Our pick for long intro APR periods: Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

18 months
Intro APR on transfers
- Market-leading 18 months intro APR on transfers and purchases
- Potentially low revert rate of 14.74%-24.74% variable
- No annual fee
Depending on the size of your debt, the difference between a six-month and 21-month 0% intro APR period could mean hundreds — or even thousands — of dollars saved on interest charges. That said, the longest offers aren’t necessarily right for everyone.
Right now, 20 months is the longest 0% intro balance transfer APR in the industry, held by the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card. After the intro period ends, your rate reverts to 13.99% to 23.99% variable. This provides the opportunity to transfer and pay off debt with a long payment window.
As for the longest 0% intro APR period on purchases, most cards offer either 12 or 15 months. Only the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card offers 20 months with a revert rate of 13.99% to 23.99% variable.
It’s always important to research and compare your options. These are the key features to consider when looking at credit cards with long 0% APR periods:
You might not need to go out of your way to find the longest 0% APR offer on the market — you only need an intro period long enough for you to pay off your balance transfer comfortably.
If you calculate how long you need to pay off your balance within your monthly budget, you might have more flexibility when it comes to choosing a card.
These factors may not be major priorities when choosing a balance transfer card, but they are still worth considering.
An additional note on purchase rates: If you know you’ll need to make purchases with the new card straight away, you may want to look at 0% intro APR balance transfer and purchase rate credit cards — but make sure you know when each of the promotional periods end as one can be shorter than the other.
To get the most out of your balance transfer, consider the following tips:
The total amount you can transfer is usually a percentage of your credit limit. While some may let you transfer up to 100% of your credit limit, others may only allow you to transfer 95% or even 80%. Sometimes, the card provider lists a fixed amount you can transfer, such as up to $5,000 or $15,000.
But the amount of your balance transfer mostly depends on your credit score and financial situation. If you’re carrying a large debt, consider whether you can transfer the entire amount before applying for the card.
Avoid the following balance transfer mistakes to make the most of your transfer:
At the time of this writing, there is no credit card offering 36 months of no interest. The longest 0% APR period cards offer a 21-month promotional period.
Keep in mind, there are store credit cards that offer a deferred interest period of up to 36 months or more on purchases made at the store. But with deferred interest, you must pay off your full balance before the promotional period ends or you’ll pay interest accrued from the moment you made your transaction.
Research your options and do the math to determine which card will deliver the greatest savings and convenience in the long run. Remember to only buy what you need and spend the rest on repaying that debt. When you compare balance transfer cards, be sure to factor in how well they serve your plan on the whole rather than just the longest intro rate.
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