Choose the balance transfer card whose 0% period gives your payments time to clear the balance, at the smallest fee. For most balances, the Citi Diamond Preferred wins, with 0% for 21 months on transfers made in its first four months, at a 3% fee. Move a Citi card’s balance to another bank’s card instead.
A balance transfer is worth it when its fee costs less than the interest it saves. Paying $300 a month on a $6,000 balance at 22.36%, the average rate the Federal Reserve reported on card accounts charged interest for August 2026, takes 26 months and costs about $1,577 in interest. On a card with 21 months at 0% and a 5% fee, the same $300 a month pays off the balance and the $300 fee in 21 months, so the transfer saves about $1,277. To clear the balance before the 0% ends, divide the balance plus the fee by the months at 0%, and pay that every month. A 3% fee instead of 5% would save $120 on that $6,000, but on an 18-month card the payment rises from $300 to $343.
Each card here earned its spot with the longest 0% period, fewer fees, or rewards once the balance is paid. Check who issued the card you owe on before you apply, since most issuers won’t take a transfer from their own cards. Then move the balance as soon as you’re approved, because most of these 0% periods count from account opening. For 0% on a new purchase rather than an old balance, choose a credit card for a large purchase.
The longest 0% periods
Best overall: Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Moved within four months of account opening, a large balance from another bank’s card gets 0% for 21 months at a 3% fee, while every other card with a period this long charges 5%.
- Best for: Moving a large balance from another bank’s card that will take well over a year to repay
- What Sets It Apart: 0% for 21 months on balance transfers, longer than its 0% for 12 months on purchases
- Features: A 4-month window to complete transfers; intro periods count from account opening; choose your payment due date
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 21 months on balance transfers made in the first 4 months; 0% for 12 months on purchases
- APR: 16.74% to 27.49% variable after the intro periods
- Cost: 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum) in the first 4 months, then 5%
- Pros: Long 0% period on transfers; 3% intro transfer fee; no annual fee
- Cons: No rewards; shorter 0% period on purchases; a late payment can end the 0% rate; no transfers from other Citi accounts
For more information, read our full Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card Review.
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
You get 120 days from opening to request transfers, time to gather balances from several cards, and its 0% for 21 months, counted from opening, covers new purchases as well.
- Best for: Paying off a large purchase or a balance moved from another card over more than a year
- What Sets It Apart: 0% for 21 months for purchases and transfers alike, with four months from opening to move a balance
- Features: Cell phone protection up to $600 a claim ($25 deductible); no penalty rate; free FICO Score updates through Wells Fargo Online; merchant deals paid as account credits
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 21 months on purchases and on balance transfers requested within 120 days of opening
- APR: 17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% variable after the intro period
- Cost: 5% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum); 3% foreign transaction fee
- Pros: Same 0% period on purchases and transfers; 120 days to move a balance; no annual fee
- Cons: No rewards; 5% transfer fee; no transfers from other Wells Fargo accounts; 3% foreign transaction fee
For more information, read our full Wells Fargo Reflect® Card Review.
U.S. Bank Shield® Visa® Card
Pick it for a balance you’ll pay down on a card you’ll keep, since paying your phone bill with it covers a stolen or damaged phone up to $600.
- Best for: Paying off a big purchase or a transferred balance at 0% for 21 billing cycles
- What Sets It Apart: 0% for 21 billing cycles for purchases and transfers alike; no penalty rate after a late payment; cell phone protection on a no-fee card
- Rewards: 4% cash back on prepaid flights, hotels, and rental cars booked in U.S. Bank’s Travel Center
- Features: $20 statement credit after 11 consecutive months of purchases; up to $600 cell phone protection; a yearly 3-month payment plan with no fee after the intro
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 21 billing cycles on purchases and on balances transferred in the first 60 days
- APR: 17.24% to 28.24% variable after the intro
- Cost: 5% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum); 3% foreign transaction fee
- Pros: 0% on both purchases and transfers; no annual fee; no penalty APR
- Cons: Cash back only on prepaid Travel Center bookings; no transfers from other U.S. Bank accounts; 3% foreign transaction fee
For more information, read our full U.S. Bank Shield® Visa® Card Review.
BankAmericard® Credit Card
For a balance that might outlast the 0% period, both ends of its 15.24% to 26.24% variable rate are lower than any other bank card’s here.
- Best for: Paying off a big purchase or another bank’s card balance at 0%
- What Sets It Apart: 0% for 21 billing cycles on new purchases as well as transferred balances
- Features: No penalty APR after a late payment
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 21 billing cycles on purchases and on balance transfers made within 60 days of opening
- APR: 15.24% to 26.24% variable after the intro
- Cost: 5% balance transfer fee; 3% foreign transaction fee
- Pros: 0% on purchases and transfers alike; no annual fee
- Cons: No rewards; transfers can’t pay off Bank of America or affiliate accounts; 60 days to make transfers at 0%
For more information, read our full BankAmericard® Credit Card Review.
Slate® Credit Card
It stays worth keeping after the payoff, since it covers new purchases against theft or damage up to $500 an item and adds a year to warranties of three years or less.
