If you have credit-card debt and high interest rates on your cards, a card with a 0% annual introductory interest rate could help you pay off that debt. Yahoo Finance reporter Madison Mills has a cost comparison.
For more on credit cards, click the links below:
The best 0% APR credit cards for 2025: Avoid paying interest for up to 21 months
Best credit card for balance transfer: How to choose
The best balance transfer credit cards for 2025: Don't pay any interest until 2026
Cash-back credit cards: finding the best one for you
Best credit card for gas rewards: How to save at the pump
The best rewards credit card: How to pick yours
If you're struggling to pay off credit card debt, zero APR cards could help you.
The card has a zero APR annual percentage rate introductory offer. That means you don't pay interest on the balance you transfer for a set period of time. If you didn't pay any interest on that debt for more than a year, could you pay it off? The best zero APR credit card for you depends on your current balance, the length of the 0% APR intro period, balance transfer fee, and how much you can pay each month. For context, a recent study shows the average credit card debt is more than $6,500 and 0% APR introductory periods range from about a year to 21 months. So let's do the math. Say you have a $6,500 credit card balance on a 21% APR card. If you make only the minimum payments starting at $178.75 the first month, you would pay more than $10,000 in interest over more than 25 years before you can pay off your full balance. Now, let's compare. Say you transfer your $6,500 credit card debt to a new card that has an 18-month 0% introductory APR and a 3% balance transfer fee. If you pay at least $361 each month toward that credit card bill, you could pay your balance in full in 18 months without any additional interest. You would still have to add in the 3% balance transfer fee of $195, bringing your total to $6,695. On a 21% APR card, your total, more than $17,000.
Be aware there are ways you can get in trouble here. If you transfer a balance to a 0% APR card and keep using the old card, making only minimum payments, you can run up your debt. If you can't pay off the full balance here on the new card before the intro period ends, you will need to pay the card's standard interest rate on the remainder. And that interest rate is typically high. Using a zero APR balance transfer credit card can be a savvy financial move, as long as you can commit to paying down that credit card debt.
Scan the QR code for more information on the best zero APR credit cards.
