Put a big purchase you’ll pay off over months on a card with a 0% intro period. The Chase Freedom Unlimited suits most buyers, adding cash back and purchase protection, while the U.S. Bank Shield gives the most time at 0%. If you’ll pay in full, pick the card that earns most where you buy.
Start by working out whether you can pay the purchase off before a card’s 0% interest period ends. Divide the price by the months the period lasts. A $3,000 sofa takes about $143 a month to pay off in 21 months, or $200 a month in 15. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns that the minimum payment usually won’t clear a promotional balance in time, so set fixed autopay for that monthly amount. During a card’s 0% period the purchase costs no interest, and whatever is left when it ends is charged interest only from then on. Store financing that waives interest only if you pay in full is deferred interest instead, which bills you all the interest since the day you bought if any balance remains when the promotion ends.
If you’ll pay the bill in full, the 0% period matters less than what the card earns and covers. Some cards here pay 5% or more in a category you choose, and purchase protection pays to repair or replace a new item that’s stolen or damaged within 90 to 120 days of purchase. Either way, apply shortly before you shop. The 0% period starts counting when the account opens, and the credit limit you’re approved for decides whether the purchase fits.
Interest-free time plus rewards
Best all-around: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Take it to earn cash back on the purchase and keep the item covered while you pay it off, since the card includes purchase protection and an extended warranty.
- Best for: Cardholders who want one no-fee card with nothing to activate and who eat out often
- What Sets It Apart: Fixed reward rates: at least 1.5% back on everything, more at restaurants, drugstores, and on Chase Travel
- Welcome Offer: $200 bonus after $500 in purchases in 3 months
- Rewards: 1.5% on every purchase, 3% at restaurants and drugstores, and 5% through Chase Travel, with no rotating categories
- Features: Purchase protection and extended warranty; trip cancellation coverage
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
- APR: 18.49% to 27.99% variable
- Cost: Balance transfer fee 3% (min. $5) for 60 days, then 5%; 3% foreign transaction fee
- Pros: Nothing to activate; 3% on dining including takeout; points don’t expire while the account is open
- Cons: 1.5% base trails 2% flat-rate cards; 3% foreign transaction fee; 5% travel only through Chase Travel
For more information, read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited® Review.
Best for home projects: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card
Pick home improvement and furnishings as its category, which covers furniture stores and contractors, and for the first year it pays 6% on up to $2,500 a quarter.
- What Sets It Apart: A 3% category you pick and can change once a month; BofA Rewards adds 10% to 75%, up to 5.25% in the category
- Welcome Offer: $200 bonus after $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days; 6% in the category the first year
- Rewards: 3% in one category: gas and EV charging by default, or online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement; 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs; both on up to $2,500 combined a quarter, then 1%
- Features: Cash back in any amount; rewards don’t expire while the account is open
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 15 billing cycles on purchases and on balance transfers made in the first 60 days
- APR: 17.74% to 27.74% variable
- Cost: Balance transfer fee 3% for the first 60 days, then 5%; 3% foreign transaction fee
- Pros: Phone, internet, cable, and streaming bills count as online shopping
- Cons: $2,500 quarterly cap shared with groceries and wholesale clubs; 1% past the cap; 3% foreign transaction fee
For more information, read our full Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card Review.
Best for electronics: U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
Make furniture or electronics stores one of its two 5% categories before you buy, and the first $2,000 of the purchase that quarter earns 5%, or $100 back.
- What Sets It Apart: Two 5% categories you pick each quarter from 12, home utilities, cell phone providers, and ground transportation among them
- Welcome Offer: $200 bonus after $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days
- Rewards: 5% on the first $2,000 a quarter in your two categories; 5% on prepaid travel booked in U.S. Bank’s Travel Center; 2% on grocery stores, restaurants, or gas and EV charging, whichever you pick; 1% on everything else
- Features: Category picks open 45 days before each quarter, with text or email reminders
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 15 billing cycles on purchases and on balance transfers made in the first 60 days
- APR: 17.99% to 28.24% variable
- Cost: 5% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum); 3% foreign transaction fee
- Credit Needed: Good to excellent, as U.S. Bank says
- Pros: Up to $400 a year at 5%; 5% choices for monthly bills; 15 billing cycles at 0% on purchases
- Cons: 1% on everything until you choose each quarter’s categories; 1% outside your picks; cash back expires 36 months after you earn it
For more information, read our full U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card Review.
