Compare balance transfer credit cards

Best long 0% balance transfer deal for Mar 2023

To access the longest possible 0% deals, you’ll need good credit and you’ll probably have to pay a small transfer fee – this can be added onto the balance you’re transferring. The absolute longest 0% deal currently available is 31 months, but it’s important to factor in the transfer fee and any ongoing fees when you’re picking the right deal for you.

Sainsbury's Bank 26 Month Balance Transfer Credit Card Mastercard

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Customer rating★★★★★

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26 months

0% interest on balance transfers

22.9%

Representative APR

£0

Account fee

1 point

per £5 spent

• Overview
• Pros & cons
• Details

This card offers the longest 0% on balance transfers period of all Sainsbury’s credit cards, and also offers 0% interest on purchases for an introductory period. There’s no annual fee to worry about, so provided you clear your existing balance before the 0% period expires, this could be an almost catch-free option.

• Extra-long 0% period
• No annual fee
• Up to 3 months of 0% interest on purchases made using the card
• Earn Nectar points on all your spending

• Balance transfer fee

Availability	Available to new customers
Min. income	10000
Foreign usage charge (EU)	2.75%
Cash advance fee	3% (min. £3)

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 22.95% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 22.9% APR (variable).

If you don’t need quite so long at 0%, you should consider a low- or no-fee balance transfer deal.

Best no-fee balance transfer deals for Mar 2023

Although these offers won’t have the very longest 0% interest periods on the market, if the 0% periods that they do offer can give you long enough to clear your card debt, they’re likely to be the cheapest option.

NatWest Balance Transfer Credit Card

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19 months

0% interest on balance transfers

0%

Balance transfer fee

23.9%

Representative APR

£0

Account fee

• Overview
• Pros & cons
• Details

Yes, you could easily find a longer 0% deal, but this is one of the longest deals with a no transfer fee or account fee (albeit with a fairly average revert interest rate charged after the 0% period is over). So if 19 months gives you long enough to clear your balance, this could be the card for you.

• Long 0% period
• No balance transfer fee
• No annual/monthly fee

• Longer balance transfer deals are available

Availability	Available to new customers
Residency	UK resident
Min. income	10000
Foreign usage charge (EU)	2.75%
Cash advance fee	3% (min. £3)

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 23.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 23.9% APR (variable).

An intro to balance transfers

Whether you’re looking to pay off your existing credit card debt or wanting to orgainise your debts into one place, with cards offering low or 0% interest for a specified period, a balance transfer card could help pay off your debt faster.

A balance transfer refers to the process of transferring your existing credit card debt to a new card issued by a different bank, in return for a lower interest rate during the introductory period. Most balance transfer credit cards have an introductory promotional rate which runs for a fixed number of months.

If used correctly, you could transfer your existing balance from a different bank and make use of a card with up to 12, 24, 30 months (or even longer!) 0% interest on your balance. This means that you could pay off your debt within this time period without any monthly interest being added on top, or pay off a considerable amount of debt before the monthly interest kicks in.

So, what’s the catch?

After your specified 0% balance transfer period ends the provider will begin to charge you monthly interest on your remaining balance, just like a usual credit card. There may also be a balance transfer fee to pay when you are moving existing debt to a balance transfer card. This fee, however, is usually low compared to the interest you may be paying on your current credit card balance. Even with this fee, a 0% interest rate usually means that you can clear your debt faster and more cheaply than you would if you remained with your current card.

How does it work?

Let’s assume that you already have existing card debt and you want to save on interest by moving it to another card issuer.

Once you’ve picked a balance transfer deal, you’ll usually be prompted to check your eligibility. Provided its good news, you can then go ahead and apply for the new card.

During the application process, you’ll be asked if you want to transfer a balance and prompted to provide details of how much it is, which bank it’s currently held with and the account number.

When you’ve received your shiny new card (which can take up to two weeks) and activated it, the card issuer will then request the transfer of all outstanding funds from your old bank. From this point, the transfer will typically take around 1-3 working days. If there’s a transfer fee involved then this can be added to your balance.

From then on it’s over to you. You can pay as much or as little as you like each month, subject to the new card’s minimum repayment requirement (typically 1% or 2% of your outstanding balance). Ideally, you should pay enough each month to ensure you’re debt-free before the introductory low-rate period expires.

What is a balance transfer fee?

Most – but not all – balance transfer cards (particularly those with the longest promotional periods) charge a balance transfer fee. This is a one-time fee that’s calculated as a percentage of the debt you wish to transfer to the new card. Typically the balance transfer fee is between 1.5% and 3.5%. A minimum is usually also specified, so a card issuer might describe its balance transfer fee as “3% (minimum £5). So if you had a £2,000 debt to transfer, the transfer fee would cost you £60. If you had just a £150 debt to transfer, the fee would cost you £5.The fee is usually added to the balance and so also benefits from the 0% promotional period.

Expert video: Choosing the right balance transfer card

Use Finder’s eligibility checker (no effect on your credit score)

How much money can I save with a balance transfer?

