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The 7 best 0% APR and balance transfer cards

A balance transfer is one of the few genuinely powerful tools in consumer finance: it can stop interest cold while you pay down what you owe. It only works if you treat the intro period as a deadline, not a holiday.

Last reviewed: · Reviewed by the TheSavvyAmericans editorial team

Important: Balance transfers reduce interest but do not reduce debt. Intro periods, transfer fees, APRs and eligibility are set by the issuer and change often, so verify current terms before applying. Most issuers do not allow transfers between cards from the same bank, transferred balances usually earn no rewards, and a late payment can end the promotional rate early. If your balances are unmanageable, a nonprofit credit counseling agency (see the NFCC) is a safer starting point than a new card.

Key takeaways

  • 1A balance transfer moves existing card debt to a new card with a 0% intro APR, so every payment goes to principal instead of interest. Used properly it can cut months or years off a payoff.
  • 2Our top pick is the Citi Simplicity Card for one of the longest intro balance-transfer periods available plus no late fee, though it earns no rewards. Wells Fargo Reflect is the better choice if you also need a long intro rate on new purchases.
  • 3Almost every transfer carries an upfront fee charged as a percentage of the amount moved. Compare that fee against the interest you would otherwise pay: if the interest saved is larger, the transfer is worth doing.
  • 4Divide your balance by the number of intro months and pay that amount every month. When the intro period ends, the regular APR applies to whatever is left, and it is usually high.
Advertising disclosure: TheSavvyAmericans may receive compensation when you apply for or open a product through links on this page. This does not influence our editorial evaluations. Products are reviewed using a documented methodology. Learn how we make money.

The 7 best balance transfer and 0% APR cards

We compared cards on the length of the intro period for balance transfers and purchases, the transfer fee structure, the penalty terms that can end a promotion early, and what the card does for you once the intro period is over. Intro lengths and fees change frequently and vary by applicant, so we describe them structurally and ask you to verify current terms on the issuer's page.

Balance transfer cards compared at a glance
#ServiceBest forRatingIntro focusAnnual feeRewards
1Citi Simplicity CardBest for long payoff runway4.6 / 5Balance transfersNone (verify current)None
2Wells Fargo Reflect CardBest for purchases and transfers4.5 / 5Purchases and transfersNone (verify current)None
3Citi Diamond Preferred CardBest for large balances4.4 / 5Balance transfersNone (verify current)None
4Discover it Balance TransferBest transfer card with rewards4.3 / 5Transfers plus rewardsNone (verify current)Rotating category cash back
5BankAmericard Credit CardBest no-frills transfer card4.1 / 5Purchases and transfersNone (verify current)None
6U.S. Bank Visa Platinum CardBest for financing a purchase4.0 / 5Purchases and transfersNone (verify current)None
7Chase Freedom UnlimitedBest long-term keeper4.0 / 5Purchases and transfersNone (verify current)Cash back
#1Rank
Editor's ChoiceBest for long payoff runway

Citi Simplicity Card

4.6 / 5

Simplicity is built for one job: giving you the longest realistic runway to clear a balance without interest. It pairs one of the longest intro balance-transfer periods on the market with no late fee and no penalty APR, which makes it forgiving if a payment slips.

Pros

  • Among the longest intro balance-transfer periods available
  • No late fee and no penalty APR (verify current)
  • No annual fee
  • Straightforward, no categories to manage

Cons

  • Earns no rewards at all
  • Balance-transfer fee applies
  • Transfers usually must be completed within a set window after opening
Intro focus
Balance transfers
Annual fee
None (verify current)
Rewards
None
Transfer fee
Yes (verify current)
Visit Citi

Official site opens in a new tab

#2Rank
Best dual introBest for purchases and transfers

Wells Fargo Reflect Card

4.5 / 5

Reflect offers a long intro APR that covers both new purchases and qualifying balance transfers, which makes it the better pick if you need to stop interest on an existing balance and finance something new without splitting across two cards.

