Carrying a balance on a credit card wastes your money on interest fees. It is easy to avoid interest payments on purchase transactions by paying off the entire card balance by the due date each month. But what to do if you are already carrying some balance and cannot pay it off right away? The decision is a 0% intro APR credit card. The cards do not charge interest while the 0% intro APR is in place, which means you can pay off debt or at least pay down your balance and save money.
These days it is not a problem to find a credit card with a 0% intro APR period. Issuers offer credit cards with long zero introductory periods that don't really require an applicant to have an excellent credit. People with good credit – with credit score somewhere around 700 – have a decent opportunity to pay no interest on balance transfers or purchases until 2019. More than that, those with average credit, typically with the score above 670, can also find a credit card with zero interest and cash back earning opportunities.
We've searched thoroughly for 0% APR credit cards and are happy to offer you best options out there. These are cards with long zero interest promo offers that are available to people with good to excellent credit history.
Best of: 0% Intro APR and Rewards
This card does not offer super long zero introductory period. Well, actually it does not offer zero interest on balance transfers. The introductory interest rate on balance transfers is 10.99% and this low APR is offered for 14 months. The balance transfer fee is standard - 3% of the amount of each transfer. However, since the Miles card is a rewards card (it earns 1.5 miles per dollar spent) you may not want to transfer a balance to it because balance transfers do not earn rewards. What is really good about this card is the 14-month 0% intro APR on purchases (a go-to APR applies after that). You have more than one year to pay off some big purchase and pay no interest. All your purchases will earn miles, and Discover will match all your first-year miles when your first year is over (for new cardmembers only). For example, if you earn 40k miles first year, these miles will turn into 80k miles at the end of your first year.
Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card
Another credit card with miles rewards and 0% intro APR on purchases is Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card. Using this card, you will earn 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase. Plus, you can earn a one-time bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within three months from account opening. And since the card has a 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases, it will be quite easy to get the bonus offer. Just remember that once the 0% interest is over, your ongoing interest rate will apply. Miles earned with the VentureOne card are not frequent flyer miles, so you will be able to redeem them to fly any airline or stay at any hotel. The redemption ratio is simple: 100 miles is equal to $1 in travel rewards for recent travel purchases. Your miles rewards won’t expire for the life of your account.
If you’re more into cash back rewards, you may like the Discover it® Cash Back credit card. This card comes with a 14-month introductory period on both purchases and balance transfers (a go-to APR applies after that). The balance transfer fee is 3% and balance transfers do not earn rewards. As for the rewards, you will earn 1% cash back on all purchases and 5% cash back in rotating categories (up to the quarterly maximum, then 1%). The rotating categories are gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com and more; these categories change every quarter and you will need to enroll each time the category changes. So, you can enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and earn cash back. Remember, the cash back you earn the first year will be matched at the end of the year (for new cardmembers only). If for example, you earn $200, Discover will double it by giving you another $200, which makes a total of $400 cash back first year!
Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card also has rather long 0% interest introductory period compared to other credit card offers on this page. It will give you 15 months of 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers. When this 0% APR is over, the regular interest rate will apply. The card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, but if you decide to transfer a balance to this card, you will have to pay a 3% fee for each balance transferred. What is good about this card is its 1.5% cash back on every purchase and you won’t need to sign-up for it – you just buy and earn. After you spend $500 on purchases within three months of account opening, you will be able to qualify for a one-time bonus offer of $150. This credit card will be good for those who do not spend a lot but still want to earn good cash back rewards.
This Discover it card can become an unbeatable offer especially if you want to keep it after the transferred balance is paid off. The card combines 0% intro APR, no annual fee, and cash back rewards, and to top it all, it is best for those applicants with average to excellent credit (a credit score of somewhere above 670). The Discover it card comes with 18 months 0% intro APR on balance transfers and with the balance transfer fee of 3%. The introductory purchase APR will last for six months. When 0% introductory periods are over, your ongoing APRs will apply. Cash back rewards are 1% on all purchases and 5% cash back in rotating categories that change each quarter, up to the quarterly maximum. You will need to sign up every time the category changes to be able to earn 5% cash back. Also, there is a bonus offer: Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year (for new cardmembers only). For example, if you earn $500 cash back first year, Discover will match it by giving you another $500, which will total $1,000 for the first year. You probably won't find a better offer for someone with average to excellent credit.
Best of: No interest Until 2020
Citi Simplicity® Card - No Late Fees Ever
The Citi Simplicity card is a credit card with a really long 0% intro APR that people with good credit can apply for online. With this card, you’ll pay no interest on purchases for 12 months and balance transfers for the entire 21 months. And since you are not penalized for late fees, you will keep your zero interest straight into the 2020. The balance transfer fee is 5% of the amount transferred, but it is not much compared to what you could save on interest during the 21-month period. There are no other fees - no annual fee, no late fees, and no penalty interest rate. The only condition to get this long 0% intro APR on balance transfers is that you should complete your transfers in first 4 months. This card is ideal for someone who want to transfer and pay off some debt. That's it, the Citi Simplicity card comes without cash back or point rewards, hence the longest 0% intro APR on balance transfers.
Those are the best credit card offers that can help you avoid interest. To see other credit cards, check out these low interest credit card offers. If you are looking to transfer a balance from one or two of your current credit cards, use our balance transfer calculator to see your potential savings with available balance transfer offers.