Exactly how much you’ll save will depend on the size of your debt, the length of the 0% balance transfer offer and your repayments, but you could save hundreds or thousands of pounds in interest while you clear your debt. Here’s an example:

Balance transfer illustration

Let’s say you have £3,000 debt on a card that’s currently charging 20% interest annually, but you’ve been offered a new card with 0% on balance transfers for 18 months, a 3% transfer fee and no annual fee.

Clearing your debt over 18 months would be around £407 cheaper using the new 0% card than it would on the old card. What’s more, you’d be debt-free three months sooner than if you’d made the same monthly repayments to your old card. All in all, a worthwhile exercise!

Remember that this isn’t based on simply paying the minimum monthly repayments, but on overpaying as much as is necessary to completely clear the debt before the revert rate kicks in. In this example you’d want to pay around £172 each month to clear the debt in time. To get that figure we divided £3,090 (the balance being transferred with the transfer fee on top) by 18 (the number of months in the introductory rate period).

The dos and don’ts of balance transfers

Used intelligently, a 0% balance transfer card will reduce your interest payments and get you out of credit card debt faster. Used the wrong way, your debts can become larger and last, well, indefinitely. Ensure you don’t get trapped in problem balance transfer debt with our dos and don’ts.

How to do a balance transfer in five steps

Follow these five steps to successfully apply for a balance transfer credit card and improve your chances of approval:

1. Find a balance transfer offer that meets your needs. Use our comparison tables to easily compare a range of cards and see how much you could save.
2. Check how much you’re eligible to transfer. The amount you can transfer to your new account will vary, but is usually capped at between 90% and 95% of your approved credit limit. So, if you can only transfer 90% of your £1,000 credit limit, you’ll only be able to transfer up to £900. Remember, you won’t know for sure what your credit limit will be until you’ve made your application, and this will depend on a number of factors, such as your overall credit rating, address and employment status. You can contact the bank in question to get an estimate before you apply. You’ll also need to make sure that you’ve selected a new card that accepts transfers from your current bank and card.
3. Submit your application. If you’ve found a balance transfer credit card that is right for you, you can click on the ‘Go to site’ button to be directed to a secure online application. Check out our guidelines for successfully applying to maximise your chances of approval.
4. Wait for your application to be approved. Some banks can process your request and offer approval within 60 seconds of applying, but others can take between 5-7 days. If you haven’t heard from the bank after this time, you may wish to contact them to find out if there’s an issue.
5. Confirm transfer and close your old account. Once your new card is set up, contact your old bank and make sure the previous account is closed to avoid any further fees or interest payments. Now it’s time to start repaying your debt. Use our tips for paying off your credit card debts faster to clear your debt and maximise your interest savings.

Do I have to contact my old bank and new bank to make the switch?

Your new card issuer manages this process after both your card and the balance transfer are approved. You just need to provide details of your existing card when you apply. But if you want to close your old card, you’ll need to do that yourself by contacting your bank. If you don’t close your old account, you could be stuck with annual fees and any other maintenance costs that come with your existing account.

Your questions about balance transfers answered

Applying for balance transfers

• What's the maximum I can balance transfer?

  Maximum balance transfer limits can vary slightly from card to card, but typically you can transfer up to 95% of your credit limit. Your credit limit is set by the card issuer and it’s based on its assessment of your circumstances – taking into account factors like your income, outgoings and credit record.

  You can use the product reviews on Finder to confirm the maximum percentage of the credit limit you can transfer to a particular balance transfer credit card.

• Why might my application be refused?

  Financial institutions assess balance transfer applications carefully. To increase your chances of approval, consider some of the factors that could cause a bank to decline your application before you apply:

  

  1. Poor credit history. You’ll need a good credit history to obtain a balance transfer deal. However, if you have a poor credit history due to missed payments, defaults on your account or significant levels of debt, you might need to repay more of your debt and demonstrate your ability to make regular repayments before you apply.
  2. Submitting multiple applications too rapidly. Each application you make for a balance transfer deal is recorded in your credit history. If your application is refused, don’t just apply to a different credit card issuer straight away. Instead, take some time to repay your debt and carefully compare other card options and ensure that you tick off the eligibility criteria before you apply.
  3. Transferring to the wrong bank. If you try to get a balance transfer deal from a bank with the same owner as your current card, you’ll be immediately refused. You can’t transfer your debt from a Royal Bank of Scotland account to a NatWest card, for instance, as they’re both owned by the same group.
  4. Cards in a different name. Your new balance transfer card must be in the same name as your current card. If you apply with a different name, such as your partner’s name, you’ll be turned down.

• Can I transfer my balance to my partner/spouse?

  Yes. Providing that both you and your partner/spouse are already using a joint-account credit card. However, you usually can’t transfer a debt that is in someone else’s name to a new account that is under your name.

• Which banks can I balance transfer to?

  The key rule that decides whether you can transfer a balance to a bank is whether or not your existing bank belongs to the same credit provider. For example, balance transfers are not allowed between NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland since RBS is the credit provider for both.

• Can I apply for another balance transfer offer with the same bank after my current promotion has ended?

  No. Existing customers are ineligible to apply for balance transfer offers with their existing bank. However, if you then transfer your balance to a different bank, when this balance transfer promotion has ended you will be able to transfer to the first bank again.