- Best for: Paying off a large purchase or a transferred balance over nearly two years
- What Sets It Apart: 21 months at 0% on purchases and balance transfers, with purchase and warranty coverage the Wells Fargo Reflect lacks
- Features: Six months of DashPass; purchase protection for 120 days (90 in New York), up to $500 an item; one extra year on manufacturer’s warranties of three years or less; credit limit review every 6 months or sooner
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% on purchases and transfers for 21 months
- APR: 18.49% to 28.49% variable
- Cost: Balance transfer fee of 5% or $5, whichever is greater
- Pros: No interest on new purchases or transferred balances for nearly two years; purchase protection and an extended warranty; no annual fee
- Cons: No rewards or cash sign-up bonus; purchase protection capped at $500 an item; the 21 months count from account opening; 18.49% to 28.49% variable APR afterward
For more information, read our full Slate® Credit Card Review.
Shorter intro periods with fewer fees
Citi Simplicity® Card
If you might pay late, it charges no late fee and never raises your rate as a penalty, and transfers in the first four months get 0% for 18 months at a 3% fee.
- Best for: Paying off a balance transfer or a big purchase over 18 months; borrowers who want no late fee or penalty APR
- What Sets It Apart: $0 late fee and no penalty APR; 18 months at 0% on purchases as well as transfers
- Features: Your pick of available due dates
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 18 months from account opening on purchases and on transfers made in the first 4 months
- APR: 17.74% to 28.49% variable after the intro
- Cost: 3% transfer fee ($5 minimum) in the first 4 months, then 5% ($5 minimum); 3% foreign purchase fee
- Credit Needed: Good to excellent, as Citi recommends
- Pros: Long 0% on purchases and transfers; no late fee or penalty APR; no annual fee
- Cons: No rewards; no transfers from other Citi accounts; the 0% period starts at account opening
For more information, read our full Citi Simplicity® Card Review.
Members only: Platinum Credit Card
Navy Federal members with a smaller balance they can clear within a year pay no transfer fee, and balances moved from other issuers’ cards in the first 60 days get 0.99% for 12 months.
- Best for: Navy Federal members who carry a balance or want to move one
- What Sets It Apart: Navy Federal’s lowest card rates; no balance transfer fee, even on transfers at the intro rate
- Features: Visa or Mastercard; prequalification that doesn’t affect your credit score; secondary rental car damage coverage
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0.99% for 12 months on balances moved in the first 60 days
- APR: 10.49% to 18.00% variable
- Cost: $0 balance transfer fee; $0 foreign transaction fee
- Eligibility: Navy Federal membership, open to service members, veterans, Defense Department civilians, and their families
- Pros: Top rate of 18%, below the 21.19% average bank card rate; no fee to move a balance; no annual fee
- Cons: Navy Federal membership required; no rewards; purchases charged interest while a transfer is unpaid; 18% penalty rate after 60 days late
For more information, read our full Platinum Credit Card Review.
Rewards after the payoff
If your balance might outlast the 0% period, weigh a lower rate against the rewards before you pick a card here.
Citi Double Cash® Card
Transfers in the first four months get 0% for 18 months at a 3% fee. Once that balance is paid, everything you buy with it earns 2%, half at purchase and half as you pay.
- Best for: Spenders who pay in full and want one rate on everything; moving a balance to 0% for 18 months
- What Sets It Apart: 2% on everything, half when you buy and half when you pay; 18 months at 0% on balance transfers
- Welcome Offer: $200 bonus after $1,500 in purchases in 6 months
- Rewards: 5 points per $1 on Citi Travel hotels, car rentals, and attractions; 1% on each purchase plus 1% when you pay for it; points worth 1 cent each as cash
- Features: Cash redemptions in any amount, by statement credit or direct deposit
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% interest for 18 months from account opening on balances transferred in the first 4 months
- APR: 18.49% to 28.74% variable
- Cost: 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum) in the first 4 months, then 5%; 3% foreign purchase fee
- Pros: No categories or caps; long balance transfer intro
- Cons: No intro APR on purchases; 3% foreign purchase fee; purchases accrue interest while a transferred balance remains
For more information, read our full Citi Double Cash® Card Review.
Discover it Balance Transfer Credit Card
With 0% for 18 months on transfers, it suits a balance you’ll clear by then, and its quarterly 5% categories plus a first-year cash back match can beat a flat 2% card afterward.
- Best for: Moving a balance from another bank’s card, then earning in 5% categories
- What Sets It Apart: Quarterly 5% categories and a dollar-for-dollar match of year one’s cash back, rewards few balance transfer cards pay
- Welcome Offer: All the cash back you earn in your first year, matched at the end of it (Cashback Match)
- Rewards: 5% on up to $1,500 a quarter in categories you activate, at U.S. merchants; 1% on everything else
- Features: Transfers from 10 days after opening; none from other Capital One cards, Discover’s included; $0 fraud liability
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 18 months on balance transfers from account opening; 0% for 6 months on purchases
- APR: 17.74% to 26.74% variable
- Cost: 3% transfer fee in the intro period; no foreign transaction fee; no late fee the first time, then up to $41; no penalty APR
- Pros: 0% for 18 months on transfers for a 3% fee; no penalty APR; more than a flat 2% card earns on up to $6,000 of category spending a year
- Cons: Purchases charge interest after the purchase intro until the transfer is paid off; no transfers from Capital One cards; 1% outside the categories
For more information, read our full Discover it Balance Transfer Credit Card Review.
Choosing among these cards comes down to whether your monthly payment clears the balance and the fee before the 0% ends. For most balances on another bank’s card, the Citi Diamond Preferred pairs a 0% period as long as any here with a 3% fee, so work out your payment, then apply for it.
If your payment can’t clear the balance within any 0% period here, compare the best personal loan companies instead.
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