APR
Balance transfer offer: 0% APR for 12 months
Balance transfer fee: 3% of balance, $10 minimum, no maximum
APR after balance transfer period: 12.99%

Assuming you accept this rather common 0% APR balance transfer offer, you’ll be able to avoid paying finance charges (interest) on your credit card debt for an entire year.

This means every credit card payment made during those 12 months, less any balance transfer fees, would go to chipping away your credit card balance. This is a great thing if you want to rid yourself of credit card debt once and for all.

In the above example, you’d be subject to a $60 balance transfer fee, so your new balance after the transfer would be $2,060. If you paid about $175 each month for a year, you could pay the balance off entirely and avoid any finance charges.

Types of 0% APR Balance Transfer Credit Cards

The only thing better is a 0% APR balance transfer offer with no fee, but finding one of those is like spotting a panda in the wild.

Well, it’s not that hard, but most credit card issuers that offer 0% APR charge a balance transfer fee to ensure they make some money off you.

Otherwise you could just transfer your credit card balance from card issuer to card issuer, make only the minimum payment, and then transfer it elsewhere for free.

This practice, known as credit card juggling, was actually quite common pre-credit crisis.

Anyways, back to 0% balance transfer credit cards. You may see a credit card balance transfer that offers 0% APR for six months, 0% APR for 12 months, 0% APR for 18 months, or even 0% APR for the life of the balance. There are plenty of different options.

Of course, 0% APR balance transfer for the life of the balance will probably require that you make purchases every billing cycle or take out a cash advance. In short, it’s a scam. Otherwise no money would be made.

After all, credit card issuers aren’t in the business of giving away everything for free, so don’t count on that type of offer these days.

If you do get a balance transfer offer with a fixed APR for the life of the balance, there’s a good chance it’ll be a low fixed rate above zero, such as 4.99%.

The good news is 0% APR balance transfer credit cards are quite common, if not the norm, and often stay at zero percent for a fixed period, which may be just long enough for you to pay off your balance and avoid finance charges.

That’s really the goal if you actually want to pay off your credit card debt.

What If You Don’t Transfer Your Credit Card Balance?

If you were to keep the existing balance on your current credit card, and not transfer it to a 0% APR credit card, you’d probably subject yourself to hundreds in finance charges over the course of a year (See: is a balance transfer worth it?).

In our preceding example, you’d be paying roughly $33 a month in interest, assuming your balance is a constant $2,000.  That equates to $400 annually, which is an unnecessary waste of money.

This is why 0% APR balance transfer credit cards are so insanely popular. They aren’t a scam or a trick.

When it comes down to it, credit card issuers offer them with the hope that you will move your debt to them and eventually pay them interest once the 0% APR period comes to an end.

But if you make a payment plan to ensure you are debt free before the 0% APR period ends, you win. Even if you don’t get completely out of debt, 0% APR for 12 months or longer will probably save you money. Do the math.

Tip: Look for a no fee balance transfer credit card to avoid paying any fees. And consider local credit unions too!

(photo: Marcin Wichary)

9 comments

  1. So to get this straight I can transfer my credit card debt to one of these cards and I don’t pay any interest for the number of months included in the offer? If it is 12 months I don’t pay interest for 12 months? If that is right what happens after that? Is all the interest due after 12 months? Thank you.

  2. Orlando,

    You are right about the first part – at 0% APR you pay no interest during the promotional period, which can be 12 months, 15 months, etc. Once that period ends, the remaining balance (assuming you do have a balance) will be subject to the standard purchase APR in most cases, which is usually much higher, say 15%-20% or so. In other words, your credit card debt just goes back to incurring standard finance charges each month until is paid off. That’s why you should aim to pay it all off before the 0% APR period ends.

  3. Renee,

    Yes, longest is 24 months right now…will be hard pressed to find 0% APR for longer than two years…

  4. Thanks for this list, saved me a lot of time. The big credit card websites don’t have even half of these offers.

  5. Note on American Express:
    – They have a transfer limit of $7,500 or 75% of your credit limit, whichever is lower. So $20k credit line = $7,500 max balance transfer
    – also, public offers are 12 months now but you can get 15 Mo. through matching sites or a targeted offer.

  6. CRib,

    Thanks for the info, good to know about the limitations with Amex. They aren’t the best balance transfer issuer out there, but people should know before they try to use them to move a large balance.

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