9 Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards in January 2025

Applying for a balance transfer card when you’re already carrying high balances on other cards is a delicate dance. Your credit score may already be suffering due to your debt, so you’ll want to avoid applying for and getting denied for multiple cards, which can further drag down your score.

You should know your credit score and make sure you meet the credit score requirements for a card before you apply. And if you’re worried about being rejected, many issuers will let you prequalify for cards through their websites.

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One of the most important factors to consider when selecting a balance transfer card is the amount of time you have to pay off your credit card debt before interest charges kick in. The best balance transfer cards offer 0% intro APRs ranging from 12 to 21 months.

If you have a large amount of debt you’re trying to transfer, a card with no balance transfer fee may save you more than a card with the longest 0% intro APR.

While you’re focused on the intro APR, don’t overlook the balance transfer fee — this is an equally important factor for saving on a balance transfer. This fee often ranges from 3% to 5% of each transfer. For a $6,000 balance, this amounts to between $180 and $300 in fees. A no-fee balance transfer card can be a potentially better deal — even if the introductory period is on the shorter side — since it can save you significantly on fees upfront.

Although we recommend paying your transferred balance in full before the 0% intro APR period ends, that may not always be possible. If there’s a chance you’ll carry a balance past the intro period, you should consider a balance transfer credit card that offers a low ongoing APR.

You’ll usually have a time limit (also called a balance transfer window) to transfer your balance to take advantage of the promotional APR. Many issuers offer a 60-day balance transfer window from the account’s opening date.

Issuers may also require your account to be open for a set period of time before you’re able to transfer your balance. For example, with Discover, your account must be open for 14 days before a balance transfer can start being processed.

In addition to the balance transfer fee, watch out for cards that charge an annual fee. With so many great no-annual-fee credit cards, it generally doesn’t make sense to pay an annual fee for a balance transfer card. (Note that none of the balance transfer credit cards on this page charge an annual fee.)

Paying off your debt should be your top concern, but it doesn’t hurt to think about what you plan to do with your card after you’ve vanquished your balance. If you’re trying to decide between two cards, you might opt for a card with a strong rewards program, so you can keep it as your go-to card. You should also keep an eye out for other useful benefits like extended warranty and cell phone protection.

A balance transfer is a good idea and can save you money if you are stuck with high-interest debt. Having a solid plan to pay off your balance transfer is important so that you can eliminate as much as you can before the 0% APR ends.

A balance transfer APR is the interest rate that you’ll be charged for balance transfers. Typically, this APR will match the purchase APR, although it is sometimes higher or lower — it depends on the card.

No, you cannot transfer credit card balances between cards from the same issuing bank. When choosing a balance transfer card, you should look for a card from a different issuer than the cards you are currently carrying balances on.

The easiest balance transfer credit card to get will likely be the one that best aligns with your credit score. Of the best credit cards for balance transfers that made our list, the Citi Double Cash^® Card accepts applicants with lower credit scores including fair / good / excellent credit scores.

Balance transfer fees are a one-time fee that’s generally between 3% and 5% of the balance you’re transferring. Card issuers usually require a minimum fee of $5 or $10.

If you have a bad credit score, you’re unlikely to get approved for a balance transfer card. There are a few cards for bad credit, like the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card card, that offer a lower rate on balance transfers, but such cards are rare. The vast majority of balance transfer cards require good credit.

If your score is too low to qualify for a balance transfer card, you should consider alternative ways to get out of debt such as the debt snowball or debt avalanche methods.

Professor of Economics, University of Louisiana at Monroe

What are some unhealthy financial habits a consumer should try to kick prior to applying for a balance transfer credit card?
Anytime that a person has an ongoing balance on their credit card, it is time for the person to reassess their spending habits. A person should only spend each month what they are able to pay. An ongoing credit card balance is expensive in terms of the interest rate charges incurred, and does not help your overall financial situation. Although doing a balance transfer may have some advantages over your current situation, you need to actively cut your spending and pay off debt.

How do credit card issuers look to benefit from offering 0% Intro APR balance transfer cards?
Credit card companies earn interest off of your balance transfer if you do not pay off the balance before the end of the introductory period. Credit card issuers know that someone with an existing balance is very likely to still have a balance after the initial 0% APR period. The issuer is banking on you to continue your current habits of spending too much and having an ongoing balance on which you pay high interest rates.

