13 best 0% interest credit cards: 0% intro APR period until 2024

Wells Fargo Reflect Card: Best for longest intro APR

• What we love about the Wells Fargo Reflect Card: If you can meet the terms of the intro APR offer by transferring a qualified balance within 120 days and making minimum monthly payments on time, you could qualify for one of the longest intro APR promotional offers on the market for both purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 
• Who this card is good for: Anyone who wants the maximum amount of time to pay off an existing credit card balance or large purchase.
• Alternatives: If you need a lot of time to pay off debt or a large purchase, this card is a top pick for that priority. If you don’t need the extra time and want a card with longer-term value, consider a card that offers promotional interest and base rewards such as the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card.

Learn more: Card expert Holly Johnson: Is the Wells Fargo Reflect Card worth it?

Read our full Wells Fargo Reflect Card review or jump back to offer details.

Discover it Cash Back: Best for flexible spenders

• What we love about Discover it Cash Back: On top of a generous intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers, Discover has a solid sign-up bonus and a rewards program that gives you the chance to earn a high rewards rate in rotating categories.
• Who this card is good for: People who are open to a compromise between cash back earnings and the length of the introductory APR offers.
• Alternatives: If you want a rewards program that doesn’t need as much attention, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers 2 percent cash rewards on all eligible purchases year-round without having to enroll in rotating categories or worry about spending caps.

Learn more: Card expert Holly Johnson: 3 reasons to love the Discover It Cash Back card

Read our full Discover it Cash Back review or jump back to offer details.

Wells Fargo Active Cash Card: Best for flat-rate cash rewards

• What we love about the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card: The Active Cash card is one of the simplest and most versatile cards around, offering great short-term value thanks to a sign-up bonus and a decent intro APR offer on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. When it comes to long-term value, you can earn an unlimited 2 percent rewards on your purchases — one of the highest flat rates around.
• Who this card is good for: People who want an easy way to earn unlimited cash rewards on purchases.
• Alternatives: There are a number of top flat-rate rewards cards that offer a great rate, but few match the Active Cash card’s intro APR offer. The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards card is the rare exception, offering a solid flat rate, sign-up bonus, and nice intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers.

Learn more: Card expert Aja McClanahan: Is the Wells Fargo Active Cash worth it?

Read our full Wells Fargo Active Cash Card review or jump back to offer details.

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment

• Why we love the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: While a lot of other cards offer rewards on dining, the SavorOne also includes rare cash back on entertainment purchases across comprehensive categories — including 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 3 percent on entertainment and popular streaming services.
• Who this card is good for: Devotees of food and fun who want to capitalize on generous cash rewards and a solid intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers.
• Alternatives: This no-annual-fee card has a lot to offer for people who want cash rewards tailored toward meals, movies and music but has a pretty high ongoing interest rate. The Discover it® Cash Back card has a lower ongoing APR if you need more time to pay off an unexpected expense after your intro APR expires. Plus, it grants you 5 percent on popular categories with activation on rotating categories each quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1 percent).

Learn more: Why expert Ana Cvetkovic loves the Capital One SavorOne card

Read our full Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi Custom Cash Card: Best for customizable rewards

• What we love about the Citi Custom Cash Card: The automatic bonus category adjusts to your top eligible spending category each billing cycle. This is an interesting, low-maintenance approach to bonus cash back that lets you earn high rewards without having to track bonus categories. Plus, you’ll be able to rack up these rewards while benefiting from the card’s intro APR on purchases and balance transfers.
• Who this card is good for: People who want to earn generous cash back in one eligible everyday category, like groceries, without having to enroll in bonus categories or plan out a spending strategy in advance.
• Alternatives: The Wells Fargo Active Cash card is another great card that earns rewards and comes with a similar intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. You can pair it with the Custom Cash card for maximum rewards value, but it’s also a great standalone card for people looking for a low-maintenance option.

Learn more: Citi Custom Cash vs. Citi Diamond Preferred

Read our full Citi Custom Cash Card review or jump back to offer details.

