Editor’s Note: Thank you for your interest, any offer(s) below expired and are no longer available.
Below, I’ve compiled a list of current 0% balance transfer credit card offers from a variety of issuers. These cards are a great tool for killing off high-interest credit card debt. When combined with a high-yield online savings account these cards are also great for credit card arbitrage. All of these cards offer 0% APR and no annual fee, and some also offer credit card rewards and/or signup bonuses.
Zero Percent APR Balance Transfer Offers
Discover it®- 18 Month Balance Transfer Offer
- 0% APR on balance transfers: 18 months
- 0% APR on purchases: 6 months
- Balance Transfer Fee: 3%
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards: Earn 5% cash back in new bonus categories each quarter like gas, restaurants, Amazon.com and more, up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate. Plus, unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Signup Bonus: Discover will automatically match all the cash back you earn at the end of your first year. New cardmembers only.
Wells Fargo Platinum Visa® Credit Card
- 0% APR on balance transfers: 15 months
- 0% APR on purchases: 15 months
- Balance Transfer Fee: $5 or 3% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards: Get up to $600 protection on your cell phone (subject to $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft when you pay your monthly cellular telephone bill with your Wells Fargo Platinum Visa® Credit Card.
- Signup Bonus: None.
Learn how to apply here.
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express
- 0% APR on balance transfers: 12 months
- 0% APR on purchases: 12 months
- Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Annual Fee: $95
- Rewards: 3x points at US supermarkets on up to $6, 000 per year in purchases (then 1x); 2x points at US gas stations; 1x points on other purchases. Terms and limitations apply.
- Signup Bonus: Earn 15, 000 Membership Reward® points after you use your new Card to make $1, 000 in purchases in your first 3 months.
Learn how to apply here.
Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
- 0% APR on balance transfers: 9 months
- 0% APR on purchases: 9 months
- Balance Transfer Fee: 3%
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- Signup Bonus: One-time $100 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months of approval
Learn how to apply here.
Check out a more extensive list of 0% balance transfer credit cards here.
I have $46,000 in Home Equity Line of Credit debt. How can I get this credit card arbitrage ball rolling? Do any of these cards send you checks that I could use to pay down my HELOC? It’s the only debt I have that could be paid off at this time.
Does anyone know if I can apply for two different Discover cards? I have a $25000 debt I’d like to transfer to 0% cards and was approved for a Discover card but for only $10,000. Also, will applying for more cards to reach this balance affect the aggreement and allow them to increase the interest rate. There is something in the T&C about them having the ability to end the offer if your credit is affected. Applying for additional cards might affect my credit?
I have a 0% Lifetime on Discover Card. This is the second time I’ve done this. I’ll buy a car and transfer to a credit card. The first time there were no purchase requirements and I made a “car payment (~100.00/month)” until I paid it off. This time, I have to make a purchase every month to keep the 0% interest rate in effect. I’ve been accomplishing this by going to the gas station every month and buying a quick click of gas ($0.03). I’m doing this because they charge a finance charge on purchases or a minimum of $0.50 a month). I’ve been trying to find a place where I can automatically charge a penny on the first of every month. Any ideas?
Well wanted to let you know that I applied for a new chase credit card and also signed up for a Balance transfer. I asked them to transfer the Balance of 4500$( no balance transfer fee ) to my Amex Blue card which has no dues on it. When I called the Amex to send me the 4500$ cheque as it was Credit Balance , they said that it is against their policy and they might close the account. They said you made a payment into an account which had no dues. I wanted to know is their a way I can get that 4500$ without making a purchase and still keep my Amex Account. Please advise.
I rec’d a 14 month 0% offer from AAA that supposedly includes Cash Advances…can that be right? It seems too easy to take the cash, drop it into Emigrant or ING or somesuch. Anyone have experience with this?
Great list of cards! As long as you use balance transfer and 0% APR credit cards wisely, you can save a lot of money.
Can you deposit Balance transfer checks from Discover to your checking account?
I’m not sure about a direct transfer from store credit, but a number of card issuers will give you balance transfer checks. You can then use the checks to pay off the balance on the store charge card (or anything else). And if you don’t have any outstanding debt, can even deposit these checks in a high-interest bank account and make some money for the duration of the 0% period.
is there credit cards that will do a balance transfer from retail cards like best buy, home depot, etc? do you recommend any?
I employ Norm’s strategy and make a purchase (small or large, it doesn’t matter) and then quickly pay it off. You probably want to setup Online BillPay anyway so making a small purchase and paying it off is a great to way ensure things are setup nicely anyway. Most of those cards have offers that are good for at least six months.
Some of the balance transfer options are also good as long as you do the transfer within a certain number of days of opening the account (say 90). What I’ve done in the past with cards like that is activate the card, go buy some gas, go home and immediately pay the bill online and then when the charge is off the card in a few days, request the balance transfer.
As nickel said above, the offers vary from card to card so carefully read the appropriate information, but this is a way I have used successfully to avoid even minor amounts of interest.
Norm
Steve, that’s a good question. The particulars of the offer will vary from card to card, but you’re right in that card issuers normally apply payments to the portion of the balance with the lowest interest rate. You could always buy a stick of gum, or something like that, in which case the interest charges would be (effectivelYy) non-existent.
How do you deal with the cards that have a balance transfer option and a bonus? Usually to get the bonus you have to make a purchase, but if you have already done a balance transfer, that puchase sits behind the balance transfer amount accruing interest.