Balance Transfer Calculator
Find out whether moving a credit card balance to a 0% intro APR card is worth the transfer fee. Compare the total cost of both options and get the monthly payment that clears the balance before the intro rate ends.
Results are estimates. We apply each APR monthly and assume the intro rate covers your first payments on the new card, with no new purchases or other fees. The calculator models a standard intro APR, not deferred interest. Many card issuers charge interest daily, so your statements may differ a little. See our terms of use.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your current card's details. Your statement shows the balance and the APR. For the payment, enter what you can realistically pay each month. Both options use the same payment, so the comparison is fair.
- Enter the offer's terms. The transfer fee, the intro period and the APR after it are listed in the offer's table of rates and fees. If the intro APR isn't 0%, change it under More options.
- Compare the two columns. The cheaper option is marked "Lower cost." Below the columns you'll see what you'd save and the payment that clears the balance before the intro rate ends.
How the calculator works
We run both options month by month with the same payment:
- Keep current card: each month, one-twelfth of the APR is charged on the balance, then your payment comes off, until the balance reaches zero.
- Transfer the balance: the fee is added first, so the new card starts at your balance × (1 + fee). The intro APR applies during the intro period, and the APR after the intro period applies to whatever is left.
With a 0% intro APR, the payment that clears the new balance before the intro rate ends is:
Payment = Balance × (1 + fee) ÷ intro months
We round it up to the next cent. With an intro APR above 0%, we use the standard payment formula from our loan calculator instead.
Example: the calculator opens with a $6,000 balance at 24% APR and a $300 monthly payment.
- Keep current card: the first month's interest is $120.00 (24% ÷ 12 = 2% of $6,000). At $300 a month, the card is paid off in 2 years 2 months, and you pay $1,739 in interest.
- Transfer the balance: the 3% fee is $180, so you'd owe $6,180. Eighteen payments of $300 at 0% pay off $5,400 and leave $780 when the intro rate ends. At 24%, that takes three more payments and adds $29.62 of interest. The transfer costs $210 in all, and you're debt-free in 1 year 9 months.
So the transfer saves $1,529 and gets you out of debt 5 months sooner. To clear the balance in time, you'd pay $6,180 ÷ 18 = $343.33…, rounded up to $343.34 a month. That's $43.34 more than $300, and the $180 fee would be the transfer's only cost.
How balance transfers work
With a balance transfer, a new card's issuer pays off your old card, and the debt moves to the new card at a low rate for a while. Three terms decide whether it's a good deal:
- The transfer fee. It's usually a percentage of the amount you transfer or a flat amount, whichever is more. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that the 25 largest card issuers charged an average of 4.3% in the second half of 2024. The fee can apply even on a 0% offer, and it's added to your new balance.
- The intro period. Under federal rules, an intro rate must last at least six months, and the issuer must tell you the rate that applies afterward. The CFPB says recent intro offers tend to last 6 to 21 months.
- The APR after the intro period. It applies to anything left when the promotion ends. Some offers list a range of rates, and you won't know yours until you're approved, so try the highest one.
Before you apply:
- Check that the transfer is allowed. Many issuers won't move a balance between two of their own cards.
- Plan for a smaller limit. Your new credit limit may be lower than you hoped. If you can move only part of the debt, enter that amount.
- Keep paying your old card. The CFPB suggests making at least the minimum payment while you wait for the transfer to go through, and not closing the old account right away.
- Your credit matters. If debt problems have hurt your credit score, the CFPB says you probably won't qualify for a low rate. Applying for several cards in a short time can also lower your scores, so apply only for the offer you plan to use.
0% intro APR vs. deferred interest
Two very different promotions can both sound like "no interest." The CFPB's advice: look for the word "if."
- 0% intro APR: the offer says something like "0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months." No interest is charged during the intro period. After that, interest is charged only on what's left. That's what the calculator models: in the example, interest starts on the $780 left after 18 months.