Discover it Balance Transfer: Best balance transfer card with rewards

• What we love about the Discover it Balance Transfer: You’ll be able to reap the benefits of a lengthy intro APR on balance transfers alongside earning Discover’s impressive rotating category rewards rate (when activated). This is a rare combination for balance transfer cards. 
• Who this card is good for: Fans of Discover’s rotating bonus categories who need a long period of time to pay off debt before enjoying the perks of a cash back rewards card.
• Alternatives: If you want to earn rewards year round in your favorite categories, you’ll need to look elsewhere. For example, if groceries and gas are a priority, check out the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, which provides great value on everyday essentials without having to enroll in rotating categories.

Learn more: Card expert Erin Bendig: Is the Discover it Balance Transfer card worth it?

Read our full Discover it Balance Transfer review or jump back to offer details.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for instant cash back

• What we love about the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card: The Quicksilver card packs a lot of value into one card. On top of the intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers, it offers a flat cash rewards rate on all purchases. You can set up automatic redemptions at a certain time or cash back amount for an even easier experience.
• This card is good for: People wanting a straightforward way to earn unlimited cash back while they enjoy a temporary break from interest with an introductory APR offer on purchases and balance transfers.
• Alternatives: For maximum value, cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® come with solid intro APR periods and the chance to earn a higher rate of bonus rewards in top spending areas.

Learn more: Why expert Nicole Dieker loves the Capital One Quicksilver

Read our full Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi Simplicity Card: Best for no late fees

• What we love about the Citi Simplicity Card: The promotional APR on balance transfers is one of the longest on the market. It also comes with a shorter intro APR on purchases, similar to the Citi Diamond Preferred. It’s also one of the most forgiving cards because it doesn’t charge late fees or assess a penalty APR if you make a late payment.
• Who this card is good for: Someone who wants as much time as possible to pay off past debt and wants a safety net in case they occasionally miss a payment.
• Alternatives: If you can pay off your debt in a short timeframe, you could get more value with a rewards card that comes with an intro APR offer. For example, the Blue Cash Everyday card offers bonus rewards in popular everyday categories and also provides a decent intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers.

Learn more: Citi Simplicity vs. Citi Diamond Preferred

Read our full Citi Simplicity Card review or jump back to offer details.

My GM Rewards Card: Best for GM purchases

• What we love about the My GM Rewards Card: Along with its terrific rewards rate on both GM and general purchases, this card offers a decent intro APR on new purchases based on creditworthiness. That means you can earn big rewards on an expense like a car repair and get some time to pay it off while avoiding interest.
• Who this card is good for: GM fans who want to minimize interest charges while financing large purchases and redeem points toward the cost of a new or used GM car or a monthly lease payment.
• Alternatives: If you’re looking for a card that will help you chip away at the cost of a large purchase but want more time and redemption flexibility than the GM Rewards Card offers, consider the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card. Along with its flat cash rewards rate, this card comes with a lengthy intro APR offer on new purchases. It’s one of the longest intro APR offers available on a rewards card. 

Read our full My GM Rewards Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi Diamond Preferred Card: Best for excellent credit

• What we love about the Citi Diamond Preferred Card: The 0 percent introductory APR on balance transfers is one of the longest currently on the market, lasting 21 months (then 17.24 percent to 27.99 percent variable). Although its intro purchase APR is shorter, it could still be helpful in a pinch. 
• Who this card is good for: Anyone who values function over flash. This card’s main selling point is the length of the introductory offers.
• Alternatives: The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card has a longer intro APR offer for purchases. This could be a better fit if your emergency fund can’t cover a repair or emergency purchase.

Learn more: Why expert Andy Shuman loves the Citi Diamond Preferred card

Read our full Citi Diamond Preferred Card review jump back to offer details.