Pros

  • Long intro APR on purchases and qualifying transfers
  • No annual fee
  • Cell-phone protection when you pay the bill with it
  • Simple terms

Cons

  • No rewards program
  • Transfer fee applies and rises after an intro window
  • Qualifying transfers must be made early in the account's life
Intro focus
Purchases and transfers
Annual fee
None (verify current)
Rewards
None
Transfer fee
Yes (verify current)
Visit Wells Fargo

Official site opens in a new tab

#3Rank
Best runwayBest for large balances

Citi Diamond Preferred Card

4.4 / 5

Diamond Preferred is the other half of Citi's balance-transfer pair, offering a long intro period on transfers with no annual fee. It suits a larger balance that needs the maximum number of interest-free months to clear.

Pros

  • Long intro period on balance transfers
  • No annual fee
  • Access to Citi Entertainment presales
  • Free FICO score access

Cons

  • No rewards
  • Balance-transfer fee applies
  • Purchase intro period is shorter than the transfer period
Intro focus
Balance transfers
Annual fee
None (verify current)
Rewards
None
Transfer fee
Yes (verify current)
Visit Citi

Official site opens in a new tab

#4Rank
Best hybridBest transfer card with rewards

Discover it Balance Transfer

4.3 / 5

This is the rare balance-transfer card that also earns. You get an intro period on transfers plus Discover's rotating quarterly cash-back categories and its first-year cash-back match, which gives the card a reason to stay in your wallet after the debt is gone.

Pros

  • Intro balance-transfer period plus cash-back rewards
  • First-year cash-back match
  • No annual fee and no foreign transaction fee
  • Free FICO score access

Cons

  • Intro transfer period is shorter than dedicated transfer cards
  • Rotating categories need quarterly activation
  • Acceptance abroad is narrower than Visa or Mastercard
Intro focus
Transfers plus rewards
Annual fee
None (verify current)
Rewards
Rotating category cash back
Transfer fee
Yes (verify current)
Visit Discover

Official site opens in a new tab

#5Rank
Best simple termsBest no-frills transfer card

BankAmericard Credit Card

4.1 / 5

BankAmericard is a plain, no-rewards card built around an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers made early in the account's life, with no annual fee and no penalty APR for a late payment.

Pros

  • Intro APR on purchases and qualifying transfers
  • No annual fee
  • No penalty APR (verify current)
  • Free FICO score access

Cons

  • No rewards
  • Transfers must be made within an early window to qualify
  • Intro length trails the leading Citi cards
Intro focus
Purchases and transfers
Annual fee
None (verify current)
Rewards
None
Transfer fee
Yes (verify current)
Visit Bank of America

Official site opens in a new tab

#6Rank
Best for new purchasesBest for financing a purchase

U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card

4.0 / 5

The Visa Platinum is aimed at people who need a long interest-free window on a big planned purchase as much as on a transfer. It adds cell-phone protection when you pay your phone bill with it, and charges no annual fee.

Pros

  • Long intro APR on purchases and balance transfers
  • Cell-phone protection when you pay the bill with it
  • No annual fee
  • Simple terms with no categories

Cons

  • No rewards program
  • Balance-transfer fee applies
  • Availability can depend on your state
Intro focus
Purchases and transfers
Annual fee
None (verify current)
Rewards
None
Transfer fee
Yes (verify current)
Visit U.S. Bank

Official site opens in a new tab

#7Rank
Best after payoffBest long-term keeper

Chase Freedom Unlimited

4.0 / 5

Freedom Unlimited offers a shorter intro APR window than the dedicated transfer cards, but it is the one card here you will still want years later, because it earns solid cash back with no annual fee once the intro period ends.

Pros

  • Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers (verify current)
  • Earns cash back with no annual fee
  • Points can be pooled with a Sapphire card later
  • Useful long after the debt is cleared

Cons

  • Shorter intro period than dedicated transfer cards
  • Transfer fee applies
  • Rewards can tempt new spending on a card you are paying down
Intro focus
Purchases and transfers
Annual fee
None (verify current)
Rewards
Cash back
Transfer fee
Yes (verify current)
Visit Chase

Official site opens in a new tab

Ratings are TheSavvyAmericans editorial scores based on the criteria in the methodology section below, not user reviews or paid placements. Features and pricing change often, so confirm the current details on each provider’s official site before you sign up.