Best for online orders: American Express Blue Cash Everyday® Card
A purchase from a U.S. online retailer earns 3% back, and Amex covers it against theft or accidental damage for 90 days, up to $1,000, twice the $500 limit on the Chase cards here.
- What Sets It Apart: 3% in three everyday categories that stay the same all year, with no annual fee
- Welcome Offer: Up to $200 back after $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months; amount varies by applicant
- Rewards: 3% at U.S. supermarkets and on U.S. online retail purchases, each on the first $6,000 a year, then 1%; 3% at U.S. gas stations on the first $6,000 a year, then 1%; 1% on other purchases
- Features: Up to $7 a month in Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN streaming credits with enrollment; purchase protection; cash back usable at Amazon.com checkout
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
- APR: 19.74% - 28.74% variable after the intro period
- Cost: 2.7% foreign transaction fee
- Pros: No annual fee; separate $6,000 cap per category; no minimum to redeem
- Cons: 1% outside the bonus categories; 2.7% foreign transaction fee; balance transfers only in the first 60 days
For more information, read our full American Express Blue Cash Everyday® Card Review.
Best flat rate: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
At a store outside every bonus category, it pays the most cash back here, a flat 2% on every dollar with no cap, and gives 0% for 12 months to pay it off.
- Best for: People who want one no-fee card for all their U.S. spending
- What Sets It Apart: 2% on everything with no annual fee, plus an intro period on purchases and transfers alike; cell phone protection when the card pays your phone bill
- Welcome Offer: $100 bonus once you spend $500 in 3 months
- Rewards: Flat 2% cash rewards
- Features: Visa Signature card; up to $600 per claim in cell phone protection with a $25 deductible; rewards as a card or Wells Fargo account credit, gift cards, or PayPal checkout
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro APR: 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months
- APR: 18.74%, 24.74%, or 28.74% variable after the 0% period
- Cost: 3% balance transfer fee (at least $5) for 120 days, then up to 5%
- Pros: No categories to track; 0% on purchases as well as balance transfers; coverage for every phone line on the bill; rewards don’t expire while the account is open
- Cons: 3% foreign transaction fee; less than a category card pays in its bonus categories; balance transfer fee during the 0% period; no coverage for a phone that goes missing
For more information, read our full Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card Review.
The longest interest-free time
U.S. Bank Shield® Visa® Card
Of the cards with the longest 0% periods, it alone pairs purchase protection and an extended warranty with no penalty rate, so a late payment costs a fee but not a higher interest rate.
- 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.
Slate® Credit Card
Choose it for the longest purchase protection here. It runs 120 days, 90 in New York, up to $500 an item, and Chase adds a year to a warranty 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.
Best for a slow payoff: BankAmericard® Credit Card
Should part of the purchase outlast the 0% period, what’s left costs less than on any other card here, at a variable rate of 15.24% to 26.24%, and paying late won’t automatically raise it.
- 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.
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Keep it after the purchase is paid off, since paying your phone bill with it covers the phone against damage or theft, up to $600 a claim for a $25 deductible.
- 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.
Rewards & protection for paying in full
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
One big purchase can make up much of the $5,000 in purchases needed in the first 3 months to earn a bonus of 75,000 points, and purchase protection and an extended warranty cover it.
- Best for: Travelers who book at least one hotel stay a year through Chase Travel
- What Sets It Apart: A $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit that covers the $95 fee, plus transfers to airline and hotel programs
- Welcome Offer: 75,000 points after $5,000 in purchases in 3 months
- Rewards: 5x on Chase Travel; 3x on dining, gas, EV charging, streaming, and online grocery
- Features: Up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
- Annual Fee: $95
- APR: 19.49% to 27.74% variable
- Cost: No foreign transaction fee
- Pros: $100 hotel credit exceeds the $95 fee; primary rental car coverage; trip cancellation and trip delay coverage
- Cons: Credit only on Chase Travel hotel bookings, which usually earn no hotel loyalty points; 1x on non-bonus purchases; Points Boost limited to select bookings; no intro APR
For more information, read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review.
The right card comes down to the payment you can manage each month, and for most buyers that points to the Chase Freedom Unlimited. Work out the payment before you apply, and choose the U.S. Bank Shield instead when you need more months to make it fit.
Editorial & Advertiser Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser. Opinions expressed here are ours alone, not those of any advertiser. The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. That compensation may influence which products we cover and where and how they appear on a page – including the order in which they appear – but it does not influence our evaluations, ratings, or opinions. We do not include every company or offer available in the marketplace.
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