Best 0% APR Credit Cards of March 2021

All information about the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The issuer did not provide the content, nor is it responsible for its accuracy.

Comparing Zero Interest Credit Card Offers

Here, we show you how to choose the best 0 interest card for your purposes, whether you are refurbishing your home in the spring or planning to travel in the summer. And there’s more to share, like how to compare two zero interest cards and how interest works. But first, here is more on our favorite 0% intro APR cards.

• Best no interest credit cards of 2021
• Summary of 0% interest credit card offers
• Intro to 0% APR credit cards
• How do I choose a credit card with no interest?
• How your credit score affects your interest rate
• How do I avoid interest charges with a 0% intro APR credit card?
• How to reduce your interest costs
• Methodology

Best Zero Interest Credit Cards

Discover it® Cash Back: Best for rotating category rewards

Not only will you earn 5% cash back on the first $1,500 you spend in rotating bonus categories each quarter (upon activation, then 1%), you can match your cash back at the end of your first year. The Q1 2021 categories include grocery stores, CVS and Walgreens. Also, take advantage of a 0% intro APR for 14 months on new purchases and balance transfers (11.99%-22.99% variable after that).

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card: Best for balance transfer

If paying off debt is your top priority and you have the good to excellent credit needed to qualify, the Citi Diamond Preferred Card could be a lifesaver. The card comes with an extremely long introductory APR offer: 0% for 18 months on balance transfers and purchases, after which your APR is a relatively low 14.74%-24.74% (variable). The fees are minimal with this card, including no annual fee. Unfortunately, there are no rewards, points or miles to be earned for everyday spending.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Best for 0% intro APR with rewards

The sign-up bonus on this card has dramatically improved in recent months to $200 after a super-low $500 spend within the first 3 months. Needless to say, the spend is one of the lowest around for what you get. While there’s no 0% intro APR offer on balance transfers, you can get 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases, then it’s 14.99%-23.74% variable.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for no annual fee

This no annual fee card has a longish 0% intro APR on purchases of 15 months, which means you pay off purchases without paying interest throughout 2021; it’s 15.49%-25.49% variable after that. However, there’s no 0% intro APR on balance transfers. Earn $200 after a $500 spend within the first 3 months, and earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card: Best for flexible cash back categories

Choose one of 6 valuable categories each calendar month for 3% cash back: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvement/furnishings. Plus, you’ll also earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter, then earn 1%). New cardholders can take advantage of a 0% introductory APR on purchases and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days for 15 billing cycles (after that it’s 13.99%-23.99% variable).

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Best for good credit

Good to excellent credit is required to qualify, but if you make the cut, this no annual fee card should offer terrific long-term value. That means you’ll need a FICO Score of at least 670 out of a range of 300-850 to even be considered for this card. You’ll enjoy an impressive cash back rewards program, and there’s a 0% intro APR on purchases (15 months, then 13.99%-23.99% variable), although not so on balance transfers.

Citi® Double Cash Card: Best for cash back

One of our favorite flat-rate cash back cards, the Citi Double Cash Card is ideal for rewards-savvy applicants with good to excellent credit. Also, you’ll pay 0% interest for the first 18 months on balance transfers, after which the APR is 13.99%-23.99% (variable), although no such luck with 0% intro APR on purchases.

Wells Fargo Platinum card: Best for long 0% introductory APR period

The Wells Fargo Platinum boasts an impressive 18-month introductory APR period for both purchases and qualifying balance transfers. If you’re looking to maximize the amount of time you can avoid interest charges, this is one of the best offers on the market. However, there is a tradeoff if you’re going to transfer a balance: a fee of 3% or $5 (whichever is greater) for transfers made within the first 120 days, then 5% after that ($5 minimum). Also, there is no rewards program, so the long-term value of this card is limited.

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card: Best for digital wallet purchase rewards

The 15-month introductory APR period for qualifying balance transfers (made within the first 120 days) and purchases isn’t especially long. However, the card keeps its value long after that period ends, offering 1.5% cash rewards on all purchases. Plus, you’ll earn a boosted rate of 1.8% cash rewards on digital wallet purchases for the first 12 months if you use the card to pay through Google Pay™ or Apple Pay®.

BankAmericard® credit card: Best for low ongoing APR

With this card, you’ll have 18 billing cycles to take advantage of a 0% introductory APR on both balance transfers made within the first 60 days and purchases. After that, your regular APR ranges from 12.99%-22.99% variable. The low regular APR and lack of an annual fee make this card more valuable than the average 0% APR card.

Summary of 0% intro APR Credit Card Offers

What are 0 interest credit cards and how do they work?

An introductory zero interest credit card is a product that allows you to pay down debt without paying interest for a set amount of time. They usually require good or excellent credit and often have no annual fee.

But how do 0 interest offers work?

• If you’re approved and it’s a balance transfer card, you’ll have the opportunity to transfer balances from older cards, although there’s usually a balance transfer fee involved.
• If it’s a card with an intro 0% purchase offer, you can make purchases within a set amount of time and not pay interest until the offer ends.

Note that once the offer ends, if you still have a balance, you will start paying interest until you pay off the debt. Want to avoid paying interest? Pay off your debt before that offer ends.

