MORE LIKE THISCredit CardsLow-Interest and No-Annual-Fee Credit Cards
Credit cards with 0% intro APR periods can be valuable tools for consolidating debt and financing large purchases. Such cards typically offer introductory interest-free periods — on purchases, balance transfers or both — of a year or more. There are a number of options that give you 15 months, as well as some that go to 18 months and beyond.
With a long introductory 0% APR period, you have a prolonged amount of time to pay off a major purchase, interest-free. And by transferring high-interest credit card balances to a 0% card, you can whittle down what you owe quicker because your entire payment will go toward erasing debt rather than toward interest.
These card options offer lengthy interest-free periods.
» MORE: NerdWallet’s best 0% APR credit cards
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
NerdWallet Rating
4.5
Annual fee
$0
APR: 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% Variable APR.
The $0-annual-fee Wells Fargo Reflect® Card features one of the longest interest-free periods for purchases and balance transfers on the market. With good repayment habits, cardholders can get an almost two-year break from interest. Additionally, the card charges an intro balance transfer fee of 5% or $5 (whichever is greater).
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
NerdWallet Rating
4.5
APR: 0% intro APR for 18 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.74%-29.74% Variable APR
The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card offers a long 0% intro APR period on both purchases and balance transfers, earning it NerdWallet's 2021 award for best 0% intro APR card. The card doesn't offer rewards, which means it won’t provide much long-term value beyond it's interest-free period. But if your focus is paying down debt, a lack of rewards might not be a serious demerit. Plus, it won't cost you anything to carry the card: the annual fee is $0.
» MORE: NerdWallet's best balance transfer credit cards
Citi Simplicity® Card
Citi Simplicity® Card
NerdWallet Rating
4.5
Annual fee
$0
APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 21 months and then the ongoing 19.24%-29.99% Variable APR.
Although you should always make your payments on time, this $0-annual-fee card won't penalize you for the occasional slip-up. It charges no late fees and has no penalty APR. It does, however, charge a fee for transfers. There's an intro balance transfer fee of 3% (minimum $5) of each transfer completed within the first four months of account opening. After that, the fee is 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
NerdWallet Rating
Annual fee
$0
APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 21 months and then the ongoing 18.24%-28.99% Variable APR.
This card's 0% intro APR period is similar to what's offered by its sister Citi card (above). And it too charges a higher-than-typical balance transfer fee of $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. The difference is that the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is much less forgiving, assessing fees and a penalty APR for paying late. For more information on how these cards differ, see our comparison story.
» MORE: Low-interest credit cards options
Citi Double Cash® Card
Citi Double Cash® Card
NerdWallet Rating
4.9
Annual fee
$0
APR: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months and then the ongoing 19.24%-29.24% Variable APR.
The Citi Double Cash® Card gets so much attention for its phenomenal rewards rate — 1% cash back on all purchases, plus another 1% back when you pay them off — that it's easy to overlook its great introductory 0% APR period for balance transfers. It's among NerdWallet's top flat-rate cash-back cards, and you can't beat the $0 annual fee.
BankAmericard® credit card
BankAmericard® credit card
NerdWallet Rating
4.6
Annual fee
$0
APR: 0% Intro APR for 18 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 16.24% - 26.24% will apply.
The defining feature of the BankAmericard® credit card is its lengthy 0% APR period for both purchases and balance transfers. Although the card doesn't earn rewards or benefits beyond its interest-free window, it doesn't charge a penalty APR. This means that any late payments you make won’t cause you to pay a higher interest rate. The card does, however, charge a balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transaction for the first 60 days, then 4%.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
NerdWallet Rating
5.0
Annual fee
$0
APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR .
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card combines the best of both worlds — a high rewards rate (2%) on all purchases and a long intro APR period. Add in the card's bonus offer for new cardholders, and it makes a compelling case to be your everyday card.
Chase Freedom Flex®
Chase Freedom Flex®
NerdWallet Rating
5.0
Annual fee
$0
APR: 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 20.49%-29.24%, Variable APR.
The Chase Freedom Flex® gives you 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that change every quarter, 5% cash back on travel purchases through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1% on all other non-bonus-category purchases. There's an easy-to-claim sign-up bonus, too: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. All that for an annual fee of $0.
