11 Best Balance Transfer Cards with 0% APR of January 2024

Who’s this for: The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card has one of the longest introductory 0% APR periods for both purchases and balance transfers.

Balance transfer offer: Balance transfers you make within 120 days of account opening qualify for a 0% intro APR for 21 months, after that a variable 18.24%, 24.74% or 29.99% APR applies. The balance transfer fee is 5% of each transfer with a $5 minimum.

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Who’s this for: The Citi Simplicity® Card has a generous 0% APR period for balance transfers and a lower balance transfer fee than other options.

Balance transfer offer: When you transfer a balance to the Citi Simplicity card within the first four months from account opening, you’ll receive an intro 0% APR on that balance for 21 months. Then a variable 19.24% – 29.99% APR applies. An intro balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount you transfer ($5 minimum) applies to transfers you make in the first four months, after that a fee of 5% of the amount you transfer applies ($5 minimum). The intro fee is lower than the balance transfer fee for some cards with a similar 0%-APR timeframe such as the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card.

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Who’s this for: The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card has a generous 0% APR timeframe for balance transfers and new purchases.

Balance transfer offer: Cardholders can take advantage of a 21-month 0% intro APR period on balance transfers they make within 60 days of opening the account. After the intro APR expires, a variable 18.74% to 29.74% APR applies. There is a balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transfer with a $5 minimum.

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Who’s this for: The BankAmericard® credit card is a good option for anyone who wants over a year without interest on balance transfers.

Balance transfer offer: Bankamericard members receive an introductory period of 18 months with 0% APR for balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After that, a variable 16.24% – 26.24% APR will apply. The balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount of each transaction.

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Who’s this for: The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best cash-back cards, on top of featuring a generous balance transfer offer.

Balance transfer offer: With the Citi Double Cash Card, you can enjoy a 0% intro APR for the first 18 months on balance transfers you complete in the first four months of account opening. After the intro APR expires, a variable 19.24% – 29.24% APR applies. The balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount you transfer ($5 minimum) within the first four months, then the balance transfer fee increases to 5% of any amount you transfer ($5 minimum).

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Who’s this for: The Chase Slate Edge℠ offers introductory 0% APR timeframes for balance transfers and purchases.

Balance transfer offer: Chase Slate Edge cardholders have an intro 0% APR for 18 months on eligible balance transfers, then a variable 20.49%–29.24% APR applies. An intro balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount transferred ($5 minimum) applies to transfers you make in the first 60 days. After that, the balance transfer fee is 5% of the amount transferred ($5 minimum).

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Who’s this for: The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is an excellent cash-back card to consider if you want to earn rewards while paying down your credit card debt.

Balance transfer offer: Chase Freedom Unlimited® cardmembers can transfer balances and receive an intro 0% APR for the first 15 months, then a variable 20.49% – 29.24% APR applies. An intro balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount you transfer ($5 minimum) applies for the first 60 days. After that, the balance transfer fee increases to 5% of the amount you transfer ($5 minimum).

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Who’s this for: The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers a high return in rotating bonus categories to go along with its intro 0% APR offer.

Balance transfer offer: Chase Freedom Flex card holders can transfer balances and take advantage of an intro 0% APR for 15 months, then a variable 20.49%–29.24% APR applies. This card’s intro balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount you transfer ($5 minimum) within the first 60 days of account opening. Afterward, the balance transfer fee is 5% of the amount you transfer ($5 minimum).

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Who’s this for: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is valuable because of its intro APR offer but even without that, it stands out as a top-notch cash-back card.

Balance transfer offer: Cardmembers can transfer balances in the first 120 days from opening the account and receive an intro 0% APR for 15 months. The intro balance transfer fee is 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) for transfers you complete in the first 120 days. After the intro period, the balance transfer fee is 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum).

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The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is one of the best options if you want to save money on credit card interest and not pay an annual fee.

Rewards

None

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

When you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your Wells Fargo Reflect card, you’ll qualify for cell phone insurance. This protection will reimburse you up to $600 per claim with a $25 deductible. You are limited to two claims per 12 months.

This card’s intro 0% APR for purchases lasts for 21 months with a variable 18.24%, 24.74% or 29.99% APR after that.

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The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is an ideal card for anyone who wants to save on interest for new purchases and balance transfers.

Rewards

None

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

Cardholders are eligible for cell phone protection of up to $600 per claim. There’s a $25 deductible and a limit of two claims every 12 months. You’ll need to charge your monthly cell phone bill to your U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card to qualify for this coverage.

This card’s intro 0% APR for purchases lasts for the first 21 billing cycles, after that a variable 18.74% to 29.74% APR applies.

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The BankAmericard® credit card is one of the best Bank of America credit cards for intro 0% APR offers.

Rewards

None

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

Cardholders receive an intro 0% APR for the first 18 statement cycles for purchases (in addition to qualifying balance transfers), then a variable 16.24% – 26.24% applies.

This card is designed for consumers who want to save on interest for purchases or balance transfers, and outside of that benefit, it has no notable perks.

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When it comes to no-annual-fee cash-back cards, the Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the most rewarding for everyday spending.

Rewards

• Earn 2% back on every purchase (1% back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases)
• Earn 5% total cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through the Citi Travel site by Dec. 31, 2024.