How we picked and scored these cards

We rank independently, and compensation does not set the order. For balance-transfer cards, the ranking is less about rewards and more about how much interest-free room the card gives you and how easy it is to keep the promotion intact.

  • Length of the intro period, which determines how many months you have to clear the balance.
  • What the intro covers: transfers only, or purchases as well.
  • Transfer fee structure, including whether a lower fee applies inside an early window.
  • Penalty terms: whether a late payment ends the promotion or triggers a penalty APR.
  • Life after the intro period, including whether the card is worth keeping once the debt is gone.

Good to know: Ratings are our editorial assessments, not user reviews. Intro lengths, APRs and fees vary by applicant and change frequently, so we describe them structurally rather than printing figures. Confirm the offer you are actually approved for before you transfer.

How a balance transfer actually works

  1. 1You apply for a card with an intro balance-transfer APR. Approval, your credit limit and the exact offer all depend on your credit profile.
  2. 2You request the transfer, usually within a set window after opening the account, giving the old card details and the amount.
  3. 3The new issuer pays your old balance and adds it to your new card, plus the transfer fee.
  4. 4The old account stays open with a zero balance. Keeping it open helps your credit utilization, as long as you do not run it back up.
  5. 5You pay the new card down during the intro period, ideally clearing it before the regular APR begins.

The arithmetic that decides whether it is worth doing is refreshingly simple. Work out roughly what interest you would pay on your current card over the next year, then compare it against the one-time transfer fee. If the interest is larger, and it usually is by a wide margin, the transfer saves you money.

Good to know: Two rules that trip people up: issuers almost never let you transfer a balance between two cards from the same bank, and the transfer takes time to process. Keep paying the old card until you can see the balance has actually moved.

Making the intro period actually work

The single biggest reason balance transfers fail is that people treat the 0% period as breathing room rather than a countdown. The intro rate is a gift of time, not of money: the debt is unchanged, and when the clock runs out the regular APR applies to whatever is left.

  • Divide the transferred balance (including the fee) by the number of intro months, and set that as an automatic payment.
  • Do not put new spending on the transfer card unless your intro rate also covers purchases. Mixed balances make payment allocation confusing.
  • Never miss a payment. On some cards a single late payment can end the promotional rate immediately.
  • Keep the old card open but unused. Closing it lowers your available credit and can raise your utilization ratio.
  • Set a calendar reminder a month before the intro period ends, so a remaining balance does not surprise you.

Good to know: If you cannot realistically clear the balance within the intro window, a fixed-rate debt consolidation loan may suit you better, because it forces a payoff schedule. If the debt is beyond what any of these tools can fix, nonprofit credit counseling through an NFCC member agency is the right next call.

Frequently asked questions

Does a balance transfer hurt your credit score?
The application adds a hard inquiry and a new account, which can dip your score by a few points temporarily. After that the effect is often positive: the new limit increases your total available credit, which lowers your utilization ratio, and paying down the balance helps further. Keeping the old card open, with a zero balance, generally helps too.
What is a typical balance transfer fee?
Most issuers charge a percentage of the amount transferred, sometimes with a minimum dollar amount, and some offer a lower rate if you transfer within an early window after opening the account. Because the exact figures change and vary by card, check the current terms on the issuer's page. The fee is almost always far less than the interest it saves.
Can I transfer a balance between two cards from the same bank?
Generally no. Nearly every issuer prohibits transfers between its own accounts, so a Chase balance cannot move to another Chase card. Plan your transfer around an issuer you do not already owe money to.
What happens if I do not pay it off before the intro period ends?
The regular APR applies to whatever balance is left from that point forward. In the U.S., the CARD Act stops issuers from retroactively charging interest on the promotional period itself, but the remaining balance starts accruing at the ongoing rate, which is typically high. Plan to be at zero before that date.

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