When looking for an intro 0 percent card, you’ll have options – according to our January 2020 survey, there were 90 cards offering deals on balance transfers. Surprisingly enough, two-thirds of consumers we polled said they had never applied for a credit card to pay 0% on a new purchase.

How do I choose a credit card with no interest?

Now we understand why it’s worth your while to get a credit card with zero introductory interest, but how do you choose one? Credit scores, length of offer, annual fee – all of these factor into which you choose.

• Credit score – The bulk of cards with high-quality balance transfer and purchase offers require good or excellent credit. There are exceptions, but the offers may not include a term with 0% or they may have a short offer. For example, the Discover it® Student Cash Back offers 0% intro APR for 6 months on purchases and 10.99% for 6 months on balance transfers (then it’s 12.99%-21.99% variable).
• Balance transfer fee – Most cards that allow balance transfers charge a fee, which is usually 3% or a set dollar amount, whichever is greater. A precious few cards sometimes waive this fee, which can save you hundreds of dollars, depending on your balance. But there’s a tradeoff, because you may not get rewards or a lengthy offer. For example, the Navy Federal Credit Union Platinum card offers no balance transfer fee but no rewards to speak of.
• Length of offer – When you are looking for rewards in an intro 0% credit card, the 0% offer is often lower than a card that exclusively offers an introductory 0% on balance transfers and/or purchases. An exception is the Citi® Double Cash Card, which has strong rewards, as well as an 18-month 0% intro APR offer on balance transfers (then it’s 13.99%-23.99% variable).
• Annual fee – Most cards with a 0% intro offer have no annual fee, although there are a few that do, so check before committing. For example, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has a 12-month 0% intro APR offer on purchases (then it’s 13.99%-23.99% variable) and a $95 annual fee, although it is waived in the first year.

How higher interest rates can cost you more money

We’ve talked about how 0% intro APR credit cards work, but we still need to address the impact of interest rates on your wallet.

Most credit cards have a variable rate. (You can consider a good APR rate to be one that is below the national average, which is currently about 16%.) The rate you are given by the card issuer depends in part on your creditworthiness. The higher the rate, the more you’ll pay in interest charges and the longer it can take you to pay off the debt.

• Say you owe $5,000 and you are assigned a 14% interest rate. If you pay down $300 each month, it will take you 19 months and you will pay $593 in interest.
• Now, take that same $5,000 but with 27% interest. If you pay the same $300 each month, it will take you 22 months and it will cost you $1,338 in interest.

Obviously, an intro 0 interest card offer means that you can at least delay the interest charges, and if you are diligent, you can avoid interest charges altogether. More on that in a bit. In the meantime, use CreditCard’s.com’s payoff calculator to find out how much you are paying in interest.

How your credit score affects your interest rate

Not only does your credit score impact whether you get credit, your score affects what interest rate you get. This is true of all types of credit, including mortgages, car loans and credit cards.

For credit cards in the U.S., the interest rate is usually a variable, typically the prime rate plus a margin of for example, 10.99%. That’s where your credit score comes in.

Your credit card issuer will look at your application and your credit score to decide where on that variable range your interest rate will land. For example, the range may be 11.99%-22.99% variable APR, and because you have excellent credit and a solid income, you are granted a lower interest rate of say, 12.99%. Have a credit report that shows some missed payments? The interest rate you are assigned will likely be on the higher end.

How do I avoid interest charges with a 0% intro APR credit card?

You’ve been accepted for a card with an introductory interest-free offer. Yay for that! Now comes the work.

Best intentions can fail without a plan, and paying off card debt is no exception. You’ll need to change some habits and develop new ones to make this work.

• Budget. If you don’t already have one, make one. You need to know how your money comes in and goes out. Don’t forget to budget for fun and for emergencies (no, that new mega-sized TV isn’t an emergency).
• Calculate. Figure out how much you have to pay toward the debt to avoid paying interest. Don’t forget to factor in any balance transfer fee. Will you still have to pay after the offer ends? That’s OK, just stay on target until the debt is paid off.
• Avoid spending. Don’t be tempted by that shiny object chasing you around the internet by way of ads. Keep your use of the new card to a minimum until the debt is paid off. If it’s a rewards card with a sign-up bonus, assess whether you are capable of paying off the required spend quickly.
• Plan. Think about what you’ll do with the card once you’ve wiped out the debt. Maybe you want to use it to build credit. Or you might want to use it for rewards.

How to reduce your interest costs

We’ve talked about how interest rates can impact your bottom line. Let’s look now at how to lower your interest costs.

• Pay more each month. By paying just $100 more each month toward your balance, you can dramatically lower how long it takes to pay off the debt, as well as the total you pay in interest.
• Get a purchase or balance transfer offer credit card. A 0% intro APR offer will significantly drop the total amount of interest you pay, provided you double down on how much you pay each month toward the balance to pay off the debt before the offer ends.
• Ask for a lower rate. We’ve found that by picking up the phone and calling, you have a fair shot of getting your issuer to lower the rate.
• Don’t carry a balance over to the next month. By paying your balance in full and on time each month, you not only avoid interest charges, you give your credit score a boost.

Research methodology

0% intro APR credit cards analyzed: 1,002
Criteria used: 0% intro APR period for purchases, 0% intro APR period for balance transfers, balance transfer fee, regular APR, other rates and fees, rewards rates, extra benefits and features, customer service, credit needed, ease of application, security.