BankAmericard credit card: Best for balance transfer with low ongoing interest

• What we love about the BankAmericard credit card: On top of having one of the longest intro APR periods for purchases and balance transfers, another one of the BankAmericard’s benefits is its below-average ongoing APR. Depending on your creditworthiness, this could be a nice low-interest credit card to hold on to after the intro APR period ends.
• Who this card is good for: Someone who needs a long period of time to pay off debt or an emergency purchase.
• Alternatives: If you don’t need close to two years to pay your balance off, you might like a card with better long-term value. The Discover it® Balance Transfer card is a more versatile option that comes with an intro APR offer on balance transfers along with Discover’s flagship rotating rewards program (requires quarterly activation). This gives the card great short- and long-term value.

Learn more: Why expert Margaret Wack loves the BankAmericard

Read our full BankAmericard credit card review or jump back to offer details.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express: Best for families

• What we love about the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express: The rewards program is truly best-in-class, offering an industry-leading 6 percent cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1 percent). What’s more, it’s one of the few premium rewards cards to offer an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers.
• Who this card is good for: Families and households that need some time to pay off a large purchase but also want a card that can help them earn bonus rewards on their everyday essentials.
• Alternatives: To match this card’s value while avoiding an annual fee, you may need a combination of no-annual-fee rewards cards. While the Citi Custom Cash Card can offer exceptional value on groceries or gas, you’d need to pair it with another card like the Blue Cash Everyday card or the Wells Fargo Autograph Card to cover more of your essential purchases.

Learn more: Why expert Ted Rossman loves the Blue Cash Preferred Card

Read our full Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express review or jump back to offer details.

U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card: Best for your cellphone bill

• Why we love U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card: This card provides a long intro APR offer on both purchases and balance transfers. The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum card’s benefits also include handy cellphone protection when you pay your bill with the card.
• Who this card is good for: Someone looking for a longer period to avoid interest than rewards cards typically provide, and for both purchases and balance transfers.
• Alternatives: If your goal is to obtain a long intro APR period, this card is perfect. However, if you want to earn rewards and access higher long-term value, you’ll do better with a different card like the Discover it Balance Transfer.

Learn more: Card expert Sara Coleman: Is the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum worth it?

Read our U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card review or jump back to offer details.

They go by different names — 0 percent APR credit cards, zero-interest credit cards, introductory APR credit cards — but they all have the same purpose: a 0 percent intro APR is a temporary break from interest charges as you steadily pay off large credit card purchases or balance transfers. In the case of credit cards, the term interest rate is interchangeable with APR. Both refer to the rate of interest that is applied to your credit card.

There are two different types of intro APR offers for credit cards. One is purchase intro APR, in which no interest is automatically applied to new purchases made on the card, and balance transfer intro APR, where no interest is applied to the balance transferred onto the card from another card. Both can come with different limitations on validity so make sure to check the terms. A card can have one, both or neither of these types of introductory offers.

How does credit card interest work?

Interest is essentially the cost of borrowing money. You won’t have to pay interest on your credit card purchases if you keep your balance paid off in full every month. 

If you still have a balance on your credit card past the grace period of a billing cycle, the balance will accrue interest. The amount of interest you’ll need to pay is based on your card’s annual percentage rate (APR). 

Even worse, a penalty APR could apply if you have a late payment more than 60 days overdue. Your APR for purchases may differ from your APR for balance transfers, but the lower the APR, the better. 

The good news is that you can use a credit card's 0 APR offer to temporarily avoid interest charges during the introductory period before the regular, or ongoing APR takes effect. A 0 percent intro offer may apply to new purchases, balance transfers or both.

Most ongoing APRs (the interest rate you’ll accrue after an introductory APR period is over) are variable, meaning that the interest rate can change based on the market rate. Entities like the Federal Reserve make decisions that affect a bank’s likelihood of raising or lowering credit card interest rates.

Want to learn more? Read our full guide on how credit card interest works.

How do 0% APR offers work?

When you open an account with a credit card issuer, they may offer you a 0 percent introductory (APR) period or no-interest financing on purchases made during that time frame. Credit card companies will often offer this type of interest-free promotion for anywhere from 12 to up to 21 months.

