A 0% balance transfer credit card, if used correctly, can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in interest payments. Having taken advantage of multiple zero percent balance transfer offers from Citi, Chase, and Discover, I’ve learned how to find the best 0% balance transfer deals available. To help you in your search for the top offers, we’ve created this page.
Below you’ll find our editor’s picks for the absolute best transfer offers you’ll find anywhere. The editor’s picks include the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard, which leads the industry with its 0% APR balance transfer for 18 months. It’s worth bookmarking this page, as we regularly update the page with new offers. Finally, you’ll find some tips and tricks to help you make the most of the balance transfer offers you take advantage of.
Best Balance Transfer Offers
In addition to our editor’s picks above, here we list what we believe to be the best cards that will allow you to transfer a balance without paying any interest during the introductory period:
Card Name | 0% Transfer Term (in months) | Links |
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Discover it™*![]() Up to 5% Cash Back | 18 | ![]() |
| Capital One® Platinum Prestige Credit Card | Until September 2014 | ![]() |
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card![]() | 18 | ![]() |
Here are more details on the top picks above as well as other 0% balance transfer cards:
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| Discover it® (18 Months) | |||||||||||||
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| Capital One® Platinum Prestige Credit Card | |||||||||||||
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| Citi Simplicity® Card | |||||||||||||
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| Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Visa® Card | |||||||||||||
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0% Balance Transfer Tips and Tricks
- The length of the offer: To state the obvious, the longer the 0% offer lasts, the better. Today, the longest offers are 18-month deals from Citi and Discover (see above). While this is not the only factor to consider when choosing a card, it’s obviously one of the most important.
- Watch the balance transfer fees: All balance transfer credit cards charge a fee for the balance transfer, except for the Slate® from Chase. So make sure you read the fine print so that you know what fees you’ll be charged. I’ve seen some balance transfer offers that charge such a high fee that it turns a 0% offer into something more like six or eight percent. All of the credit cards we list here charge a reasonable fee, typically between 3% and 5% of the amount transferred.
- Never use a 0% balance transfer offer to increase the total amount of your debt: I’ve seen some folks transfer debt to a 0% credit card, only to charge up additional debt on their other credit cards. This in turn just leads to more debt. And when the 0% offer expires and you start paying interest on the remaining balance, the situation only gets worse.
- Have a plan for when the 0% introductory rate expires: Did you ever wonder why credit card companies are willing to offer 0% interest for sometimes as long as a year? The reason is that they know many people will leave the balance on the credit card after the introductory rate expires. Therefore, it is critical that you know what you’ll do with the remaining balance when introductory rate expires. For us, it usually means transferring the balance to a new 0% credit card or to our home equity line of credit that charges a very reasonable and tax-deductible rate. If you plan to leave the balance on the card, check out the next tip.
- Always know the interest rate you’ll be charged once the 0% introductory rate expires: If you plan to leave the remaining balance on the card after the introductory rate expires, you should know what the adjusted rate will be before transferring the balance in the first place.
- Don’t use 0% offers to overspend: When we recently purchased furniture for our living room, a furniture company offered 0% interest for 12 months. We turned down the offer. I knew that with a 0% offer, we would be inclined to purchase more furniture than we needed. So instead, we paid cash. This goes to another principle that we follow – never borrower to buy consumer goods if you can help it.
- Shop around for the best option: Not all 0% credit card offers are alike. Some charge different balance transfer fees. And for others, the introductory 0% rate lasts for varying periods of time. I’ve seen some lasts for as short as three months, while others have lasted for 15 months. And that’s why we’ve created this page! A one-stop place to find the best BT offers available.
- Understand the difference between a 0% interest rate on balance transfers and on purchases: Some credit cards offer a 0% introductory rate on purchases only, not balance transfers. Other cards offer a 0% rate on both balance transfers and purchases. As you are shopping for the best 0% credit card for your needs, make sure you understand this difference.
- Look for cards that also offer rewards: Several credit cards with 0% introductory rates also offer excellent rewards packages. Depending on whether you travel a lot or want cash back from purchases, you’ll find credit cards that offer a vast array of rewards. But you need to keep in mind that for many of these cards, the balance transfers that you make will not qualify for the reward.
- Always remember that even at 0% interest, it’s still debt: While I have taken advantage of 0% credit cards and saved a lot of money as a result, it doesn’t change the fact that we still have debt. Credit cards can be an awfully tempting and destructive privilege, so use even 0% credit cards with care.
* See the online credit card application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. When you click on the “Apply Now” button, you can review the credit card terms and conditions on the issuer’s website. Discover is a paid advertiser of this site.


