Best travel credit cards with 0% intro APRs

Travel reward credit cards and 0% introductory APRs on purchases and balance transfers don’t often co-exist. Earning travel rewards and being offered 0% APR are incredible perks on their own, but when you combine the two, you have a credit card with potential for substantial savings while traveling.

The best travel rewards credit cards make it possible to significantly save on travel-related expenses, while 0% introductory APR cards save you money on costly interest charges. Both of these benefits can make a huge difference with your budget, especially during times of economic uncertainty.

Although rare, here are some of the best travel credit cards with 0% intro APR offers on the market.

Top travel cards with 0% introductory APR offers

Best for simple travel rewards program

Wells Fargo Autograph® Card

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

4

Learn More in our Bankrate review

• Bankrate’s view

  The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card not only has a lengthy intro APR offer, but it also earns 3X points on restaurant, travel, gas station, transit, phone plans and popular streaming purchases, and 1X points for other purchases. With no annual fee, it’s a low-cost card with which you can rack up serious rewards quickly.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • You’ll earn points on more everyday spending categories than many competing cards.
  • The welcome bonus and intro APR on purchases offer solid value for a no-annual-fee card.

  

  Cons

  • The card’s travel perks don’t match up to rival travel rewards cards.
  • You can find lengthier intro APR offers on both purchases and balance transfers on other no-annual-fee cards.

Best for purchases and balance transfers

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5

4.1

Learn More in our Bankrate review

• Bankrate’s view

  The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, giving you even more options with the card. Each balance transfer made within the first 15 months from account opening comes with a 3% balance transfer fee. After that, a 4% balance transfer fee applies at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time.

  Plus, the fact that it has no annual fee makes it a low-cost travel rewards card. You can earn a decent amount of travel rewards too, with a 5X miles on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 1.25X miles for all other purchases.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • You can transfer miles to travel partners to potentially increase your miles’ value.
  • The intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers gives you time to save money on large purchases or existing debt.

  

  Cons

  • It has no big-ticket travel perks commonly found on some travel cards, such as trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
  • The flat rewards rate is lower than the typical 1.5X rewards seen on most competing flat-rate cards, and your miles are worth less when redeemed on anything other than travel.

Best welcome offer

Discover it® Miles

Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5

3.9

Learn More in our Bankrate review

• Bankrate’s view

  The Discover it® Miles credit card offers a flat-rate, unlimited 1.5X miles for every dollar spent, without an annual fee. Plus, you can enjoy an intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers. With the flat-rate earnings, it acts more like a cash back card than a traditional travel rewards, since you don’t have to keep up with any bonus or rotating categories, which may appeal to people who want an uncomplicated rewards structure.

  Plus, Discover has one of the best welcome bonuses on the market with its Discover Match, which doubles all of the miles you earn within the first year of card ownership, making it particularly strong for large purchases like vacation bookings.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • It offers unlimited, flat-rate miles and remarkable redemption flexibility for travel purchases.
  • You have the option to redeem miles for cash back at a 1:1 rate, so none of the reward’s value is lost.

  

  Cons

  • You can’t transfer its reward miles to airline frequent-flier programs, which limits your travel redemption options.
  • The card lacks some travel benefits found on other no-annual-fee travel cards, like trip interruption insurance.

Best for everyday spending

Citi Strata℠ Card

Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5

3.9

Learn More in our Bankrate review

• Bankrate’s view

  The Citi Strata℠ Card is a diverse travel credit card that offers cardholders the opportunity to earn points on travel and everyday purchases. It earns 5X points on hotels, rental cars and attractions booked on Cititravel.com, as well as 3X points on an eligible choice category. But one of the most desirable perks might just be its 0% intro APR offer on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months (18.49% – 28.49% (Variable) thereafter), based on your creditworthiness.

  Although this is technically considered a travel card, be mindful of its 3% foreign transaction fee, which may cut into any earned savings while abroad.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • This card comes with no annual fee.
  • Cardholders are able to choose one of their 3X rewards categories, offering even more earning potential in uncommon categories.

  

  Cons

  • This card has some high fees that new cardholders should be aware of beforehand.

Comparing the best travel cards with 0% introductory APRs

How to choose the best 0% APR travel credit card

• Find out how long you need a break from interest. Before getting a new travel card with an intro APR offer, determine if the offer applies to purchases, balance transfers or both. Is the time period long enough for you to accomplish your financial goal? Or will you need a longer period to consolidate and pay down a balance transfer from a high-interest credit card?
• Decide whether you’re willing to pay an annual fee. Some credit cards have no annual fee, while others may charge several hundred dollars per year simply to carry the card. However, higher annual fees typically mean a more robust rewards program and other benefits — such as an attractive welcome offer — which can offset the cost of the annual fee if used wisely.
• Compare each card’s ongoing APRs. The ongoing APR is the interest applied to your credit card once the promotional zero-interest rate is over. This rate is actually set when you open the account, even if it’s not in effect for several months. 
• Learn what each card’s travel rewards are worth. You’ll want to know how much the travel rewards are worth when you redeem them. The value of the points or miles depends not only on the rewards program you’re enrolled in, but also how you redeem them.

How to make the most of your zero-interest period

• Don’t miss a payment due date. If you miss a payment, the zero-interest offer is usually canceled and the APR reverts to the ongoing APR, resulting in costly interest charges. This usually applies even if you miss the payment by a day, so set a reminder to pay before the due date.
• Pay off a balance transfer before the period is over. If the zero-interest applies to a balance transfer, your best approach is to pay the entire balance before the end of the promotional period. Usually, whatever balance remains once the time period ends is subject to the ongoing APR interest. 
• Make and stick to a budget. It’s important to stay on top of the monthly payments for the zero-interest card and make it a part of your ongoing budget that you plan for each month. Paying less than the minimum amount due may forfeit the zero-interest.
• Know your credit card’s ongoing APR. The ongoing APR is the interest rate you can expect to pay once your card reverts from its promotional APR. If you think you may carry a balance on the card or will have a remainder after a balance transfer, then look for a card with as low of an ongoing APR as possible.

What’s next?

The bottom line

While earning travel rewards with a credit card and taking advantage of a 0% introductory APR at the same time may not seem likely, it’s actually quite doable with several credit card options. If you take advantage of the zero-interest period and maximize your potential travel rewards, you could end up with significant savings.

*Information about the Citi Custom Cash® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.