While there are usually no upfront fees or penalties associated with this type of promotion, be aware that it won’t last forever. When your 0 percent intro APR offer ends, any balance that remains will start gaining interest at its regular rate — typically between 16 percent and 29 percent at the moment — plus any other applicable fees or charges (such as late payments).

If you’re planning for a large purchase better suited for a credit card instead of a loan, such as a small home renovation or vacation expense, a card with a 0 percent introductory APR offer allows you to pay it off over time without accruing interest. The current average interest rate on a credit card is quite high, hovering around a 20 percent.

Consider the following example we plugged into Bankrate’s credit card payoff calculator. Our cardholder makes a $3,000 purchase and wants to pay it off in 12 months. With a zero-interest credit card, they only have to focus on settling the balance with $250 monthly payments. If they have a card with no intro APR, they immediately start accruing interest (a 17 percent APR, in this example), which increases their overall payments to $273 due to the $283 in additional interest they’ll end up owing.

Want to learn more? Read our full guide on pros and cons of 0 percent APR credit cards.

Generally, if you’re avoiding credit card interest, applying for one of the best 0 percent intro APR cards makes sense. Consider one of these cards if you find yourself in the following situations.

Still unsure if a 0% APR credit card is right for you? Check out our Credit Card Spender Type Tool where you can get personalized credit card recommendations based on your credit score, spending habits and daily needs.

• Calculate your total payment amount. If you’re using a 0 percent APR card to make a balance transfer, you’ll most likely have an added balance transfer fee to factor into the total you’ll need to pay back. Make sure you are fully aware of the total amount you’ll need to pay before your 0 percent APR period ends. To make this process easier, you can use our credit card payoff calculator to make a clear plan for paying the balance in full before interest charges kick in.
• Nail down your monthly payment. To ensure the total balance is paid before the intro period ends, calculate what you will have to pay each month to reach a balance of zero in that timeframe. You can use online tools like Bankrate’s minimum payment calculator to help you nail down a number. If you’re able, you should pay over the minimum amount needed to help you pay off the debt more quickly.
• Avoid adding extras to your debt total. Introductory 0 percent interest credit cards work well as an intentional debt management tool. If you can, avoid using your 0 percent APR card for anything outside of the designated costs you're trying to cover. For example, if you’re using the card to finance a large purchase, try keeping that card’s usage to only covering that purchase and immediately start strategizing on how to pay it off before the intro APR period ends. If you’re using a 0 percent APR card for a balance transfer, make paying down that total balance a priority before adding more charges.
• Don’t close the card after the intro APR period ends. Closing the card immediately after you've paid off the debt could undo some of the good work you've done with the zero-interest offer by reducing your available credit, lowering the average age of your credit accounts and affecting your credit mix. Together, these three factors account for 55 percent of your overall credit score. The easiest strategy is to keep the zero-interest card open and use it occasionally to keep the account active while continuing to pay off the balance on time.

Though 0 percent intro APR offers are a great perk, there is a time limit on this benefit. When your 0 percent intro APR offer ends, the card’s regular, ongoing interest rate will apply to any future balance you carry month to month. For example, if your intro APR period is over and you still have a balance of $200 on your card, your next credit card statement will show that you owe $200 plus any additional charges from the interest you’ve gained.

Whether you use it for purchases or balance transfers, even the best 0 percent intro APR credit card isn’t a quick fix. You’ll still need to hold up your end of the bargain by making regular monthly payments and erasing the debt before the intro offer expires, to reap the full benefits. You can find your credit card’s ongoing APR in the fine print so you know how much interest is charged after the intro period ends.

What determines the APR on a credit card?

When you are approved for a credit card, both your credit limit and ongoing interest rate (your interest rate after your intro period ends) are set by the issuer. The ongoing interest rate is often variable, meaning it can change or be different for different people depending on several factors. The issuer considers your credit score, payment history, number of open credit accounts and other information about your personal credit use — so the higher your credit score and the lower your credit usage, the lower your interest rate.

Several other external factors also play a part in credit card APR, including government regulators and banks’ lending standards. Due to recent interest hikes by the Federal Reserve, you’ll begin to see a general increase in rates across most cards.

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