[UPDATE: Some offers mentioned below have expired and/or are no longer available on our site. You can view the current offers from our partners in our credit card marketplace. DISCLOSURE: Cards from our partners are mentioned below.]
Did you spend a little too much over the holidays? If so, you’re probably nervous about opening up your credit card statements in January. Fortunately, there is a way to postpone repayment without incurring costly interest charges.
There are many credit cards that offer new applicants 0% APR promotional financing on balance transfers. By law, these limited time financing offers must last at least six months, but there are many that extend for a year or longer. By applying for one of these cards and transferring your balance to it, you can breath a bit easier throughout 2016 and potentially incur no interest until 2017.
The Pros and Cons of Balance Transfer Offers
The benefit of having 0% APR interest for over a year is very significant. As unsecured debt with interest that is never tax deductible, credit card interest charges can be quite expensive. And when cardholders steadily pay off their debt before the interest-free promotional financing period expires, they can avoid the standard interest rate.
On the other hand, nearly all of the interest free balance transfer offers require the payment of a 3% balance transfer fee, which is added to the balance. In addition, those who use these balance transfer offers as a way to postpone paying off their balances will often find they are worse off in the long run. Finally, those who consume a large portion of their available credit may find that their credit score suffers due to a large debt-to-credit ratio. (You can see how high balances are affecting your credit by viewing your free credit report summary updated every 14 days on Credit.com.)
With these factors in mind, here are seven credit cards that offer interest-free financing through January 2017 and beyond.
1. BankAmericard Credit Card from Bank of America
The BankAmericard credit card is another of the more simple credit cards, offering 18 months of 0% APR financing on both new purchases and balance transfers, with a 3% balance transfer fee. Additional benefits include mobile and text banking, as well as alerts to help you manage your account. There is no annual fee.
2. Discover it Miles
The Discover it Miles card offers 14 months of 0% APR financing on new purchases. This card also has a 3% balance transfer fee. It is also a rewards card that features 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, which can be redeemed for statement credits towards any travel-related expenses. Discover will also match all the miles rewards earned at the end of the new cardholders first year. There is no annual fee for this card, no foreign transaction fees and no penalty interest rate.
At publishing time, the Chase Slate card, Citi Simplicity card and the Discover it Miles card are offered through Credit.com product pages, and Credit.com will be compensated if our users apply for and ultimately sign up for any of these cards. However, this relationship does not result in any preferential editorial treatment.
Note: It’s important to remember that interest rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products frequently change. As a result, rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products cited in these articles may have changed since the date of publication. Please be sure to verify current rates, fees and terms with credit card issuers, banks or other financial institutions directly.
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