• What's in it for my new credit card issuer?

  Credit card issuers make money when you pay interest, so why would they charge 0% when they could charge 22% or more? Here’s why:

  • You’ll eventually revert to a higher rate. If you don’t pay off your entire debt at the 0% rate, you’ll end up collecting interest at the standard rate for your card. This is usually the purchase rate or cash advance rate, which can range between 9% and 22%. Once that happens, your new credit card issuer can potentially make hundreds or even thousands of pounds from you in interest charges.
  • Persuading you to switch is tough. People are reluctant to switch banks, and it’s expensive to acquire a new customer. Offering a discounted interest rate is one of the cheapest ways for banks to attract potential customers. It’s essentially a cheap form of marketing.

• Can I do a balance transfer with my existing credit card issuer?

  No, you typically can’t perform a balance transfer while staying with the same institution. You also can’t perform a balance transfer to other banks within the same group or owned by the same organisation. For instance, you can’t transfer from NatWest to Royal Bank of Scotland as both banks are part of the same company.

• Can I get a balance transfer for a personal loan or store card?

  While most balance transfer deals are for credit card debt, some credit card issuers will let you transfer debt from a personal loan or store card as well. You may wish to consider a money transfer credit card instead – these let you control the transferring, so you can transfer funds from the card to your current account, for any purpose.

• How long will it take for the old balance to appear in my new account?

  While you could be approved for your credit card within 60 seconds, it can take between 1-2 weeks for your old balance to appear in the new account. Please note that the 0% balance transfer offer applies as soon as your card is approved rather than when your balance is in your account.

Santander Everyday Long Term Balance Transfer Credit Card

• 0% for 28 months reverting to 21.9% (3% (min. £5) balance transfer fee applies)
• 0% for 3 months reverting to 22.9%
• No monthly account fee

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 22.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 22.9% APR (variable).

Check eligibility

Using balance transfers

• Can I make purchases interest-free whilst repaying my balance transfer?

  Yes you can, although it’s not recommended if your main objective is paying off existing credit card debt. The interest-free period will depend on the card. Most providers offer a standard 56-day interest free period, while others offer longer promotional periods alongside balance transfer deals. However, some card providers offer a “balanced” or “matched” credit card which offers 0% interest-free on both balance transfers and purchases for a specific period.

• How often should I make repayments and how much should they be?

  You should make repayments by the due date detailed on your bank statement for each statement period. While you’re only required to pay the minimum repayment, you should always aim to pay more to clear your debt faster. This is especially important when you’re using a 0% balance transfer offer that will only apply for a promotional period. To avoid paying interest on your debt, you should calculate how much you need to pay each month by dividing the size of your debt by the number of months in your promotional period. This will give you a goal repayment to make each month to repay your balance before the promotion ends.

• Can I repay my card before the balance transfer period ends?

  Yes, you can repay your balance as early as you’d like. In fact, it’s wise to clear your debt as fast as possible to avoid reverting to more expensive standard rates and incurring any additional interest costs. Unlike a fixed-schedule personal loan or home loan, there are no penalties for clearing your credit card debt ahead of time.

• Which transactions do my repayments go towards first, purchases, cash advances or my balance transfer?

  Banks will allocate your repayments to the highest rate of interest first. This means that with a low interest rate balance transfer promotion, repayments will usually go towards purchases and cash advances first. As a result, it is ideal not to make other transactions when repaying a balance transfer to ensure that all of your repayments are dedicated to clearing your debt.

• Can I take advantage of interest-free days on a balance transfer credit card?

  Most credit cards offer a set period of interest-free days as a standard feature of the card – some will offer promotional interest-free periods of up to 30 months. During this time, you can use your card to make purchases and you won’t pay any interest on them for the duration of the period. However, if you don’t pay off the balance resulting from these purchases within the agreed time-frame – which is a separate time-frame from your balance transfer deal – you’ll be liable for interest. In some cases, missing payments on purchases will also invalidate your balance transfer deal. The exact terms and conditions will depend on your bank.

• What happens to my old credit card when I've completed the balance transfer?

  Your old credit card will remain active even when your balance has been transferred. You can either continue using it or request that your old bank cancel the card. Don’t forget, your old card may have an annual fee, so forgetting to cancel it could cost.

• Can I request a balance transfer after submitting my application?

  Yes, it’s possible to transfer a balance after you’ve applied for the card. However, the exact terms and conditions of doing this vary between banks. It’s a good idea to contact your bank directly to discuss your options, but here are some examples of bank processes below:

  • Halifax. Promotional balance transfer rates are available for all transfers made in the first 90 days, a 3% fee applies thereafter.
  • Santander. Transfer a balance fee-free at any time during the promotional period.
  • Barclays. You can apply for a balance transfer offer within 60 days of card approval.
  • TSB. Balance transfers must be made by a certain date depending on the specifics of the promotion it is running at any given time.
  • Sainsbury’s Bank. In the first 3 months a 1.5% balance transfer fee is charged and then fully refunded directly to your account within 60 days. A 3% fee applies thereafter.