- Deferred interest: the offer says "no interest if paid in full" within a set time. Interest builds up in the background from the start. If you don't pay off the whole promotional balance in time, all of that interest is added to what you owe.
Federal rules give some help with a deferred-interest balance. In the last two billing cycles before the promotion ends, anything you pay above the minimum must go to that balance first. Still, plan to pay it off early.
New purchases, grace periods and how payments are applied
A transfer changes how the rest of the card works:
- New purchases can cost interest right away. Normally you avoid interest on purchases by paying your full statement balance by the due date. That's the grace period. On most cards, while you carry any balance from month to month, even a 0% transfer, new purchases are charged interest from the day you make them. To avoid that, you'd have to pay the entire balance, including the transferred amount, in full.
- Payments above the minimum go to the highest rate first. Under the federal rules that carry out the Credit CARD Act, any amount above the minimum must go first to the balance with the highest APR. The issuer generally decides where the minimum itself goes, and it may put it toward the 0% balance.
- Late payments can end the deal. If you're more than 60 days late, the issuer can raise the rate on all your balances, including the transferred one.
The simplest approach is to use the new card only for the transfer and to set up automatic payments so you're never late.
When a balance transfer isn't worth it
A transfer helps most when you have a big balance at a high rate and can pay off most of it during the intro period. It may not be worth it when:
- You could clear the debt quickly anyway. At 24% APR, interest is 2% of the balance a month, so a 3% fee equals about a month and a half of interest. Paying $3,000 a month in the example clears the current card in 3 months with $186 of interest, just $6 more than the fee.
- The intro period is short and the rate after it is high. Say your $6,000 balance is at 18%, and the offer has a 5% fee, 0% for 6 months, then 29.99%. At $300 a month, keeping your card costs $1,187 in interest. The transfer costs $1,510, or $323 more.
- You'd keep adding new charges, which eat into the savings and can be charged interest right away.
Here's how changing one term of the example changes the result:
| Change from the example | Transfer cost | You save | Payment to clear in time |
|---|---|---|---|
| None (3% fee, 0% for 18 months, then 24%) | $210 | $1,529 | $343.34 |
| 5% fee instead of 3% | $338 | $1,401 | $350.00 |
| 12-month intro period | $460 | $1,279 | $515.00 |
| 21-month intro period | $180 | $1,559 | $294.29 |
| 29.99% APR after the intro period | $217 | $1,522 | $343.34 |
In this example, the intro period matters most, because it decides how much is left when the regular rate starts.
If a transfer doesn't fit, compare a fixed-rate loan with our debt consolidation calculator, or read how to pay off $10,000 in credit card debt. If you're struggling to make payments, a nonprofit credit counseling agency can review your situation.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 0% balance transfer really free?
Usually not. Most credit cards charge a fee to transfer a balance, and the CFPB points out that a fee means the transfer isn't free. In the example, the 3% fee is $180. A transfer pays off only when the interest you save is bigger than the fee.
What happens if I don't pay off the balance before the intro period ends?
With a standard intro APR, the regular rate applies to whatever is left, from then on. In the example, $780 is left after 18 months, and it costs $29.62 in interest before it's paid off. With a deferred-interest deal, the interest from the whole promotion could be added as well.
Should I just pay the minimum during the intro period?
Usually not. Minimum payments on a 0% balance can be small, so a big balance could still be left when the regular rate starts. That's common: the CFPB found that 79% of accounts at large issuers whose intro rate ended in 2024 still had a balance afterward. Aim for the payment that clears it in time, $343.34 a month in the example.
Does a balance transfer hurt my credit score?
It can at first. Applying for a card usually means a hard inquiry on your credit report, which can lower your scores a little. Over time, paying the debt down tends to help, because you're using less of your available credit.
How long does a balance transfer take?
It isn't instant, and the timing varies by issuer. Keep paying at least the minimum on your old card until the balance moves, then check both statements for the transfer and the fee.
Last reviewed: October 2026