What are a few of the biggest challenges consumers face when attempting to reduce their credit card debt?
The biggest challenge of consumers trying to reduce their debt is changing their spending habits. To reduce credit card debt requires two things — one is to decrease spending and the other is to increase debt payments. Reducing spending is typically not enough. You also need to consider ways to increase your income. You need to get an additional job to bring in more income that can go to debt repayment. Spending less and earning more income will put you on the path of decreasing debt. The challenge is that neither of these are fun.

How would summarize the advantages of a balance transfer credit card to someone who may not be familiar with the subject?
The big advantage of a balance transfer credit card is that you will be given a time period during which you are not charged interest if it is a 0% introductory APR offer. If you use this time period wisely to pay off the balance or as much as possible, then you can have some savings in terms of interest rate charges. If you are considering a balance transfer credit card, you do want to make sure you understand the terms. Make sure the interest is not just being deferred. For most offers the interest is indeed 0% and is not deferred, but it is your responsibility to read and understand the terms. Additionally, there is typically a transfer fee applied. Usually, the transfer fee is 3% to 5% of the amount transferred. If you take advantage of the 0% introductory period and pay off the balance, then the transfer fee is offset by the savings in interest. However, if you do not significantly reduce the outstanding balance, then you will incur a transfer fee as well as interest charges after the introductory period has ended. Before committing to a balance transfer credit card make sure you are committed to decreasing your spending and paying your outstanding balances.

Associate Professor of Accounting, Le Moyne College

What are some unhealthy financial habits a consumer should try to kick prior to applying for a balance transfer credit card?
The biggest problem, thinking that they can pay a lower payment because of the lower rate. Consumers take the lower rate, see the lower payment and end up charging more ultimately increasing their debt. The lower rate backfires on the consumer and ends up highly profitable to the lender, as the overall debt of the borrower increases and time to repay increases dramatically.

How do credit card issuers look to benefit from offering 0% Intro APR balance transfer cards?
The issuer knows the behavior of consumers with credit card debt. Firstly, the rate is for a short time period. After the intro APR vanishes, the amount of debt is greater than what was transferred in, and with a more market interest rate for the lender leads to a profitable customer who is in more debt than what they transferred in. The 0% APR is a loss leader that over time becomes a very profitable customer.

What are a few of the biggest challenges consumers face when attempting to reduce their credit card debt?
Customers do not understand how it works from the lender’s end. They do not realize that paying the minimum drags the payment out for years and makes payoff near impossible. Too often, customers who think they are doing the right thing and reducing their debt end up increasing it as they are unaware that the payment they are making barely covers interest charged and nowhere near new charges made. Customers need to do math and really look at their payment. If they are serious about reducing debt, the payment needs to be large enough to cover all interest charged, and greater than the amount of new purchases for the month. This number is often out of reach for consumers so credit card debt becomes a vicious cycle that never goes away.

Associate Professor of Financial Economics, Methodist University

What are some unhealthy financial habits a consumer should try to kick prior to applying for a balance transfer credit card?
Before applying for a balance transfer credit card, the most important habit to kick is carrying a balance. Credit card interest rates are so high that carrying a balance is very unwise. If you transfer a balance to a new card, don’t keep using the old card and rack up another balance on it. That will set you back even further because you will have two balances to pay before long, and both will have high rates once the introductory 0% period on the new card is over.

How do credit card issuers look to benefit from offering 0% Intro APR balance transfer cards?
Credit card issuers offer 0% on balance transfers for a limited time, and it will be over before you know it. They look to gain when people don’t pay off the whole balance before that time ends, and thus have to pay a lot of interest. This offer is only good for you if you will actually pay off the balance as opposed to keeping it steady or, even worse, increasing it.

What are a few of the biggest challenges consumers face when attempting to reduce their credit card debt?
The single biggest challenge consumers face when trying to reduce their credit card debt is reducing their spending. Oddly enough, it has nothing to do with the credit card per se, but a habit of spending too much. If you want to overcome it, you need to carefully write out how much money you will earn in a month, what bills you must pay, what you need to save and then look at what is left. You should never spend more than that. Do not put more on your credit card in a month than you can easily pay off within that month.

How would summarize the advantages of a balance transfer credit card to someone who may not be familiar with the subject?
Balance transfer benefits are simple — you have a balance on one credit card, you apply for a new one, and move the old balance to the new card. The benefit is that you don’t pay interest on that transferred balance on the new card. It is only a good idea if you have already kicked your spending habit and want to pay it off. You will pay it off faster with a balance transfer benefit because interest won’t keep accumulating, but this is only possible if you don’t use that new card, or the old one, for more spending.