Welcome bonus

Earn a $200 bonus after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

This is a cash-back card at its core, but you earn cash back as Citi ThankYou® Points, which expands your redemption options. Cardholders can transfer their ThankYou points to a handful of travel partners, including Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and JetBlue. However, if you pair this card with a Citi credit card that enables full transfers, like the Citi Premier® Card, you can transfer your points to all of Citi’s travel partners at improved ratios.

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The Discover it® Balance Transfer credit card can help you pay less interest on credit card debt and new purchases.

Rewards

• 5% back on up to $1,500 in purchases in rotating bonus categories each quarter after you activate the bonus, then 1% back
• 1% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Discover will match the cash back you earn at the end of your first year.

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

On new purchases, you’ll receive a $0 intro APR for 6 months, then a 17.24% – 28.24% variable APR applies.

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The Chase Slate Edge℠ is one of the best Chase credit cards for helping you pay less interest and get out of credit card debt faster.

Rewards

None

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

You’ll get a 0% intro APR for 18 months on purchases, then a variable 20.49%–29.24% APR applies. Cardholders are eligible for an automatic 2% APR reduction after spending at least $1,000 within a card anniversary year and making all their payments on time. You can also earn an automatic one-time review for a higher credit limit after spending at least $500 during your first six months of card membership and making on-time payments during the same period.

Cardmembers can also enroll to receive three free months of DoorDash DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2024) and three free months of Instacart+ membership (enroll by July 31, 2024). Both services offer no delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders.

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The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has a solid intro 0% APR offer and is a great rewards credit card on top of that.

Rewards

• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter (activation required).
• Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through the Chase travel portal
• 5% back on Lyft rides through March 2025
• Earn 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
• Earn 3% cash back at drugstores
• Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. And you’ll earn 5% back on up to $12,000 in combined purchases and gas stations and grocery stores for the first year.

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

Cardholders receive an introductory 0% APR for 15 months on purchases, then a variable 20.49%–29.24% APR applies. You can also save on delivery fees with three free months of DashPass (enroll by Dec. 31, 2024) and three free months of Instacart+ (enroll by July 31, 2024). After enrollment, cardholders can also receive up to $10 in statement credits each quarter for Instacart purchases through July 31, 2024.

This card also has insurance benefits, such as cell phone protection, purchase protection, extended warranty protection and trip cancellation/interruption coverage.

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The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is also an excellent cash-back card and has no annual fee.

Rewards

Welcome bonus

Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after making $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable benefits

Cardmembers receive an intro 0% APR on purchases for the first 15 months, after that, a variable APR of 20.24%, 25.24% or 29.99% applies. You can save on cell phone insurance when you pay your wireless phone bill with your Wells Fargo Active Cash card. With this coverage, you can make up to two claims per year, and each claim will reimburse you a maximum of $600 with a $25 deductible.

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Before you take advantage of a balance transfer offer, there are some things you should keep in mind:

• Transfers can’t be made between cards from the same bank. For example, if you have a Chase credit card, you can’t transfer the debt to another Chase card.
• You may incur a fee. Most, but not all, of these cards charge a balance transfer fee. It’s usually 3% to 5% of the amount you transfer. For example, transferring $5,000 with a 3% fee will cost you $150. This fee is charged to the balance transfer card, rather than the original card.
• Transfers need to be completed within a certain number of days from account opening. If you wait too long to make a transfer, you may miss out on the 0% APR period. For example, the BankAmericard® credit card requires transfers to be completed within 60 days from account opening. So if you want to complete a Bank of America balance transfer you’ll have two months from your card’s approval date.
• There are limits on how much debt you can transfer. Card issuers typically limit the amount you can transfer to a percentage of your total credit limit or a specific dollar amount. And issuers also factor in the total cost of the balance transfer, which includes any balance transfer fees.
• Many balance transfer cards require good or excellent credit. If you have less than stellar credit, it can be difficult to qualify for a balance transfer card.

Using a balance transfer credit card to consolidate and pay off credit card debt is a great strategy to save on interest charges. However, it also needs to be met by cutting back on credit card spending as doing this multiple times over isn’t recommended.

Before you apply for a balance transfer credit card you may want to check your credit score using a credit monitoring service like Chase Credit Journey or CreditWise to make sure it’s up to par.

Lastly, and more importantly, you’ll want to have a budget set in place. Without a sturdy budget, you may find yourself digging deeper into credit card debt.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best balance transfer credit cards.

To determine which credit cards offer the best balance transfer deals, CNBC Select analyzed 101 of the most popular credit cards that offer no interest on balance transfers issued by the biggest banks, financial companies and credit unions that allow anyone to join.

We compared each card on a range of features, including: annual fee, balance transfer fee, rewards program, introductory and standard APR, welcome bonuses and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available.

For the cards that offered a rewards program, we also estimated how much cash back you might earn over a five-year period. Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company’s data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri’s data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net of the annual fee.

It’s important to note the value of a point or mile varies from card to card and based on how you redeem them. When we calculated the estimated returns, we assumed that cardholders are redeeming points/miles for a typical maximum value of 1 cent per point or mile. (Extreme optimizers might be able to achieve more value.)

When choosing the best balance transfer card, we focused on the card that provides consumers with the cheapest way to pay off their debt rather than the number of rewards they could potentially earn. When you’re in credit card debt, your primary focus should be repayment. Earning rewards should be seen as a bonus, and you don’t want to spend beyond your means in order to earn points.

The five-year rewards total and the interest rate and fees estimates are derived from a budget similar to the average American’s spending and debt. You may earn a higher or lower return depending on your spending habits.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Balance Transfer, click here.

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